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The local manager, a balancing act with many qualities

Published on 10 September 2024
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At the head of an operational team, the local manager supervises while listening to the needs of his or her staff. They act as a link between management and their teams. It's a position that requires you to develop a certain sense of balance, based on a wide range of skills and attitudes. So what are the essential soft skills? And what are the best managerial practices? Pascale Abekhzer, an expert in leadership and managerial communication, takes a closer look. 

The proximity manager can be represented by a woman balancing on a wire.

Why a balancing act? A tightrope walker is a circus or showman who masters the art of maintaining his balance in difficult or perilous situations. The balancer and the local manager therefore share identical qualities, albeit in different contexts.

For example, Élise, a team manager in a technology company specialising in the development of innovative software, is the perfect embodiment of this analogy. She is meticulous and very attentive to the needs of the company, its employees and the demands of the market.

The three key qualities of a local manager to maintain balance

Pure managerial skills or soft skills? When it comes to management, the concepts are intertwined. But in all cases, the local manager benefits from developing or strengthening three of them in particular.

Adaptability

  • The tightrope walker must adapt quickly to changes in the environment, such as unexpected winds or movements.
  • The manager local must be flexible and able to adapt to market changes, new technologies and team dynamics.

Élise's team was reluctant to use the new software. So Élise organises a meeting to hear everyone's concerns. She communicated the benefits of the change, which would make work easier in the long term, and shared a clear transition plan. She then set up training sessions tailored to different skill levels. 

Concentration

  • The tightrope walker must maintain intense concentration to avoid distractions and maintain balance.
  • The local manager must remain focused on long-term objectives while managing daily crises and distractions.

Élise plans her important tasks in the morning when her energy is at its highest. She deactivates non-essential notifications. She defines times when she is available, which she communicates to her team. And she also takes regular breaks to practise breathing exercises. This helps her to avoid mental fatigue and reduce potential stress.

Stress management

  • The tightrope walker works under enormous pressure to avoid making a mistake and falling. He has to maintain a state of inner calm to keep his physical and mental stability, which is essential if he is to make precise movements.
  • The local manager is responsible for many aspects of the business, including team performance, customer satisfaction, meeting targets and managing resources. This can easily lead to increased stress. They must take care to maintain their own performance and that of their team, as well as a positive working atmosphere.

Élise has adopted a three-pronged action plan to manage her tasks. Firstly, she delegates tasks to avoid overload. Secondly, she plans her tasks. Thirdly, she prioritises her tasks. This enables her to manage her time more effectively. She also discusses challenges and pressures openly with her team to help ease the emotional burden.

Understanding the role of the local manager

The role of local manager also requires a certain amount of skill. leadership.

Some people believe that leadership is the manager's ability to adapt to the employee's maturity.

If the manager is the bearer of "the law" through his "positional power" granted by the company, the leader creates "the link" through his "personal power" granted by his team.

In other words, what defines a local manager is his or her ability to :

  • support your team's results
  • balancing control and support
  • creating reference points and setting the pace
  • stimulate, innovate and break with routine

To ensure team cohesion and assert their role, local managers have three main obligations:

  • informing/giving meaning
  • support
  • control

Once they have grasped these fundamental principles of management, managers must use them to best achieve their objectives. And, in reality, there is only one real objective:

"Make your employees grow until there's one to take their place."

In other words, that its employees can progress hierarchically or functionally within the same department, in another department or in another company.

Local management, implementation

The right reflexes

The local manager is a catalyst for human energy. They are capable of saying to themselves every morning when they open their shutters: "the weather's fine". Whatever the weather.

(E=mc²: Effectiveness = motivation x skills x shared culture)

Seeing the glass as half full is a great way to give your team the energy they need.

However, managers can behave in ways that are counter-productive.

Two pitfalls to avoid

  • Leaving too much autonomy to employees with few skills and little motivation
  • Being too prescriptive with employees who need initiative, autonomy or to take risks

To avoid the pitfalls and embrace all the subtleties of their role, local managers can draw on a number of tools and methods.

1/ Motivation techniques

Listening, congratulating, encouraging...

Practise active listening in 4 steps

Practising active listening enables you to improve your communication skills.

Dare to congratulate!

Praise is essential for keeping teams motivated, boosting self-confidence and promoting a positive working culture.

Julie, a software developer, recently completed a complex project to exceptional quality, on time and on budget. What's more, she took the initiative of training a new member of the team, facilitating his integration.

Why congratulate her? To reinforce your proactive attitude, your ability to manage complex projects and your team spirit.

When congratulating her ? Immediately after the successful completion of the project and after observing his commitment to helping a new colleague.

How can I congratulate her? In a specific and timely manner.

Here's an example of congratulations for Julie:

"Julie, congratulations on your excellent work on this project. Your ability to meet deadlines while maintaining exceptional quality is impressive, and your help to the new colleague shows your true team spirit. Thank you for your dedication, keep it up!"

Please note: the form will vary depending on the situation and the relationship you have with the person.

You could therefore give preference to verbal congratulations for quick action. For example, just after a successful presentation. More spontaneous, oral congratulations can be plentiful. On the other hand, you might prefer written congratulations when you need to formalise them. For example, an e-mail congratulating someone on a promotion. More lasting, written congratulations allow you to structure and detail your thoughts.

2/ Dealing with failures

"So what are we going to do together now to put things right and make sure this doesn't happen again?"

When employees fail, it is important to transform these situations into opportunities for learning and growth.

6 steps to positivity and constructive failure management

The local manager: a subtle balance

The local manager is a great sportsman! Imagine a gymnast who has to constantly move back and forth between :

  • act quickly and take time to reflect
  • make decisions and involve employees
  • managing day-to-day operations and looking ahead to the medium term
  • ensuring stability and initiating change
  • managing each individual and managing a team
  • achieve results and maintain a good climate
  • be respected by your colleagues and be appreciated

Placed between two realities, that of objectives and that of people, the local manager tries to reconcile them as well as possible.

It's also like a figure skater, with compulsory figures: the objectives set by the company... And free figures: individualised objectives and indicators to develop the qualitative skills of its employees.

Like a coach, he organises and energises. Like an orchestra conductor, they set the tone and direct. Like a salesperson, he or she must show employees that it is in their interest to achieve objectives, take part in meetings and interviews, and get involved in changes.

In conclusion, the day-to-day life of a local manager is not an easy one. The hazards are many and varied. When faced with unresponsive employees or situations that are particularly complicated to manage, communication is your best asset.

Our expert

Pascale ABEKHZER

Management and leadership

An entrepreneur for over 30 years and founder of two communications agencies, she decided to [...].

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