Simon Birkenhead - Managing People

Simon Birkenhead is a chief executive who has spent twenty-five years managing teams across early-stage technology start-ups to the very largest global organizations. He is recognized by his employees as an inspiring manager who is able to help them deliver their best work. Between 2014 and 2019 he didnt have a single employee resign from any of the businesses he led. Educated at Cambridge University and London Business School, Simon is a former global business leader at Google, where he led teams across four continents. He has also held business leadership positions at 3M, Telefnica and Gartner. Since becoming a CEO he has run a number of international businesses out of the UK and New Zealand. He is currently Chief Executive and Board Director for International Volunteer HQ, the worlds largest volunteer travel company. Managing People is his first book.

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First published by Penguin Business Experts in 2021

Copyright Simon Birkenhead, 2021

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Text design by Richard Marston

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ISBN: 978-0-241-51347-7

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To all those who have suffered under a bad manager.
I hope this book will help others to avoid
similar experiences.

Most managers fail. Some 70 per cent of employees say they are dissatisfied with their line manager. A shocking 50 per cent of managers are labelled as incompetent, a disappointment, a wrong hire or a complete failure by their co-workers. Toxic work cultures are born out of incompetent management and act as a brake that holds back both individual performance and organizational success.

How is it that, 250 years after the Industrial Revolution, when the modern approach to management was born, most companies have still not worked out how to manage their employees effectively?

Most people are promoted because they are good at what they do, but becoming a manager is not a straightforward progression from a previous non-managerial position rather, it is a move into an entirely new role, one that demands a set of skills, attitudes and behaviours very different from those you are used to. Thats why a survey of 500 managers found 44 per cent felt unprepared for their role, with 87 per cent wishing they had received more training before becoming a manager. They arent told how to get the best performance from their employees, warned about the bad managerial habits that will alienate their team, or even informed of the basic expectations those they are managing will have of them.

Knowing how to manage people is not instinctive; you cant rely on your common sense. Given how many bad managers exist, you certainly shouldnt rely on emulating others. So, how can you avoid becoming one of those managers who destroy more value than they create? What should you do in order to become a great manager who is able to create exceptional performance from and satisfaction among your team?

Early in my career, I assumed all great managers had a natural talent. There seemed to be so few of them that I thought they must possess a magical ability to be brilliant at what they did, with unique personalities that made them perfectly suited for managing people effectively. Teams managed by these individuals exhibit less negativity and more genuine optimism and passion. Team chatter is focused on the positive activities they are engaging in rather than criticism of what isnt happening. Individuals try actively to find solutions rather than waiting expectantly for someone else to sort things out. Working long hours generates less stress and anxiety because team members are passionate about what theyre doing. When things dont go to plan, the default reaction isnt to apportion blame (usually on the manager) but instead to examine what went wrong and find ways to avoid its repetition. In general, people in a well-managed team are happier and enjoy their jobs more than those who are badly managed.

I really wanted to be one of those managers, but doubted I could be. I was introverted yet arrogant, awkward around other people, lacked emotional intelligence and was overly dogmatic in my communication. But the more books, articles and research I read about how to get the best performance from others, the more I realized there was actually a set of disciplines I could follow that would help me achieve my goal. I discovered that, far from being an intrinsic talent awarded to only a select few, the skill of great people management could be acquired simply by learning a set of rules and applying them consistently. I had to unlearn some bad habits and actively adopt new behaviours that would overcome the drawbacks of my natural, default personality. As time went on, this new approach generated better relationships with my teams and my new behaviours became so natural that I no longer had to think about them. My communications softened, my emotional intelligence deepened and my new-found openness and authenticity generated more trust and respect.

I now know that anyone who is sufficiently motivated can become an inspiring manager by understanding and following the basic rules, frameworks and best practices I set out in this book. Managing People is a manual that will enable any first-time manager or established supervisor to succeed in their role by helping their team to be the best it can possibly be, and in the process become a manager others love working for. The majority of newly appointed managers have little idea what they need to do differently once they are given responsibility for someone elses performance. They have to learn on the job. This book offers both theoretical and practical measures that will help you to be effective from day one and avoid the experiential pitfalls many others fall into. By following my guidance, youll be on your way to becoming the inspiring manager that your employees need if they are to succeed in their own careers.

The journey will take you from identifying the existing bad habits you need to leave behind through to the best practices you should adopt and the aspects of the job you must get right. Becoming a superstar manager is something that can be learnt and mastered, just like any other skill you simply need to understand what to do and, most importantly, put in the practice. This book breaks down the task of people management into its core job responsibilities via a series of simple and easily followed guidelines.

explains why your own ambition to become a highly effective manager is so important. You will learn how to avoid the most common mistakes that bad managers make, including the behaviours that demoralize their teams, create stress and destroy organizational culture. Well then look at how the most capable managers are able to get the best out of their teams and will use these insights to build a framework you can use to become a highly effective manager yourself.