With Others New managers stumble because they are unable to form strong relationships. Forty percent of all newly promoted managers will fail in some way within 18 months. The top reason for this failure, according to 82 percent of all survey respondents contacted by Manchester Consulting, is a failure to build partnerships with subordinates and peers. Other reasons cited were a lack of internal political savvy and poor communication with their boss of certain expectations. Great managers have learned to avoid defensiveness and unnecessary turmoil with peers and subordinates.
Great managers maintain strong relationships due, in part, to their high resilience level.
The prospect of facing scrutiny, pressure, and disappointment is fairly guaranteed in a leadership role. You can't control these in a position of visibility, like management, but you can control your reaction to them. Before you finally decide whether management is the ideal job for you, it would be wise to consider the requirements. If you are currently in a management position, and things are not going so well, then it may be time to do some soul-searching. Kathy Simmons practices what she preaches as the Assistant Vice President of Canada Life Assurance Company in Atlanta, where she is responsible for over 100 employees.