What Does A Manager Do?

That doesn't mean that managers spend all day sitting around with their feet up on the desk drinking coffee. Most managers I know work very hard and work longer hours than anyone on their teams. So what do managers do? Read on.

Build A Team

One of the first things you have to do as a manager is to build your team. Usually, when you become a manager, your team is already in place. You may need to add a few people or replace some people. Don't be in a hurry. Learn about your team and the people on the team before you shake things up. Don't feel you have to prove you're the manager. Take the time to think things through before you make major changes.

Motivate Your People

The simplest way to make your team more productive is to motivate them. Motivating people can be a real challenge for many managers because it is so different for each person. You will find that what works to motivate one person won't work for another and will actually be a demotivator for still another. As a manager, you need to find the unique motivators for each member of your team.

Run The Business

While you are motivating your team, you have to stay focused on the business itself. Managers must handle many specific tasks, mostly related to personnel actions and financial transactions, to keep the company functioning. You will have to make decisions daily about the correct way to do things and to keep your team function as a part of the whole company. It doesn't matter how well your unit performs unless it is in sync with the rest of the company.

Make Changes And Fix Things

Things go wrong every day. Things change constantly. Managers play a key role in figuring out what is going wrong and doing what is needed to fix it.

Manage Upward

In addition to managing your team, your role as a manager requires that you also manage the organization above your unit. Your job includes buffering your people from the company power structure. Your boss, and any bosses above him/her, need to go through you and not directly to your team.

Manage Sideways

In additon to managing upward, you need to work well with your peers. Your team will not function well if they have problems with other departments. You can help them be more effective if you can establish good working relationships with your peers, the heads of the other departments your team needs to work with.
(Source: management.about.com)