6The New Manager’s Job and Pitfalls to Avoid

SO WHAT REALLY IS THE MANAGER’S JOB? There are many ways to answer that question, but the most helpful is to look at management much the same as an actor would look at a role. As a manager you need to play many roles—coach, standard setter, performance appraiser, teacher, motivator, and so forth. You select the appropriate role based on the situation you’re in and the objectives that you want to accomplish. Often, new managers are given the advice to “just be yourself.” This is actually bad advice. It will prevent you from using the different roles that will make you a successful and effective manager.

Another mistake many new managers make is believing that their role is to be directive, that is, ...

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