All first and mid-level managers have the potential to transform the performance of their teams and the work life of their team members. They have the potential to make a real difference for their organisation and a real difference to the lives of their people.
Span of control, or span of management, refers to the number of direct reports a people leader manages. With a larger span of control, the cost of management can be reduced. However, if the span of control is too large, managers may not have the capacity to effectively lead their people for high performance.
My definition of an effective leader is a people manager (ie.first and mid-level) who inspires commitment, grows employee engagement and work motivation, confronts non-performance and maximises employee performance.
One thing many poor leaders have in common is that they are simply not aware that they’re just bad people managers. Frequently they actually think they’re good. And if they’re aware on some level that they’re not that great, they’re often not willing to admit it to anyone, least of all themselves.
No doubt you pay attention to a range of numbers in your organisation. With frequent and detailed reporting, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that in the end one key number is important.
That number might be profit per transaction, or profit per employee. However, as an end product it’s of more use to the head of your business unit than it is to frontline leaders.
From a frontline leadership perspective, you’ll find that a focus on one seemingly less important result can have the flow-on effect of dramatically improving the important numbers.