04. Managers as Instructors: Managerial Roles – I

Leader. Director. Instructor. Delegator. Supervisor. Coach.Read More

These are just a few of the many roles a manager has to juggle every day. And depending on the needs of the situation, managers have to adapt to these roles and switch between them frequently, effortlessly and seamlessly.

But as we know, switching between the different managerial roles is easier said than done. And using these terms interchangeably – like they often are – makes it difficult to differentiate between them.

So, if you want to differentiate between these roles, you will first need to understand what each of these roles entails.

In this lesson, we seek to clarify the meaning of three critical managerial roles, viz.
1. Instructing
2. Delegating
3. Coaching

…and how they differ from one another.

Let’s start by looking at role…

1. Managers as Instructors

Manager: “Pallavi, since you have only joined us this week, let me take this time to explain your goals, how exactly you can meet them and the trainings that you will need to undergo.”

Instruction involves helping employees develop skills or knowledge that can aid them in executing their tasks.

Generally, instructors are experts within their domain and are relatively more knowledgeable. New recruits, on the other hand, may not really possess the basic knowledge required to execute their job responsibilities as expected.

In such cases, it is a manager’s responsibility to instruct newbies or an experienced team member who is new to a specific task and show them how to fulfil their responsibilities. Meaning, as an instructor, a manger must focus on training employees on how to execute a task effectively.

A new employee, for instance, might be unfamiliar with the format of creating quarterly reports on Excel. Teaching them how to create these reports is an example of instructing.

Instruction is a method that is best suited for any task depending on the individuals proficiency levels for the task in question.

And by virtue of their prior experience, managers are well-qualified to instruct team members who are new to the organisation or the job or the role on the steps involved in any undertaking with respect to their domain.

In Conclusion:

‘Instructor’ is one of the three major roles that a manger needs to adopt and switch between on a regular basis.

We will look at the second role in the next lesson.

For now, please take the accompanying quiz.

Happy Quizzing!