Managing people is tough. And being a good manager is even tougher, particularly because most managers today are pulling double duty—managing direct reports while also carrying projects of their own because staff levels have been so reduced. If you're new to managing employees, after reading this far you may be thinking to yourself “What have I gotten myself into?” Even if you're not a new manager, you may be thinking similar thoughts. In fact, all managers have those doubts and anxieties at some point. (In more than two decades of managing, I've asked myself that question at least once a year!) Being a manager today is more challenging than it's ever been. Every employee requires a personal development plan rivaling an NFL team's playbook in complexity. And long gone are the days where management could ask an employee to do a task, and she or he would do it without question. Now you need to provide the why, how, and where before your employees will start to tackle the project! It's a brave new world out there, and even if you have been incredibly successful at managing employees for many years, it's time to update your style to meet the needs of your Millennials while motivating all generations to come together as a team for continued success.

EXPECTATIONS OF TODAY'S MANAGER

When I first started managing employees (in the early 1990s), my two main responsibilities were identifying potential roadblocks that would affect the schedule and providing financial oversight to ensure the team met budgetary restrictions. My project management skills were put to the test as I focused on ensuring that my employees had the tools and instructions they needed to complete their jobs. This experience was a great way for me to break into being a manager, because my group was already very self‐motivated and had effective routines for getting projects accomplished, so I could then work on adding value and engaging and motivating them. Managing employees isn't always such smooth sailing, though. More than ever before, today's managers need to be able to wear a variety of hats:

• Psychologist—To be a good manager, you need to be able to understand the wants and desires of your employees, and then put into practice motivational techniques that connect to those inner feelings. You also need to be intuitive, picking up if something is wrong and your employee needs more support with specific projects.
• Forensic accountant—As you move to a management role, chances are you'll have budgetary responsibilities. Unfortunately, most companies don't provide financial training and usually assume that managers already have that knowledge. Whether or not you are a finance expert, you'll certainly be held accountable if you or your employees mishandle money.
• Head coach—Employees constantly need to hear that they're doing a good job and to “keep up the good work.” Inspiration is no longer intrinsic—it's now up to the manager to provide a steady stream of encouragement to help employees feel motivated to do their jobs. And if your pep talks are ineffective, you'll constantly be recruiting for your team, because few employees will stick around
• Mob enforcer—Cajoling and nudging will get you only so far. At some point, you may have to lay down the hammer to get employees focused and on point to hit hardcore deadlines. It won't be pretty, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
• Politician—Unfortunately, you've still got to manage up, and that's a completely different skill set than leading your employees. If you want to get ahead and be promoted, you need to figure out the complex dance of keeping your boss in the loop without overwhelming him or her, ensuring your boss is informed before problems rise to his or her level (preferably ideally, they never get there, but thinking that will never happen is a pipedream, not reality), and providing support to help get his or her projects completed on time and within budget.
• Air traffic controller—At any one point during a typical day, you're likely to have several major projects requiring your attention while you're also juggling a dozen or so smaller tasks—and those are only the items on your own to‐do list. At the same time, you're also responsible for making sure that your direct reports do their jobs well and on time. An air traffic controller at Chicago's O'Hare airport could take scheduling lessons from today's manager (over a working lunch, of course).

Wearing so many hats can be stressful and exhausting. So why do it? Why push so hard to be a great manager? Because it can be one of the most magical experiences of your career. I've yet to find anything as exciting and rewarding as helping an employee blossom and surpass even her or his own expectations. It's truly a magical experience that has far eclipsed anything that I've ever done, including launching the Oxygen channel and founding InterActiveCorp. The legacy I'm proudest of are the people who have worked for me and then, through my guidance and encouragement, have gone on to do even more amazing things. They're the reason why I love managing people and what I think of on the days when I'm asking myself, “What have I gotten myself into?”

When you're feeling flustered, always remind yourself that you're smart and that you can figure this out. If you commit to being the best manager you can be and work hard to make that happen for each of your employees, you will succeed.

FOCUSING ON YOU

Unfortunately, many companies don't offer support for individual contributors who are making the transition to managers, or help veteran managers make adjustments needed to motivate and engage the four generations in the office today. In many organizations, managers are expected to figure all this stuff out on their own. Even someone who's been an outstanding manager for many years will need to make adjustments to maintain that same level of excellence in the new workplace reality.

So as you work to develop your employees' professional development plans, don't forget to pay attention to yourself, too! Commit right now to spending time focusing on what you need to keep your skills current in today's workplace. Don't wait for your boss to figure this out for you; instead, make it a priority and figure it out yourself. Here's what you can do to keep growing and learning in your current managerial position:

• Participate in offsite training at least twice a year. As difficult as it is to step out of the office for a while, it's important to get away from your day‐to‐day routines—and your desk—occasionally so you can both get a new perspective and focus on what you're learning. Online training programs don't count: this has to be a setting in which phones are turned off, there are no interruptions, and everyone is paying attention. Taking this time for your own professional development will make you a better manager back in the office.
• Learn to be an effective communicator. Your future success depends on your ability to communicate—managing up, down, and sideways all require superior communication skills. Communicating with people of different generations can be tricky because of variations in knowledge, experience, work ethic, and expectations. But if you keep in mind that all employees—even people within the same generation—are individuals, you can shove assumptions to the side and just ask each person what he or she wants. Strive to be a great communicator who actually listens to what employees say and is as transparent as possible with them. This approach can help you bridge differences and mitigate conflicts between generations and come up with solutions that motivate all your employees. If you focus on only one skill for yourself, make it this one.
• Make developing talent a priority. Ensuring that your employees' skills continue to improve not only motivates them, it also helps you in the long run. To move up, you need a successor—someone to do your current job while you assume greater responsibilities (or take on an entirely different role). So make it a priority to develop talent through formal planning in conjunction with your employees. (If you keep the plan only in your head, your best employees are likely to ditch you for a manager who's willing and able to discuss their career growth with them.) If you don't know how to create a formal plan, seek guidance from your company's HR department, ask other well‐respected leaders how they do official development, or just review chapter 9. If you establish a reputation for creating talent in your wake, the brightest and best people will want to come work for you. Then when the time comes for you to move up, you can focus on your new responsibilities, knowing that your old department will be in good hands.
• Hire smart people. Unfortunately, many managers lack this vital skill and end up having to hold a bad employee's hand instead of focusing on larger strategic issues. Don't just hire smart people—hire people who are smarter than you. Jack Welch famously said, “If you're the smartest person in the room, you've got real problems.”² Learn not to be intimidated by people who are smarter than you, because hiring them will only make you look more brilliant! And smart people bring with them great ideas that not only benefit the organization but can help you, too, as they take on more responsibilities (that would otherwise fall to you).
• Don't be satisfied with the status quo—push yourself to expand your skill set. If you're not learning, you're stagnating. So keep pushing yourself to learn new skills, both within your company and in your industry at large. For example, because it's critical to understand how the organization makes money, learn how your product is made (and priced) as well as how much your product sells for (and the corresponding profit). Don't stop there, though: find out what it takes to sell the product to your customers and what customer support is needed for both the short term and the long term. Just as you should send your employees to talk with other department heads to learn about their processes, do the same thing yourself and perhaps identify projects in their areas with which you can assist. Figure out how you can add value (rather than merely increasing your knowledge), and then prioritize their projects. By volunteering to help, you expand your exposure to other company executives (which can help with a possible promotion down the line) and also learn something new.
• Build a reputation as someone who gets stuff done. Be a creative problem solver and build your reputation as someone who adds value across the organization, not just in your department. If you're bogged down in details, take a project management class to help you get organized and focus on the big‐picture items (not just the minor tasks that can eat up your entire day). People are usually either part of the problem or part of the solution. If you focus on the latter, the company leadership will recognize that promoting you is imperative to the organization's growth and success.

Another development option for you to consider (especially if your company offers it) is one‐on‐one coaching, which is probably one of the most worthwhile development tools out there (second only to a relationship with the right mentor—see the next section). Having someone with whom you can discuss specific problems and ideas can be fantastic for developing skills quickly. Coaching is also great if you're focused on advanced leadership skills that are often less about technical components and more about the personal (self‐awareness, self‐management, integrity, authenticity), relational (interpersonal skills, effective communication, ability to inspire and influence), and organizational (political savvy, diplomacy, organizational awareness, tolerance for change and uncertainty) competencies needed at the senior‐most levels.

Even if you work with a coach, though, it's important to find mentors both within and outside the organization who can help with your personal development. Each type has a different perspective: I found someone inside the company who helped me navigate the nuances of politics and personalities for example, and a mentor outside the company exposed me to a wider array of options for tackling problems and expanding my skills. Finding a mentor isn't just a matter of walking up to someone and asking him or her to be your mentor. It takes a lot of careful thought and work.

FINDING A MENTOR

If your company has a formal mentorship program, definitely apply for it, because companies often select the employees that they want to stick around (and, eventually, promote). If you aren't picked, don't fret—but ask follow‐up questions to find out what you need to do in order to be selected in the next round. Check in periodically with your boss or HR to ensure you're actually making improvements needed to make you a stronger candidate for the program.

If your company doesn't have a formal program, don't let that stop you from finding a mentor. Don't just pick anyone, though! Do your homework to find the right fit.

MOVING FROM TACTICAL DOER TO STRATEGIC THINKER

Once you shift from being an individual contributor to managing others, you'll need to be able to focus on larger strategic issues for the department as a whole. After all, you have to provide oversight to your direct reports, and that means focusing on the bigger picture—and not only on your tasks. The need to focus on more strategic issues will only increase as you continue to move up within your organization. That can be challenging to do, because every employee's inclination is to deal with what's right in front of him or her—that is, what's due today. And yes, sometimes you do have to take that “here and now” approach. But if you find hours or even days going by during which you're focused only on short‐term tactical issues, you're doing yourself, your position, and your company a disservice. As you move up the ranks, your job is to pay more attention to the strategic concerns that inform your organization's long‐term goals. Here are four steps for moving from the tactical to the strategic.