#ManagementMonday now on Instagram

Management and Leadership are must-have skills for both personal and professional growth. But they are not the same.

I’ve been working in the “Leadership Development” space for 15 years. Most recently I co-founded Community Connections Fund and its flagship program the Chicago-based “Community Connections Leadership Program.” I continue to be on staff as one of the three primary facilitators. We are a personal growth-focused program, resolute in the belief that strong people make strong leaders and strong leaders make strong communities.

I love it.

However.

For the last 40 years, I’ve worked for, worked as, and worked with manager(s). Some of them had great leadership skills. Some, not so much. But the successful ones all had management skills. They could breakdown a project or goal into a puzzle of resources, tasks, milestones, key success factors, dates, and individual assignments. You need that. Let’s face it, inspiration from leaders gets you to the work, but it doesn’t help you figure out how to do the work. That’s where the manager comes in.

Further, I’ve been surprised at how many people sign up for our Leadership Program with expectations that they will learn how to be better managers. Yes, they are connected, but we are going to help you understand how you show up as a communicator, for example; not teach you the best ways to regularly communicate with your team.

Hence, #ManagementMonday. Each Monday, I aim to get a post on Instagram with a one-liner management tip. No long essay or blog, just a reminder of what managers are supposed to do. I started last week (March 31) with a reminder that your job includes making sure each one of your team members knows their priorities for the week. It’s not enough for you to know YOUR top 3. Each team member should know what the team’s top 3 goals for the week are, what your top 3 are as the manager, and what their top 3 tasks are as team members. It’s a good idea to make that clear on Mondays, as you kick off the week.

You’ll be surprised how many times your team members are working hard on the wrong priorities. That’s not their fault if they don’t know what the priorities should be. It’s your job as a manager to let them know - and check in regularly.

I’d love your comments on these tips - or your tips that you want to see posted.

Follow us on @nonprofitplanner or follow the hashtag #ManagementMonday. Join the conversation.

~ Cathy