I love this question.
It’s one I ask people at the start of my workshops. And it’s a question I’ve thought about many times during 30+ years of both managing people at work, and being managed myself.
I mean, people at work are adults, right? They’re not children. Which means they should be (at the very least) reasonably intelligent, decent, kind, grown-up human beings. Which means they “get it” when it comes to what they need to do at work each day. They wouldn’t have been hired for the job otherwise.
Given this non-startling revelation – the “adults, not children” thing – why do we need managers at all? Indeed, could it be that self-managed teams and organisations (where there’s no traditional hierarchy and thus no official manager or leader; see examples from e.g. Sweden) are the way of the future?
Just why DO managers exist? Let me know your answer, noting that sometimes it helps to think of all the co-workers you’ve had, your own managers, and/or the people you have directly managed (if appropriate).
Oh and there’s no right or wrong answer here. Your answer to this question is as valid as anyone else’s, including all the Professors, Senior Executives and CEOs that may frequent this platform. No such thing as a ‘Thought Leader’ in my book (what nonsense that phrase is). It’s also healthy to be open to diverse views/opinions/thoughts that may challenge our own. How do we think and grow otherwise?
My own answer? I’ll post it in the comments if we get a few people giving theirs.
If not … happy Friday, all!
(NOTE: This article was posted on LinkedIn. Please go there to see the comments from other people, if you wish.)
