Edmonds 1

Desmond Edmonds

Professor Lisa Cook

English 1201, Section 508

2 May 2021

New Managers Attaining Excellence

Team Player: “someone who cares more about helping a group or team to succeed than

about his or her personal success” (Merriam-Webster). The term team player might be referenced

frequently in the corporate or sports world, but how many ponder how managers demonstrate

that they desire to be a team player? Any individual who starts out in an authoritative position

wants to attain, however not all new managers will realize how their own excellence is

determined by what their team achieves. New managers should learn early to appreciate the

importance of their team, devote time and energy to connecting with their team, and direct their

team to excellence.

A concept that a new manager will want to get

quickly accustomed to, is the concept of working with

team members. Julie Zhuo, an accomplished designer

and manager for Facebook, wrote in her book, The

Making of a Manager, on this idea of new managers

coordinating with team members to accomplish tasks

(Zhuo 19). In the first chapter of her book, Julie Zhuo

presents the analogy of an individual starting his or

Figure 1 New managers should quickly gain
her own business selling lemonade (Zhuo 17). If one awareness of their team.

can imagine a lemonade business increasing demand

 Edmonds 2

to the point that the entrepreneur can no longer operate the business without assistance, it is

plausible to see why this entrepreneur would hire employees (Zhuo 18). Zhuo makes the point

that the lemonade stand entrepreneur would now be embarking on a journey of managing,

because the entrepreneur has acquired assistance from others now working for the business

owner (Zhuo 18). Zhuo presents the idea that management task themselves “to get better

outcomes from a group of people working together” (Zhuo). It is with this concept of achieving

exceptional end results through a team effort, that Zhuo makes the case of a manager’s role

(Zhuo 19).

Realizing that their goals will be reached through a team effort, new managers can

position their team to operate in ways that prosper the employer. However, managers shouldn’t

expect to attain excellence for their employer without first possessing insight into what each

member of the team can contribute in the quest for excellence. Jan Bailey, who is involved with

The Leadership Trust, wrote in Engineering Management about the emphasis that must be placed

on new managers operating through a team effort and stressed that these new leaders should

obtain knowledge on various team members (Bailey). So many times, new managers move into

their role without considering how each team member impacts the overall team effort and with a

lack of insight into the potential of each team member (Bailey).

Each team member will be able to contribute in his or her own way. For example, in an

office environment some members may be proficient at organizing topics for a meeting. On the

other hand, other associates may excel at working independently on assignments and completing

the assignments ahead of deadlines. In blue collar jobs, one worker may possess great insight on

reading blueprints, while another employee is an excellent one-on-one trainer. New managers

should make it their priority to know where various strengths lie within a team (Bailey). If bosses
 Edmonds 3

lack awareness of how each team member can contribute, then it will be difficult to assign the

most capable associate to complete the task at hand (Bailey).

An awareness of team members’ strong points assists new bosses in their decisions to

allocate workers to complete tasks in the most productive way (Bailey). In addition, new bosses

can mitigate losses in productivity as they avoid assigning team members to perform duties that

these team members lack prowess to complete. However, administrators should search out more

information on their team than just adroitness and deficiencies in job performance (Bailey).

When Jan Bailey advises the new boss to “take time to understand and share” the what’s what of

various team members, she is also desiring for the new leader to arrive at a more personal level

with individuals (Bailey). Bailey is even expecting new managers to do more than just solely

gather information on their subordinates, but also looks for these administrators to be open

themselves before their team members (Bailey). For example, a manager and team member

might engage in conversation on a sport that they each enjoy. The manager can be detailed about

his or her own experience playing various sports. Perhaps a team member has children living at

home. The new manager that also is supporting children, now has an opportunity to be open and

share their own experiences with raising children. Openness from new administrators has the

positive effect of producing a trusting connection between management and associate (Bailey).

Jan Bailey, while advising new managers to engage in becoming aware of their team,

knows that often the potential of associates of a team, are glanced over as those new to a

leadership role quickly assume authority over a group (Bailey). Nevertheless, the practice of

getting acquainted with the team is a crucial step for the new administrator who desires for his or

her team to possess valuable characteristics (Taylor). Johnny C. Taylor Jr., who is over the

Society of Human Resource Management, which is one of the biggest HR professional societies
 Edmonds 4

globally, addressed this issue in a question and answer segment for USA Today (Taylor). Taylor,

in this question and answer segment, titled, “New manager should work to know team, build

trust,” stressed, “It cannot be overstated: Building relationships and learning about your people,

at the outset, is key” (Taylor). Taylor goes further and expresses that credence and a sense of

togetherness will result from new administrators endeavoring to get acquainted with their team.

(Taylor).

New managers that move beyond identifying competencies in subordinates and strive to

become personally connected to team members, are developing characteristics in their team that

make the team stronger overall (Bailey). Once leaders are willing to exhibit transparency to their

team, they can cultivate an accord based on trust (Bailey). According to Bailey, new team leaders

should provide their team with a setting that has a candid and forthright aura (Bailey). By new

managers sharing their backgrounds and managerial challenges, they create a rapport among

members of the team (Bailey). They can then strengthen accords among team members and

cultivate a sense of loyalty, honor, and feel connected knowing that each other will do the right

thing (Bailey). New managers can illustrate before their teams the values and characteristics the

ideal administrator should possess, and thereby establish a norm for future team leaders to follow

(Bailey). Bailey further points out that managers are on a path of exhibiting important qualities

of a leader when they are principled, trustworthy, and open (Bailey).

Some new managers will prudently devote themselves into strengthening the teams that

they are involved with. On the other hand, other new managers will bypass putting great stakes

into their teams as they begin managing. Bailey allows for the possibility that teams will function

even as a new manager neglects to gain and share information among the team (Bailey). A lack

of insight into members’ talents, poor working environment, and weak accords can be covered
 Edmonds 5

up while a team operates without serious interruptions (Bailey). Howbeit, when a team faces

headwinds, then the flaws come to light and show how crucial it is for new leaders to focus on

devoting themselves to their teams (Bailey).

The concept of working together as a team to further a company’s interests should

indeed be crucial to any new manager. A study conducted by members of The Faculty of

Technology and Metallurgy at the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, North

Macedonia, found that teamwork is very important to new leaders who attain excellence in

managing people (Andonovic). These faculty members selected achieved managers in the region

of Macedonia for insight, but also sought the advice of experienced managers from other parts of

the world (Andonovic). These managers had achieved positive results in several European

countries and in non-European areas of the world such as the United States and the Middle East

(Andonovic). The faculty found that many managers who had attained excellence practiced an

openness with team members and were often cordial in their interaction with team members

(Andonovic). Some of the relationships among management and individual members of the team

were of considerable strength (Andonovic). It was noted in the study that the ideal manager

desired for each individual contributor to push themselves while focusing on bringing the team

closer and closer to achieving targets set by the employer (Andonovic). It was also found that in

instances where there was an unbalanced workload among members of the team and failures in

cooperation (or a breakdown in teamwork), that normally great managers believed that the input

that they themselves provided was counterproductive (Andonovic). When the ideal managers

strayed from utilizing the team efficiently to achieve set targets, these managers believed that

they had failed in their endeavors, thereby underscoring that teamwork is crucial to achieving

excellence (Andonovic).
 Edmonds 6

Insight on working as a team was also given by the experienced construction

superintendent, John Spreher. Spreher is mindful that he expresses to his subordinates that the

success of a particular project relies much on the contributions of each individual team member

(Spreher). “You’re as important to this as I am,” Spreher might communicate to his team

(Spreher). He likes for his workers to know that no one individual in the team is more valuable

than another, including himself, as they strive toward each goal (Spreher).

In my short experience being over a team that comprised of a maximum of three

individuals other than myself, I didn’t realize how crucial trustworthiness is. I mainly concerned

myself with completing various duties on the jobsite. One of my main goals was that one day I

would be able to complete the overall project that I had assumed responsibility over. I planned

ahead to keep the men busy performing tasks and then undertook duties myself. As I engaged in

hands-on work personally, I realized that there had to be some balance between direct

involvement producing with the men that I had responsibility over and performing the other

duties of a manager or foreman. For instance, a manager or supervisor shouldn’t be so engrossed

in performing with the team that he or she neglects to plan work for various team members

which may result in unnecessary downtime. At times, managers will endeavor to complete tasks

that their team members can perform out of goodwill to achieve a set target, but other times the

reasons are more complex for managers staying directly involved in the hands-on work.

New managers who recently were the individuals caught up in producing alongside

coworkers may find it difficult to withdraw to a role where they mostly supervise. Some leaders

may want to avoid appearing lazy as they assign tasks to their subordinates but aren’t directly

producing themselves (Willink 196). Jocko Willink gives a solution to managers who place high

value on being seen as industrious by their team members (Willink 196). Willink suggests that
 Edmonds 7

these leaders take it upon themselves to perform some of the most unpleasant tasks (Willink

196). This may mean that the new leaders must experience the muck of some projects and appear

disheveled after completing the assignment (Willink 196). However, as a leader illustrates an

eagerness to do unattractive tasks, his or her subordinates are more apt to view their leader as

diligent (Willink 196). However, Willink also cautions that these managers don’t infringe on

their abilities to perform administrative duties (Willink 196). For example, if a manager spends

hours cleaning grease off a machine, then he or she is likely to have neglected an important

aspect of managing such as planning or training (Willink 196).

Brett Horvath, a high-ranking sales manager at a heating, ventilating, air-conditioning,

and refrigeration or HVACR company in Middletown, Ohio, provided guidance for new

managers who fear that they might be seen as unproductive should they not be hands-on while in

a supervisory role (Horvath). Horvath, in a one-on-one interview, stated how he and his

employer believe strongly that leadership operate in a way that the employees can hold

confidence in leadership (Horvath). He pointed out that the value that managers often add to the

team effort is in “coaching, helping, and organizing” (Horvath). Though new managers may feel

some guilt because they are not enmeshed in physical construction on a job site, they are still key

contributors by fulfilling the various duties that management entails (Horvath).

Horvath’s advice aligns closely with Jan Bailey’s suggestion to remain in a supervisory

role even when tempted to mix right in performing tasks alongside members of the team that the

new manager has assumed responsibility over (Bailey). Bailey notes that leadership engrossing

themselves with facets of a team project and attempting to be the key contributor of a solution

are some of the ways that managers typically err (Bailey). However, Bailey argues that the only

situations requiring managers’ intervention is when teams need direction or are in a hitch
 Edmonds 8

(Bailey). Bailey’s preference is for new managers to be deliberate in their approach to managing

a team while maintaining a widespread view of how the team is operating (Bailey).

Those new managers who are reluctant to leave the daily tasks to various members of the

team while the new manager mainly supervises, might take the advice of Mike Sims, who started

and heads ThinkLions, which is a mobile app developer (Sitar). Dana Sitar, a manager who

wrote, “How to Be an Effective Leader When Your Employees Have More Experience Than

You” for INC.com, included Mike Sims recommendation at the conclusion of the piece where

Dana shared insight on various aspects of management (Sitar). Sims wanted entrepreneurs to

remember, “It isn’t your job to be the best at everything. It is your job to be the best at two

things: seeing the bigger picture and knowing how to put the right pieces and people in place to

reach that goal” (Sitar). One that has prior knowledge of information similar to the advice that

Jan Bailey offers on a new manager having insight on the team and being able to strategize how

that team best operates, knows that Sims recommendation is for entrepreneurs, as well as others

who lead an organization or company (Bailey). New managers might feel some insecurity if they

know that members of the team have talents that exceed some of the talents of their leader, but

those new to management should focus instead on ways to guide the team to excellence. A new

manager should maintain a widespread view of

functions within the team and ensure that when a key

role needs filled that the best role player is selected to

aim the team toward the employer’s target (Sitar).

Though Dana Sitar comments in her article on

the importance of managers taking a predominately

Figure 2 (Sitar) Oftentimes, administrators will possess
responsibility over employees that are more experienced than the
supervisory approach within a team, the main content one leading them.
 Edmonds 9

in her article focuses on managers leading a more seasoned group of contributors (Sitar). Sitar

points out that the acquisition process requires managers to demonstrate aptitude at selecting

candidates that fit in nicely with the team (Sitar). However, this frequently results in the boss

leading team members who possess a greater degree of know-how than the one leading them

(Sitar). In addition to team leaders managing more seasoned employees, many bosses will direct

team members that are more talented in various aspects than their leader (Chhaya). In fact, there

is a belief among a lot of notable leaders that management should be over a group of workers

who collectively have more talents than those leading them (Chhaya).

Having to lead team members who are more experienced, as well as directing highly

talented members is an aspect of managing that is concerning to me. Something that I dread is

beginning to perform a task and a more seasoned team member questioning the effectiveness of

my actions. It’s one thing for an experienced associate to kindly offer an alternative way to do a

task, but it’s quite unnerving when these members blatantly try to make a new leader feel

uncomfortable. In my field of work, we often pull wires through raceways from a selected

starting point to a destination. I can see where I could be provoked in such a task by a team

member who exceeds me in experience. There’s often more than one way to complete an

assignment, but seasoned employees might object if is a task is not performed in a way that the

more experienced member is accustomed to. If I pick one spot to start a wire pull from, then I

might find resistance from the employee who possesses more know-how than me, and oftentimes

a member can be very open in their criticism of their leader.

Many times, new managers can implore the expertise of other leaders who identify with

the struggles of the new leaders who are just making their way through the journey of

management. Niles Choice, a construction foreman who has accumulated approximately five
 Edmonds 10

years of leading other construction employees, can give insight on how to manage seasoned

employees (Choice). Mr. Choice isn’t far removed from the days before he embarked on

managing. Choice, though newer to managing, is responsible for the work of team members who

are more seasoned than himself (Choice). Choice mentioned starting a project where he will lead

as many as a dozen construction workers, and he shared some advice on how to interact with the

more experienced members (Choice). Choice suggests that the foreman give these workers an

inventory of assignments and then withdraw from direct involvement in their assignment

(Choice). Choice’s advice is prudent as employees with more know-how might already know the

way a task needs to be completed; therefore, they don’t require direct supervision. The new

leader who doesn’t desire to make a team member feel as though they don’t know how to do a

task, can simply back off after sharing the inventory of assignments. In addition, Choice pointed

out that the team members often are aware of who possesses the responsibility to lead (Choice).

New managers should be aware that they will be surrounded by talented individuals,

some with more capabilities than their own leader (Chhaya). Employers look ahead to ensure

that they that there are means to acquire the talent that they need to fulfil the positions that assist

in the companies’ operations (Caul).

By being focused on accessing a steady flow of qualified, high-potential candidates for

positions that will eventually require fulfillment, a company shows that it cares about how

prosperous the company will be in future years (Caul). It’s frequent for companies to pull for

talented prospects from outside of the walls of their corporation, but often companies will

identify impressive employees that are already contributing to the operation of the firm (Caul).

Human Resources and other similar facets of a company or organization will attempt to groom

these key employees for more responsibility including leadership positions (Caul). This aspect of
 Edmonds 11

maintaining and molding high-potential workers isn’t just strictly reserved for a corporate, office

environment.

Talent is also sought after and focused on in the construction and skilled trades

(Horvath). Brett Horvath, the seasoned HVACR manager, reveals just how heavily some firms in

skilled trades and construction search for promising trade workers within the companies own

operations (Horvath). Mr. Horvath explained that his employer encourages their foreman to “try

to find your replacement” (Horvath). These managers at Mr. Horvath’s place of employment are

expected to be aware of subordinates who show promise of assuming management roles

themselves (Horvath). Mr. Horvath’s company desires for those already contributing to the

company’s progress to have access to more opportunities and higher positions (Horvath). Mr.

Horvath stated that being concerned with the welfare of the employee is part of the culture where

he is employed (Horvath). The employee benefits by realizing more opportunities to showcase

his or her talents and by being better compensated for taking on more responsibility. When

managers assist their subordinates in growing and attaining more responsibility, they are

benefitting their company (Caul). These concerned managers are illustrating what a team player

is by caring about the interests of their team even if the bosses themselves don’t immediately

realize personal benefits (Merriam-Webster).

Some bosses may question why management should assist their subordinates into moving

into positions of higher responsibility even as these workers could replace the boss who is aiding

their advancement. After all, bosses could argue that it is preposterous that they would aid

themselves in being demoted while they endeavor to help employees assume the position of

responsibility that they are currently occupying. However, administrators should look at the

grand scheme of what can be the consequences of facilitating the advancement of their workers
 Edmonds 12

(Horvath). Horvath is not saying that these caring managers will be demoted or realize less

opportunity (Horvath). On the contrary, the managers’ employers will realize how the boss is

adding value to the company or organization by utilizing the talented human resources

(Horvath). The employer may well be inclined to promote the boss to a higher position, with

more benefits, as a reward for the boss’s desire to better the team and his or her employer

(Horvath).

New managers should learn in their earliest days, fulfilling their role, that what they

attain will be through a team effort. If these new administrators will take the time to connect with

their teams, they will realize better coordination even when the team faces obstacles (Bailey).

One can see that a leader isn’t required to dominate in every task, but a leader is expected to

guide a team to achievement (Sitar). Managers will hold the confidence of team members as

these leaders prove to care about what each member can attain. It’s when new managers can

achieve through the team and prove to be team players for the team that they preside over, that

they become great, experienced managers.

 Edmonds 13

Works Cited

Andonovic, Beti, et al. “Criteria for Assessing the Success of New Managers.” Quality of Life: A

Multi-Disciplinary Journal of Food Science, Environmental Science & Public Health,

vol. 6, no. 3/4, Dec. 2015, pp. 62–72. EBSCOhost, doi:10.7251/QOL1503062A.

Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Bailey, Jan. “View from the TOP.” Engineering Management, vol. 15, no. 6, Dec. 2005, pp. 34–

35. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1049/em:20050607. Accessed 2 May 2021.

Caul, Rob, and Paula Harvey. “The Art of Managing Talent.” Training Journal, Dec. 2012, pp.

25–29. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=83845911&site=eds-live. Accessed 2 May 2021.

Chhiya, Nihar. “What to Do if Your Employee Starts to Outshine you.” Harvard Business

Review. 24 Oct. 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/10/what-to-do-if-your-employee-starts-to-

outshine-you#. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Choice, Niles. Personal interview. 22 Mar. 2021.

Horvath, Brett. Personal interview. 26 Mar. 2021.

Sitar, Dana. “How to be an Effective Leader When Your Employees Have More Experience

Than You.” Inc. 14 Feb. 2019. https://www.inc.com/dana-sitar/how-to-be-an-effective-

leader-when-your-employees-have-more-experience-than-you.html. Accessed 28 Mar.

2021.

Spreher, John. Personal interview. 20 Mar. 2021.

 Edmonds 14

Taylor, Johnny C. "New manager should work to know team, build trust." USA Today, 26 May

2020, p. 04B. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A624900351/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d042c72f. Accessed 2 May 2021.

“Team player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/team%20player. Accessed 2 May 2021.

Willink, Jocko. Leadership Strategy and Tactics. St. Martin’s Press, 2020.

Zhuo, Julie. Making of a Manager. Portfolio/Penguin, 2019.