What is: The Manager Mindset

Why is this important?

As a team member you deliver your own work by managing yourself and working with others. You rely on your professional experience and expertise to do the best possible job. As a leader, you’re responsible not only for your own work, but also for managing the work of others.

It’s normal to feel uncertain or overwhelmed when you start as a manager, but with time and support you’ll find your way. Metro North Health is committed to giving you all the support you need because, whether you manage a clinical, technical, operational or administrative team, you play a critical role in making sure we deliver high quality care. You have a lot of influence in building a positive team culture and creating a workplace that people enjoy coming to.

It can be hard to juggle your own work with your responsibilities as a line manager. Remember to take the time to look after yourself and to build your personal resilience.

What’s my role?

The particulars of your role will depend on your specific position and your profession but generally, a line manager enables and supports team members to do their best work. This includes:

• helping staff develop their skills by:
  • coaching
  • empowering the team to solve issues
  • developing leadership qualities within the team
• supporting staff by:
  • making time to listen and offer support
  • sharing information that helps them do their job
• managing the effective operation of the team by:
  • responsibly managing resources (i.e. time, equipment and budget)
  • planning ahead so the right people are in the right place at the right time
  • prioritising staff and patient safety, including clinical incident management, clinical care and workplace health and safety
• managing staff performance by:
  • setting expectations about performance and appropriate behaviour
  • holding people accountable and having challenging conversations when necessary.

Self-focus versus others-focus

Being an effective manager requires a focus shift from self to others. The table below gives a useful summary of what this means.

Source: Kuntz, L and Scholtes, S. “The role of medical professionals in top management teams and healthcare organisations: an economic model’, January 2008, Social Science Research Network, http://papers.ssrn.com.

What do I need to do?

1. Understand what your role is and isn’t.
2. Get to know your team members and build relationships with your line manager, other line managers and members of other functions, services and facilities.
3. Know where to get important information, how to get support and find answers to your questions.
4. Learn how to access our management systems, which have a wealth of helpful information.
5. Understand the policies and directives associated with your role.

What skills should Managers have?

The most important skills for you as a manager will vary. The following guides may assist:

• Early career roles
• Mid-career and middle management roles
• Senior management or executive roles

Frequently asked questions

I’ve been promoted from team member to line manager of the team. It’s really changed my relationships with others in the team. Is this normal? Why has it changed?

It can feel hard to lead a team you used to be part of. It can be challenging for your team members too. They’re working out where they stand with you now that you’re ‘the boss’ (and wondering whether they should still invite you to drinks after work). The reality is that the dynamics have shifted. At the end of the day, you now have to manage the performance of your team members, and this can be hard to do if you socialise with them.

If you’re comfortable to, have an open conversation about what’s changed or needs to change. Accept that your relationships won’t be the same. Consider connecting with other line managers who might be feeling the same way.

There are so many meetings I have to go to now. How do I get my work done? Do I really need to go to all these meetings?

Most line managers in most organisations say they feel this way – so you’re not alone! It can be hard to tell which meetings are important. When you attend meetings, try to clarify the purpose of the meeting, why you’ve been invited, and how you can best contribute.

Some line managers schedule 30-minute meetings instead of defaulting to one-hour meetings. Others block out time in their diaries to get other work done.

Think of jobs and tasks you can delegate to willing and able team members, to free up some of your time.

What’s the difference between leading and managing?

Your role involves both managing and leading. Managing is about planning, organising, staffing, coordinating and monitoring. Leading is about influencing, motivating, creating, coaching and inspiring. You should be spending time on each of these aspects of your role.

What are my rights and responsibilities as a manager? I feel like “I don’t know what I don’t know”.

Start by looking at your job description and/or talking to your line manager. Ultimately, you’re accountable for the performance of your team members and making sure they work safely, responsibly and professionally. Refer to Section 26 of the Public Sector Act 2022 for a useful outline of the work performance and personal conduct required of a manager in the public sector.

Where do I find resources and information to help me manage my team?

There are plenty of resources to help you manage your team. It can be hard to find what you need when you need it. Contact your line manager, People and Culture Business Partner or Finance for help.

We have high turnover and recruiting staff seems to take up a lot of time. Can we make recruiting easier?

Recruiting suitable staff is a constant challenge, especially in roles that call for specialised skills. The Metro North Health recruitment process has a number of steps and can be time consuming. But it’s designed to make sure we hire the best people for the job, who are suitable, qualified and safe. It’s a long process, but an important one. Making sure your team is appropriately resourced is one of your key responsibilities.

You can find all relevant recruitment documents here. The recruitment checklist is a good place to start. If you need further support, contact Metro North Recruitment at metronorthrecruitment@health.qld.gov.au or 3647 9680.