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If things aren’t working in the workplace, management might be the issue. But, how can you tell and once you’re sure, how do you fix it? Whether the entire management team needs an overhaul or there are simply some quick fixes you or your managers need to make, here are 5 signs it might be time for a manager or management makeover.

What signs do you see that tell you
it’s time for a management makeover?

Your “House” Looks Like the Ones on Extreme Makeover

No matter the episode, every house on Extreme Makeover is a disaster before they miraculously save the day in less than a week. Whether it’s mold, a collection of messes and piles of stuff undone, or a disaster that has swept through and destroyed the home, your organization could be experiencing similar outcomes. They simply look different. Mold could be like the old issues you’ve let sit undetected but growing, messes could be the issues you’ve ignored or failed to follow through to completion, and the disaster could be the bad apple, bully boss, or big merger that has just gotten out of control and needs to be cleaned up. If your office would qualify for a figurative entry to the show, then you know it’s time for a management makeover.

All Fingers Point to ManagementIn many organizations management is an easy target. They’re not always to blame, yet when you’re a good leader of you. you’re always looking for ways to improve how you both manage and lead. Sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the reputation of you or your managers does not make the blame go away, it makes it worse. Face up to the finger pointing and start asking some hard questions. Failure to do so may result in mutiny and facing the issue may actually help you discover that the issue is not as bad, nor as hard to fix , as you may have imagined. The makeover may be a quick fix or simple solution and merely an exercise in reputation management.

You’re Managing More Than Leading

The words management and leadership are often used interchangeably, and yet they are different. One can be a manager without being a leader and be a leader without a management title. If you’re leaning on your management title to force things through or finding that your time is spent more on tasks than with people, then it might be time for a management makeover and a shift in the culture of how you or your leaders (who are often also managers) might be treating those they have the privilege of leading.

Metrics Are More the Focus Than Feelings

If all the talk among the management team is about the metrics of attrition, the bottom line, profitability, AND they’re all down, then it’s time for a closer look. Those numbers are all derived from the efforts and actions of people, and real numbers climb when relationships are strong. Very often those in management are more task focused than people focused, and this leaves an entire front line with feelings not valued or addressed in the workplace. No one is saying create a campfire and sing “Kumbaya”, but a balance is certainly in order and will build that bottom line in no time.

You Can’t Remember the Last Time Things Were Humming

There’s no shortage of things to do for the boss on a daily basis. And those with a natural drive to get them all done can be nose down for a long while, tackling fire after fire, before they realize they’ve lost sight of the real issue. When it seems there’s problem after problem, one employee issue after another, a constant state of stress, or a sudden disappearance of customers, it’s time to take a hard look at how you are managing those who manage and lead others and how you might be managing you. Real leadership starts with really leading you and while tasks are a critical part of what you do, the people are, too. Are you engaging employees? Are you motivating many or just your own list completion? Are you asking for help or insisting you do it all? Are those you lead managing to do the same? Can you remember the last time things were smooth sailing and humming along?

A management makeover doesn’t have to be drastic or a response to perceived disaster. In fact, some organizations and leaders simply refer to it as a monthly, quarterly, or some regularly scheduled touch base. Recognizing when things might need a makeover is important and making those course corrections early on is invaluable. Wherever you are currently, things can always get better. No need to break something just to make it better, but there’s always value in seeing where things might need some tweaks. What areas in you or your workplace might need a minor or even major management makeover today?