The Intensifying Strain on Team Managers

Shifting sands in workplace setting (remote working), economy (cost-of-living), political unrest, company staff cuts and the increasing responsibility of employee wellbeing, are adding to the already dense pressure of creating high-performing teams that feel rewarded and achieve company goals.

Managing a team well has always been demanding. Today, even more so. Some mornings feel like preparing for a battle of sorts. The most seasoned manager must be feeling it right now.

The new hybrid norm

A tricky balancing act of integrating effective homeworking with office presence is prevalent. Employees that used to come to the office full-time are now working from home, some permanently so. Nurturing remote teams over long periods of time and maintaining a high level of engagement and output is a new battlefield for many managers.

Balancing wellbeing in the face of layoffs

Companies are downsizing in response to economic pressures and evolving strategies. You know there are cuts coming. You need to grapple with the boundaries of transparency whilst maintaining a relatively upbeat stance. This is draining, to say the least. As is maintaining output with smaller teams.

Motivating through uncertainty

Whether staff cuts are coming or not, the overall work ecosystem feels less stable. Less security and stability than pre-pandemic times. The ‘great resignation’ indicated that employees are considering their options more holistically than before and many organisations are reconfiguring in big and small ways.

But day-to-day workloads remain. Teams still need to deliver, feel engaged and steered away from the mindset of ‘quiet quitting’ which can only end one way.

Change is the norm – not the exception

Managers are required to be Change Managers. Continuously. All managers need the training and skills to manage ongoing flux. Not for singular motions that take a team from a static ‘frozen’ state into a new ‘frozen’ state. Evolution is continuous.

Take for example - planning. Plans will change in an increasingly frequent pace in response to new inputs. We don’t create a plan and stick to it all year. (Did we ever?). Managers need to foster and prepare teams, stakeholders and suppliers for continuous flux as the new norm. 

Switching between leadership styles

An ‘Affiliative’ or ‘Coaching’ style may come naturally to you, and you will need to coach your team through turbulence. Individually and at a team level. During crises or rapid change an ‘Authoritative’ or borderline ‘Coercive’ style may be needed.

Managers increasingly need to adapt their approach as circumstances arise. And become comfortable doing it.

Look after yourself

Whilst chartering this terrain you must maintain your own energy levels. Craft your own work-life balance. Shed the emotional strain of your teams’ emotional strain at the end of each day. And alleviate your own.

To give the time and energy required to navigate the above, you must ensure you do not have a substantial workload in addition to these demands. This is a particular challenge for middle managers.

If our managers are not thriving and being adequately supported, the house of cards will be shaken at best; at worst, it will come tumbling down.

Coaching, updated training and, above all, understanding for team managers in the face of today’s ever-changing work environments is crucial.