The Role of Manager!!!!

When it comes to evaluating the role of modern the manager in the game, it seems our most apt source of input and opinion will be analogy. So this thread is a primarily off-topic discussion of managers we have worked under, both great and awful, those we've tried hard for, and those we couldn't be arsed with... and hopefully we can get some input from successful types who have reached the heights of management and beyond, and descriptions of what type of manager they aspired to be...

Personally, I've had a few jobs. As a field archaeologist, I worked under a supervisor who was temperamental. On a good day, he'd be cheery and it would be a pleasure working for him. I'm betting you can guess the rest. While his bipolar nature caused a mood somewhat akin to apprehension, he generally got stuck in and helped out with the work (usually when we had almost done it all anyway), and he was pretty good at organizing the team and setting out the day appropriately. There was structure and we always finished ahead of schedule.

At present, I work for the thickest, most incompetent idiot I have ever had the mispleasure of sharing Earth's oxygen supply with. He sits all day in his office, never communicates with staff, except to tell them they did something wrong, never thanks staff member's for extra effort, or staying behind to help out, and bitches behind people's backs like a five year old girl at school. My mate and I slogged our guts out on a task tonight, which the manager had asked us to do JUST before we finished, a task which normally takes 2.5 hours. We did it in an hour and a half, so, to our relief, we could finish on time. The prick then bitches behind my back to two colleagues about how long it took (btw, I was instructed to take on another task after my work hours. So I started without complaining, hoping to save my colleagues from the hassle and hoping they'd be able to get off home on time... They stayed behind to help me. I think it's telling they respect me more than they respect the manager )... I don't know if I look particularly tough (ask ACS), but this man has never been able to criticise me to my face!!! If he was manager of Newcastle United, we'd lack any clear sign of strategy, their would be constant unrest in the squad, and nobody would ever want to join us... And no, Pards IS slightly better than that.

What interested me about Swansea's sacking of Laudrup, was that the description above was along similar lines to the publicly stated reason that Hew Jenkins provided for his decision (player unrest, unwillingness to communicate with team members, sitting in his office etc). That, of course, may merely be maliciously spread to condone the sacking, but it makes me uneasy about Laudrup as a boss, whereas before I would have cut off my appendage and eaten it to see him replace Pardew.

At the same place, I have a supervisor (below the manager... not the wink wink type of below), who is genuinely the nicest woman on earth, who runs about putting out fires (usually caused by the manager's oafishness) and puts in a hard shift every day. She's like a hero, trucking about, and I work my heart out for her because I see the effort she puts in and I want to help her. That's the type of manager I would want to be, the type I think is most successful at driving productivity all levels of business. Unfortunately, it seems the ruthless and aggressive kinds predominate at higher levels, but at managerial level, I think it's ideal to have that kind of figure.

Yet, isn't that the kind of manager that fails quickest in the premier league? Most manager's like this are in the mold of the "popular/legendary figure" or "good guy assistant manager" appointments that appease fans for a time, before their inexperience(/time away) in the managerial hot-seat is savagely turned on...

Over to you chaps and chapettes

 

I can confirm that he is a tough looking chap.
















Compared to Alan Carr

 

you sod!!!

 

I just feel sorry for whoever is JPF's boss. Can you imagine trying to keep him 'in line' at work?

 

I have worked in senior management for 20 odd years now, General Manager of 7 hotels in that period, I had 4 years of higher education to gain professional qualifications in management for the hospitality industry and have completed many training courses and add on qualifications over the years. Working for large corporate groups is actually easier than working for individual owners in my experience, I can understand from this how difficult Pardew's job is, with large companies like Marriot or Holiday Inn you have clear lines of operations, structure, responsibilty and direction, with individual owners it can be like working on shifting sand as you are often working at their whim and with some of them having very little practical experience of the hotel industry sometimes some crazy ideas as to how we should operate. I work as a manager by building a team blending senior staff with good experience and usually younger inexperienced staff, the key for me as a manager is to ensure that we have a culture of training and development in all areas, to delegate to my senior team as they can only do their jobs properly if empowered and allowed to do so, this also works as a training aspect. Whilst there is a component of office work to be done I also spend a lot of time out in the hotel and get to know all the members of the team, I have found over the years that good ideas can come from anyone on the team not just the top end and it is important to recognise the contribution that everyone makes to achieving success. One of my other operational tenents is that we all make mistakes, the most important issue is not blame but recognising the mistake and doing something to resolve it as quickly as possible as something small can soon become a massive issue, I took over a hotel for an owner who had bought it out of receivership, the lass that was employed as a wedding co-ordinator had made a big cockup and booked 2 weddings into the main suite on the same day, instead of telling us she buried it, as the months went past again instead of saying anything she started looking for another job, about a month after she left the wedding party that we didnt know about pitched up at the hotel to discuss their plans which is the first point that we found out we had a problem, long story after that including having to involve the Police to stop myself taking a beating.

Ultimately working as a manager in the hospitality industry I have to satisfy the owners of the business, keep my team happy and resolve any issues in a fair manner always having to consider complex legislation, one of the hardest parts is to ensure that all our customers are happy as well, along with this are all the statutory bodies such as the environmental health officers, fire brigade, council and police on liquor licensing, building control, trading standards, HMRC and so on, I regularly work long hours, 60/70 hours per week and quite often 6 days or even 7, in the last 5 years I have not been able to take my full holiday allowance and after all the effort to achieve the business aims the owner disagrees with your methods, work ethic or it's a bad day for them and you get fired.

 

I have seen all kinds of managers in my working life. I have studied management principles extensively through the professional qualifications I have undertaken too. One thing I have learnt through that study is the need for flexibility in how you manage is of paramount importance. I have worked under managers who have fallen in love with what they have read in books about management. I had a manager who was possibly one fo the worst I have ever had the misfortune to work under. He'd quote the basics of the likes of Maslow, Drucker or McGregor without any real understanding of what their theories were or how/when to apply them. He was incapable of having an original thought and basically upset the whole team through pure incompetence. I think I did have extra dislike for him because I had enjoyed reading about these so called management gurus, and it felt like he was soiling their work!

I have had the other end of the scale too. The manager who dismisses these theorists as "mumbo jumbo or arty farty bollocks" and proceeds to rule by fear. I always thought it was interesting that the very theories they would trample over had them pinned to a very fine degree They never quite grasped why everyone disliked them and could never understand why output never really increased as a result of their archaic methods. I often found these kind of managers were very disloyal and simply used people. As per what you say JPF, they could never be straight to your face. It is difficult to respect someone with this character trait. What you'd also find is that these managers think only they have good ideas. Usually because they fear empowering others will expose their own flaws, rather than realising good management is actually using all the resources you have available to you. Most human beings (its not true to say all) have the capacity to surprise you or provide you with positive contribution at some point. There is no shame in tapping into others knowledge, its strength not weakness.

I've also seen managers who are just too weak. People who are just too nice and struggle to deal with confrontation. Even when furnished with a very clear and structured management system, they cannot to use it effectively. I have often been in this circumstance and heard the defence, "ah but if x wasn't such a t**t and took advantage of y, their job would be much easier". Basically that is failing to grasp that to be a manager you have to deal with all diferent kinds of characters, not all of them nice!

Over time and becoming a manager myself, I have tried to take the best bits from each one, while also learning from mistakes I made. Its all about balance for me, understanding the people you have working for you. You need a structure to manage people effectively. You just can't afford for that structure to be overly rigid or it will not allow for the differences in human nature. Overriding all of that should be some core priniciples that you remain true to. I have also come to realise that regardless how good you are as a manager, there are times when powers above you tie one hand behind your back and prevent you from achieving the original outcome. Its difficult in those circumstances to keep doing your job to the best of your ability. You are trying to motivate people to get the best outcome despite knowing that the best outcome will not be allowed to achieve anything worthwhile.

Your current manager sounds like a nightmare JPF. He is the type who can cause a team to become very limited in what they can achieve. It sounds a lot like a manager I have had previously. It may well seem ok at various stages because the overriding goals are achieved. However that does not mean that the team is functional because it may not be achieving to its full capacity (it could be doing even more), and how the goals are being achieved may be causing an undercurrent of dissatifaction which will rise at some stage.

I think in terms of football, you need someone with a very clear plan of how they want to achieve the goals they are set. Something Pardew has been guilty of not having at times. However the manager must be able to adapt that plan. Sunderland are a very interesting model to look at. Di Canio was not adaptable. Despite having a very clear plan, he was too rigid in his thinking. Poyet, despite ****ting on floors, also has a clear plan, also understands the need for discipline, but seems to be able to adapt his plan to create the best atmosphere possible and get the best from his team. His challenge is now to maintain this over a longer period. He has yet to deal to have had to deal with a serious bout of indiscipline from a player. He'll have set out core principles at the outset and it will be interesting to see how he implements them. Afterall there comes a time when you have to be more authoratitive. You can't always be Mr Nice Guy. Pards has balanced this quite well at times and does seem to understand how to get a reaction from players (bar the derbies )

 

Pards doesn't realise what the derbies mean to the fans.

 

I think he does know what it means, he just doesn't know how to lift the players for it the way Sunderland have done.

 

Too many Cockneys spoil the broth.

 

You have to feel sorry for some managers of todays clubs. Fulham sack 2 managers within 2 months and now we have West Brom on the verge of sacking their new manager after just 6 GAMES because players say they are struggling to adapt to Mels methods.
Alan Pardew must be sitting laughing at everyone because he knows no matter how rubbish he is at his job he ain't going anywhere.

 

Not until his debt to MA is cleared anyway.

 

My boss is an absolute knacker.

I'm self employed......

 

Sack yourself for talking about yourself in that manner.

The Union wouldn't have a leg to stand on if they fought your dismissal.