The power of connecting and leading

A few days ago, I heard a manager who had just taken over a team complaining. He was concerned about several things: eliciting opinions from team members who didn't speak up in meetings, providing proper feedback on performance, and whether it was appropriate to organize a team dinner initially. I don't think it's solely because he has Gen Z team members who are considered difficult to deal with. Considering the growing number of studies on 'new team leaders' in academia, it becomes evident that a new team leader has a different set of capabilities.

There are many stories of smart and capable friends who have become team leaders but didn't stand out and colleagues who weren't outstanding individuals but produced good results in managing their team members effectively. When you transition from being a regular employee to a team leader, moments of worry increase. Rather than solely focusing on your work, you must look out for everyone. You'll need to learn how to give feedback constructively without upsetting team members. While you're ultimately responsible, you should grant your team the right amount of discretion to solve their problems. Inquiring about your team's personal lives is crucial without being too intrusive. Being a team leader demands a different set of qualities than being an employee.

There was a time when an extreme argument circulated in management circles, suggesting that team leaders were unnecessary. London Business School professor Gary Hamel, one of the world's leading management thinkers, garnered attention with his defiant proposal to fire all managers. The logic behind this was that organizations could operate more efficiently by eliminating team leader positions and creating a structure where authority and responsibility are shared. Companies such as Zappos continue experimenting with the idea of a ‘managerless company,’ adopting a ‘holacracy’ style of organization that eliminates hierarchy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance and value of middle managers. A recent McKinsey study of 1,700 global companies found that companies with highly skilled team leaders continued to increase revenues during the pandemic and outperformed other companies financially. Researchers attribute this success to the "power of connection" that middle managers possess. With the rise of hybrid work - a mix of remote, home, and in-office arrangements - the middle manager's role becomes critical in tapping into, mediating, and binding together every corner of the organization, connecting the top and bottom levels.

One of the difficulties of being a team leader is that you're in the middle, dealing with people from both the top and bottom. You need to be an active follower of those above you and a proactive leader of those below you, and it's not easy to do both well. Low-value administrative tasks also take away your motivation. Many team leaders complain about spending over half their time dealing with bureaucratic red tape. Organizations need to redefine the role of middle managers by giving them more autonomy and authority. Moreover, organizations need to invest their energy in helping middle managers by providing relevant training and education so that they can be competent followers and leaders at the same time. While seeking to understand Gen Zs is essential, it's equally important to boost the morale of team leaders striving to connect, lead their teams, and create greater value for companies.