Line Management? Easy Peasy!

There are certain aspects of my job that give me so much angst and stress. It has nothing to do with my personal performance. It has all to do with line management. I never really thought it would be this tough and there are days when I feel that I am a complete failure! Line management could be two things, it is a thankless job because the buck stops on my desk as far as my team is concerned or it could be one of life’s more satisfying experiences.
Today I think I struck gold. After months of taking on new people in my team, after months of trying to strike a fine line between encouraging, mentoring and gaining respect at the same time. All that I have been studying in my Business Management Masters Course is coming to fruition. I understand the importance of trust in a successful working relationship between a leader and team members. When there is trust, respect will come as well and the authority to lead the team is given to the leader. If you think about it, a person only becomes the leader because the people being led agree to the relationship. It is a contractual relationship. Anyway I will not bore you of the theories.
What’s really giving me such a high is my new staff said that I am a good and effective line manager. When I heard this you could have almost struck me down with a feather. I was at a loss for words! All I could do was splutter words of thanks. Finally, all the self flagellation, feelings of inadequacy, agony and thanklessness disappeared just like that! I actually made a difference and it made my day. In fact the feeling was better than when I received my merit grade. I am not hopeless with human relations after all--even without having to be too pally-pally with my staff I have been accepted as their leader. So this is how it feels to make a difference.