💚 The best possible gift you can give managers

Hello and happy Thursday!

Today we’re talking about the single most powerful tool you can give your managers to empower impactful, meaningful, transformational people leadership. Forgive me for sounding a little click-baity, but that is JUST how much I believe in this aspect of manager support. 

So what is this magical secret weapon that can unlock infinite potential?

It’s time!

Yup. Time is the biggest game-changer for your people leaders.

Even though this simple resource marches eternally on, I think we’re all familiar with how often it feels in short supply. Today, we explore exactly how much time you should be allocating in support of great people management and why it matters oh-so-much.

To providing the time and space to do excellent work,

Jill

P.S. This is part three of a four-part series on creating a healthy people-management structure. In case you missed it:

• Part One: What makes someone a great manager?

• Part Two: Do your managers know what they’re responsible for?

How the “10% Rule” can save your managers

Today’s managers tackle more on behalf of their direct reports than ever. They’re being asked to define team vision, navigate new hybrid and remote working norms, and motivate through increasing economic uncertainty and rampant layoffs. Managers are not only doing more with less, they’re also rebuilding trust, engagement, and psychological safety on shaken teams.

But you, clever reader, are one step ahead of the game. You’ve done the hard, necessary work of determining core competencies and defining clear expectations, so you can now clearly articulate exactly what goes into being a great manager at your organization.

Confession time? I always lead with those two specific activities for a reason.

Why?

Because once you’ve identified competencies and expectations, it’s downright impossible to deny one very important truth: managing people takes time. 

Yet, so rarely do we account for it.

In my work researching, developing, and scaling excellent people management for growing teams, I’ve developed a guideline I call The 10% Rule.

The 10% Rule: At least 10% of a manager’s time per direct report should be allocated to people management tasks, admin, preparation, and skills development. Yes, 10% per direct report.

That means: 

• If you manage 2 people, 20% of your time at work (roughly a full day each week) should be spent on people management activities.

• If you manage 5 people, 50% - a full half - of your time at work should be spent people management activities.

I recently shared this rule with Luke O’Mahoney on an episode of his podcast the PX Espresso Hour and I could actively see the wheels turning in his head. A former Head of People who also managed a team, he shared:

“I just had a realization about why I struggled so much as a people manager. I wasn’t putting that time aside at all. It was something I was doing on top of everything else. I really kick myself now for the amount of 1:1s and check-ins I canceled because I needed that time back for something else. And the knock-on effect that would then have on the people who were reporting to me.

A 10% rule per-person would have really saved me. And would have given me the ability to push back up on the expectations that were being pushed down on me, which is most of the reason why I wasn’t finding that time.”

Feeling seen in Luke’s reflection? I know I did. 

He perfectly articulates why the 10% is so darn important not just for managers, but also for the individuals who report into them. Allocated time for people management drastically impacts both parties for the better. 

All this said, some of you have already arrived at a troubling math conundrum: what about those managing 10 or more people?

This brings me to the second part of The 10% Rule: Managers should have no more than 7 (maaaaybe 8) direct reports at any given time.

Any more, and they won’t have time to infuse their team experience with the functional or industry-specific expertise that they need to shape teamwide success. Also, managers with more than 7 or 8 reports will burn out - and quickly. I've seen it time and time again.

So, to recap, The 10% Rule states:

1. At least 10% of a manager’s time per direct report should be allocated to people management tasks, admin, preparation, and skills development.

2. Managers should have no more than 7 or 8 direct reports at any time.

In my experience, these two guidelines can have an outsized positive impact within any organization within six-months of implementation.

However, I'd be remiss not to address the elephant in the room.

The 10% Rule is simple, but not easy. 

Putting it into place means assessing headcount, reallocating workloads and possibly reworking the org chart. Not to mention, gaining buy-in from the leadership team, including your CFO. That is no small task. 

Of course, we’d never leave you hanging - because theory is great, but action’s what matters! Below, we’ve laid out a quick activity that will help you assess what lift exists in order to implement The 10% Rule at your organization.

Things We're Loving Right Now

Now is the time - for a discount: Training for the Modern Manager is my 12-week foundational curriculum for interactively guiding your people managers through the competencies, expectations, and resources they need to become truly transformational leaders. Pricing will increase on January 1st, so there's no better time to invest. Check out the program overview here or schedule a call with me to learn more.

Resources for all: The internet is awash with tips to manage time effectively, but so much of it centers neurotypical workers. As a neurospicy individual myself, I loved reading focus bear’s 8 productivity tips for neurodiverse folks.

(Gelly) Roll it back: I don't know about you, but in grade school only one pen mattered: the Gelly Roll. This back to school season, enjoy an 8 min history of the mighty gel pen and bask in all the glorious (glittery) nostalgia.