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Learning 2XL

Drowning or Waving?

How to Spot a Manager in Trouble

Waving at Sea

How can you spot if one of your manager's is struggling? Often asking for help is the last resort, and it can seem like an admission of failure. People can be promoted to management positions because they are very good at their job, not because they are good people managers. Yet everyone has the potential to be good at managing a team, if they only had an idea of what they need to do and how to go about it.

Are they drowning or waving? Do you need to throw them a lifeline? Resist the temptation to jump in yourself and save the day, invest instead in some management survival training like our First Time Team Leader, Difficult Conversations for Managers or Managing Performance Improvement courses either in-house or on an Open course at the RNLI Lifeboat College, Poole.

Use the lists below to see what your managers are really saying:

Drowning

  • Avoids difficult issues
  • Can be aggressive or submissive
  • Busy, often unavailable and disorganised
  • Few targets, daily crisis'
  • Taciturn staff, some turnover concerns
  • Full of excuses

Waving

  • Resolves difficult issues
  • Is supportive yet assertive
  • Busy, but prioritises well and is organised
  • Team performance managed, few crisis'
  • Well motivated team, some internal promotions
  • Full of suggestions