The Juggling Act: A Manager's Artform

by Anton Holland

When I was thirteen years old, a bunch of my friends learned to juggle. It was very entertaining to watch; some juggled little bean bags, others oranges and assorted pieces of fruit. Inspired by their dexterity and showmanship, I attempted to learn how to juggle too. As for my success in this endeavour, let's just say that working in a circus has never been one of my career options. Good thing I never tried walking the highwire.

Yet, the Circus Life Still Calls

Thinking that the art of juggling was lost to me I embarked on many other journeys of discovery. Today, I am senior vice-president of a communications firm and have learned that I am a good juggler after all.

Now, if P.T. Barnum were alive today, he wouldn't be calling to offer me a job in the Big Top—rather, he would be calling to discuss an offer that involved his circus' main office. You see, the juggling skills I'm talking about are those that have, in part, enabled me to become an effective manager.

These days, handling multiple priorities, coordinating the efforts of various teams, and ensuring that different projects remain under control are essential to survival in a climate of resource limitation and fast-paced change. I could talk about tips on staying organized, how to deal with uncooperative or under-producing staff, fixing problem situations, handling irate clients, re-working schedules while maintaining key deliverables in the middle of a project, ensuring a team functions as it should—but these are really textbook concepts. There are a hundred courses that teach the latest techniques for handling these situations. Anyone can learn to be a good manager to some degree; the key is wanting to be one and putting yourself in the right frame of mind.

Born to Manage?

Being a good manager isn't necessarily linked to any innate management skills (although it helps if you have them). Because parameters under which managers work these days are fluid, shifting and changing with every new corporate direction, a good manager should seek to master these key abilities:

The ability to look ahead. Managers do not like surprises. While it is the responsibility of staff to keep their managers informed of changes or problems so that they can be dealt with properly, managers must use foresight and tap into their own experience to identify problem areas or unforeseen changes. If a manager can do this effectively, changes to some degree, can be moulded to fit a project's needs.

The ability to chart a path (or paths) through changes. Once you have identified all the problems and changes, you must deal with them. It's a little like looking at a map and picking the best route to get from A to B. Sometimes, the weather changes and the roads are a little bumpy. It often helps to know who to call to assist you in getting to where you want to go.

The ability to adapt and be organized. Probably the most significant of considerations, adaptability and organization are the cornerstones of any managerial effort. Managers must remain ever vigilant to shifting parameters and always be able to respond to them in order to keep on top of a project's progress. Being disorganized robs you of your ability to respond effectively to a problem because your energies are spent putting out too many little "fires". An organized manager has won half the battle.

There are many other finer points to be considered as a manager; however, striving to perfect these key abilities will help you stay focused on the big picture while juggling all those little pieces of fruit.

Now where did I put my three flaming torches?

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