If you are thinking of taking on a management/leadership position, think again.  Do you know what you are getting yourself into?  People move into management/leadership positions for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with a fire in the belly and a natural talent for meeting the challenges that frequently come with the interpersonal dynamics in the workplace. It’s important to take a good hard look at your motivation for seeking a management/leadership position and to level with yourself about whether you can take the “heat in the kitchen” so to speak.  Facing up to the truth of the type of work that truly turns your crank, takes courage.

Some people think that because they are a seasoned subject specialist in their field that they are automatically going to succeed in a management/leadership position in their profession. Others apply for a management/leadership position because it’s the next “logical” career move for them.  Still others pursue the goal of a management/leadership position because of the job title and perceived “prestige”. Or perhaps because they’ll earn more money in the last few years of their working life before retirement.  It could be that they imagine their colleagues/family/friends will conclude they’re not up to the job of manager/leader if they don’t apply for such a position.  Any and all of these reasons for seeking a management/leadership position should absolutely be resisted unless they are accompanied by a commitment to learn what it takes to be a responsible, accountable manager/leader.  Otherwise, they risk bringing misery to themselves (though they may not always be conscious of it!) and their employees.

What needs to change is the persistent habit of promoting employees to supervisory positions regardless of their ability to respond effectively to the interpersonal dimension of the job.  Without first understanding what exactly is involved in management/leadership, and questioning yourself as to whether you are ready, willing and able to learn how to do that job, then you may be getting in over your head.  It needs to be made clear to potential future managers/leaders that if they want to assume such a position, they must be willing to focus on coaching, mentoring, objective listening, modelling behaviour, being way showers rather than focusing on being “doers”and “fixers”.  Being in management/leadership positions is primarily about navigating with and through human interactions.  Managing the work is secondary and will take care of itself through your employees if you are keeping your eye on the primary responsibilities of managing/leading.

Essentially, as a manager/leader you are expected not to shy away from, ignore, or tolerate negative behaviours from employees.  The more negative behaviours go untreated, the more this sends a message to others that this conduct is acceptable, or at the very least that it will not result in any consequences.  This fundamental shift in emphasis from managing the work to ministering to people who are doing the work, must be reinforced by those hiring individuals to fill management/leadership positions.  Continuous learning, and professional development around management/leadership should be encouraged.  New incumbents should be asked from the outset to work with Human Resources to develop their personal plan for staying on top of new thinking and practices in the art of managing/leading.

The idea here is to save employees from managers/leaders who are fumbling in the dark as to their proper role as much as it is to help managers/leaders not feel so overwhelmed and out of their depths without admitting it to themselves or others.  A manager/leader who calls for help, like an individual who goes for therapy, should be praised for recognizing and taking constructive steps to remedy a situation for the better.

Please, before you jump into management/leadership roles, act responsibly and accountably towards yourself and your future employees, by thinking carefully about whether this is really for you and the steps you will take to learn and grow as a manager/leader on an on-going basis.  If you are already in a management/leadership position, feeling stretched and stressed, do yourself and your employees a favour, humble yourself to seek help because if you are in your element, it shouldn’t feel stressful.  When you are in a job for which you feel a “calling” then there is contentment all around – for yourself and those you serve (i.e., your employees).  It’s about peace in the workplace for all.

Let me leave you with some reading (though certainly not a comprehensive list by any means) about what it takes to manage/lead in ways that are conducive to peace in the workplace:

• Farag, Marianne. "Achieving Performance Through Peace in the Workplace". Article in Public Sector Management, Institute of Publc Administration of Canada, Vol 26, Issue No. 1, 2015, pages 6 to 9.
• Farag, Marianne. "Are You Master of Your Peace in the Workplace?". Column in Public Sector Management. Institute of Public Administrataion of Cananda, Vol 26, Issue No. 2, 2015, pages 18 and 19.
• Horn, Art. Beyond Ego: Influential Leadership Starts Within. ECW Press, 2008.
• Patterson, Kerry et al. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.  McGraw-Hill, 2002.
• McDermott, Ian and Ian Shircore. Manage Yourself, Manage Your Life.  Piatkus, 2011.
• Rosenberg, Marshall B. PhD. Non-Violent Communication A Language of Life.  PuddleDancer Press, 2015.
• Wakeman, Cy. Reality-Based Leadership books: http://www.realitybasedleadership.com/store/.