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This is common, especially for new managers who have been promoted from within the team. They often find it difficult to set the right tone with the team when they were peers a few weeks ago. They want to be liked, protect the team, and tries to stay positive and upbeat. The message is - I'm your pal, and it's all about us.
Pros of this persona are that they are friendly and fun to be around. Most likely, they're free with the appreciation feedback/compliments, even if they're fairly general ("Great work!") They tend to make people feel good about their performance and the teams often feel like a group of good friends or family.
Cons for this persona are that they are not setting up their team for success if they can't give the difficult feedback along with the positive feedback. The team may end up too reliant on the new boss for support and sometimes it can seem like emotions play too heavily into decision making.
This persona feels more "old school" for our modern times. These are the people who expect team mates to do what they say simply because they're the boss. They tend to be detail-oriented and often lean on micromanagement as a way to get what they want. They may even resort to "public shaming" to get the results they expect. The message is - I'm the boss and it's all about me.
Believe it or not, there are pros to this style. Team mates tend to know exactly where they stand with this type of boss, and this can be especially helpful for newer team mates who aren't yet highly skilled and want clear expectations set for them.
Of course, the downside includes the fact that most people are not motivated in this way; in fact, most will find it demotivating and possibly even hurtful. This won't be a team that feels valued or appreciated, and there won't be much room for innovation or professional development.
These managers are those who aren't around much. This can be common in startups when every employee has a ton of work on their plate, so there isn't a lot of time for (what they would characterize as) hand-holding. This type of boss doesn't share a lot of expectations, and when they do share a vision, it's at the thirty-thousand foot level. They expect their team to navigate the details. Feedback is often given in generalities since the manager isn't often too familiar with the true talents of the team. The message is - I'm the boss and it's all about the work.
Pros for this persona are specific to the type of employee - high achievers who want to learn as much as possible often thrive here since they have the freedom to get their work done as they see fit, and without clear guardrails, they often can be innovative.
Cons, of course, are plentiful, especially for newer employees who need validation and support. It can be harder for the manager to utilize the team's talents appropriately since they don't really know their people, and this style can cause burnout or frustration when teams don't have a clear sense of success measures.
This persona shows up when new managers don't have solid support from their own leadership. They tend to run with initiatives from "upper management" without fully understanding them; and, therefore, can't explain them well to the team. Everything is about the "big picture" of the company, to the detriment of personalities and individual goals. Their feedback is typically tied to the company's mission and values, and they may ignore things that don't fit neatly into that space. The message is - We're all in this together, and it's all about the company.
Pros for this style are that they can drive business results. When people are dialed into the company's mission and how their role supports that mission, magical things can happen. Everyone will be on the same page and moving in the same direction.
Cons show up when the person is more of a "hype" boss than a real leader. They're not able to adjust their management style to fit the realities of the situation, which can be especially frustrating for newer team members. Also, since they tie everything back to the company, they don't show much of their own personality or style, so it may not create space for creativity or new ideas.
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