Bad Managers Don’t Understand the Limitations of Their Role

Cindy: Honestly, if there’s one thing that makes a bad manager, in my opinion, it’s not understanding the limitations of your job. Um, essentially a good manager, uh, is good at communication and implementation.

Cindy: Um, and I’ve had far too many experiences with managers who think that their- their role is to innovate rather than to implement.

Cindy: Um, and really when you have somebody who is constantly trying to change the playbook then you really end up in a situation where, perhaps they would be better-suited to a creative or a leadership role rather than just implementing, uh, the task in hand.

Cindy: So, um, really understanding their role, and uh, not trying to think too far outside of the box, I think is what makes a good manager.

Vocabulary:

limitations – the rules, boundaries, or limits that control what someone or something can or should do, “A police officer must understand the limitations of their power so they do not break the law.”

essentially – basically, or at the most fundamental and important level of a situation, “This new smartphone app is essentially a digital calendar that sends you daily alerts.”

implementation – the act of putting a plan, law, or idea into real effect or action, “The successful implementation of the new rules made the office a much happier place to work.”

innovate – to introduce completely new ideas, creative methods, designs, or products, “The tech company must innovate every year to keep up with its creative rivals.”

implement – to start using or carrying out a plan, decision, or system, “The manager decided to implement a new schedule to give the staff more weekend time off.”

playbook – a standard set of rules, strategies, or instructions that a team or business always uses to succeed, “When a customer asks for a refund, the staff must follow the company’s customer service playbook.”

end up in – (phrasal verb) to find yourself in a specific condition or situation at the end of a series of events, often without planning it, “If you do not budget your money carefully, you might end up in a stressful situation.”

better-suited – more appropriate, fitting, or qualified for a particular job, role, or situation, “Her quiet and calm personality makes her better-suited to a library job than a noisy retail shop.”

task in hand – (idiom) the specific piece of work, problem, or responsibility that you are currently dealing with right now, “Instead of worrying about tomorrow’s schedule, let’s focus completely on the task in hand.”

outside of the box – (idiom) thinking creatively, unusually, or in an unconventional way rather than using traditional methods, “The design team had to think outside of the box to invent a toy that had never been seen before.”