Gone are the Days of the Traditional Manager

Quick, define “manager.” Chances are, your definition centers on the concepts of being in charge, setting and enforcing rules and having power and control. Depending on your experiences, your definition might include a synonym of ogre.

Managers who fit that description are a total mismatch with today’s employees, who expect to be inspired, consulted and engaged. Employees expect to find meaning in their work, be able to access leaders outside the hierarchy and help shape decisions within their teams. In fact, employees are leaving companies, even when well compensated, because their managers are failing to get to know them, inspire them, and build connections between their work and their company’s vision and mission.

Instead of shaking our heads at the audacity of this employee mindset, we should take their refusal to compromise as a wakeup call to raise our standards. We should be revisiting our hiring, development and promotion expectations. We should be changing what we expect of managers.

Research has shown two things:

1. Coaching is key to great management and, therefore, business performance; and
2. Most companies do not formally expect managers to coach their employees.

At BNY Mellon, we’re fundamentally changing how we think about managers. Rather than viewing them as instruments of control, we are challenging them to be coaches – using a broader mindset and skill set from the traditional manager role.

The coach role involves taking the time to understand what motivates each member of the team, having regular conversations around development and providing instantaneous feedback. No one who is paying attention should ever be surprised by the contents of their performance review; that should be a formality. Coaches also provide transparency around decisions and, where possible, seek input from their teams before making decisions.

A coach is far from an ogre; he or she is the person helping employees succeed in their roles and move along the path of career fulfillment. A coach is helping members of the team better recognize how their work advances the company’s goals and objectives.

When we started making the shift at BNY Mellon, we discovered our manager roles were not structured for success. The contributor demands of managers too often dictated they manage people off the sides of their desks…allowing for minimal coaching investment. You can imagine how important the employee feels in that arrangement. We subsequently reduced the number of managers –  so those in the role have managing as a primary focus – and tried to structure roles so a portion of their time is devoted to coaching.

Expectations have changed – it’s no longer enough for a manager to be a top producer; in fact, we’re thinking differently about how to fill manager roles. We are giving more weight than before to candidates with a passion and track record of developing talent. In interviews, I expect to hear specific strategies candidates have employed to energize, develop and strengthen their teams.

It’s not an easy shift. It’s requiring a great deal of investment in manager development, including– wait for it – coaching on the part of our leaders, who are themselves adapting to new expectations.

That starts with me. As I was coming up through the ranks, many of the managers around me modeled more “bossing” than coaching. I benefited, however, from multiple mentors. They showed they cared. They took the time to get to know me and my aspirations, helping me find meaning in my work and never spared feedback to spare my feelings in the moment. They were invested in my future.

I try to take my cues from them, because the attitudes and behaviors they demonstrated inspired me to expand my contributions every day. I strongly believe a great manager is a great coach who inspires, leads and brings out the best in everyone around them.