Manager: navigating the paradoxes of the role

The role of manager is full of paradoxes. Make decisions quickly on complex files. Delivering strategic results while managing a fragmented and unpredictable day-to-day. To be responsible for everything, by not doing anything concrete yourself. If you recognize yourself in these paradoxes of the manager, it’s normal. That’s the role.

Whatever he does, the manager is constantly pursued by what he could and should do. — Henry Mintzberg

For me, the best manager is not the one who has solved everything. He is the one who never stops getting to know himself better, to improve himself, and who navigates between these tensions with balance. The more he finds his own art of management, the more fun and success he has.

Here are three paradoxes inspired by Mintzberg’s book Managing (Simply), and above all, what I learned to do with them.

Paradox 1: the superficiality of the manager

How do you think more deeply when the pressure to get results is ever-present? This is one of the most difficult paradoxes of the manager to navigate.

I have known managers who valued quick decisions to the extreme: “I made 50 decisions today!” Others, on the contrary, did not dare to decide at all. Neither extreme works.

The right balance is between the two. Here’s how to do it in practice:

• Do a summary analysis of the impacts and risks. A list of pros and cons on a post-it note is often enough to put things into perspective. A quick call to a colleague or your boss for a second opinion can also make all the difference.
• Be creative in the way you analyze. You don’t need to know everything. Knowing the impacts, risks and key people is enough to make a good decision. Write down your priorities clearly and use them as a filter.

If decision-making is a challenge for you, the article how to make decisions quickly will give you concrete tools. Training in managerial courage can also help you develop your ability to decide, even in uncertainty.

Reflection questions

• Are you more in the camp of 50 quick decisions, or in the one that hesitates for too long?
• What would be your best balance between depth and speed?

Paradox 2: Planning, a classic manager’s challenge

How do you plan and design strategies when everyday life takes up all the space? This is another classic managerial paradox: we know that planning is essential, but we never manage to really devote ourselves to it.

What worked for me was to create a routine and stick to it. Here are the three elements I put in place:

• A morning routine. Every morning, I validate my goals for the day and how they align with my medium- and long-term goals. I then adjust my agenda accordingly. Yes, it sometimes means cancelling or postponing matches.
• Priority to my real role. What do others expect from you as a manager? That you make decisions? That you are aware of the issues? That you are working on your orientations? So why do you spend so much time in meetings? Dare to say no.
• Blocked and respected beaches. I had two slots in my calendar: before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. What really worked was to respect them. It allowed me to organize myself, manage emergencies and do all the informal side of my work. Communicate these ranges to your team. You’ll see people coming to your office and you’ll settle more cases in passing than in a meeting.

Reflection questions

• What routine could you put in place this week?
• How will you communicate it to your team?
• Are there any meetings in your calendar that you could cancel or delegate?

Paradox 3: Is hindsight a luxury for the manager?

How do you stay the strategic course while managing the day-to-day, the unforeseen and the unexpected? This is perhaps the paradox of the most universal manager.

Do you recognize yourself in this scenario? You attend a strategic planning meeting once a year. The time to prepare for it has been difficult to free. When you return, you are overwhelmed by the flow of work and you quietly leave the orientations aside. Until next year.

What helps me to keep a step back is a simple rhythm: a monthly micro-point and a quarterly formal point. Each time, I revise, I communicate, I follow up and I adjust. It doesn’t have to be long. The main thing is consistency.

To go further on presence without falling into the trap of micromanagement, the article How to be a present manager without micromanagement addresses exactly this tension.

Reflection questions

• How motivated are your goals really?
• Are you clear in which direction you are going?
• Do you prefer a role of savior or a role of guide?
• What are you going to do this week to find more balance?

The Art of Being a Manager: Finding Your Own Balance

These three paradoxes of the manager do not have a perfect solution. On the other hand, they have a common answer: to know each other, to adjust, and to continue to learn.

Management is an art. Not an exact science. The more you find your own way to navigate these tensions, the more fun you get into your role. And the more your team benefits.

FAQ — Manager’s Paradoxes

What are the paradoxes of the manager?
The paradoxes of the manager are the tensions inherent to the role: having to decide quickly on complex subjects, planning in a fragmented daily life, staying the strategic course while managing emergencies. Mintzberg theorized them, but every manager lives them on a daily basis.

How do you balance quick decisions with deep thinking?
By creating clear decision filters: your priorities, a summary analysis of impacts and risks, and if necessary a second opinion. The goal is not to analyze everything, but to make decisions with enough information to move forward.

How do you keep a strategic vision when everyday life takes up all the space?
By establishing a regular review routine: a monthly micro-point and a quarterly formal review. Consistency counts more than duration. A few minutes a week is enough to stay the course.

The best manager is not the one who has solved everything. He is the one who never stops looking for his own balance.