{"id":703,"date":"2018-11-17T01:49:53","date_gmt":"2018-11-17T01:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2018\/11\/17\/feeling-off-how-to-be-a-good-manager-when-you-just-dont-feel-like-being-one\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T15:55:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T23:55:54","slug":"feeling-off-how-to-be-a-good-manager-when-you-just-dont-feel-like-being-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/11\/17\/feeling-off-how-to-be-a-good-manager-when-you-just-dont-feel-like-being-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling \u201coff\u201d? How to be a good manager when you just don\u2019t feel like being one"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re struggling to stay engaged as a leader lately, here are some leadership tips to pull you out of the slump.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Some days, being a good manager is more difficult than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t focus. The day drags. You feel \u201coff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company isn\u2019t doing as well as it used to. Or you received a scathing email from a client. Or you\u2019re questioning the latest shift in the company\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the reason may be, there\u2019s no shame in it. I\u2019ve had these \u201coff\u201d days, myself \u2014 and so many other leaders have too. As companies go through highs and lows, and our mind and emotions ride the highs and lows along with it. In our community with almost 1,000 managers in Canopy, many folks shared this sentiment: We all<\/em> \u201coccasionally fall into slumps where being a good manager becomes more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question is: How do you handle \u201coff\u201d days, so you don\u2019t stay discouraged as leader?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the advice that our members gave to overcome the work doldrums:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a day or two off.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this sounds like conventional advice when you\u2019re feeling \u201coff\u201d \u2014 but it\u2019s because it works. Go somewhere quiet and get away from anything that could remind you of work. No phone, no emails, no talk about work. Studies<\/a> have shown how beneficial \u201cunplugging\u201d from technology is in particular to clear your head. Use this time to re-evaluate your priorities, the things that motivate you, and the sort of contributions you can make to your company and team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on the impact you have on the people you work with directly .<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even when you\u2019re not particularly motivated by your company, think of the impact you can have on people\u2019s lives and their careers. As a manager, your attitude and actions shape the everyday lives of your direct reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revisit your team\u2019s vision and purpose.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This should be the \u201cwhy\u201d behind your work, and re-evaluating it and can invigorate you. One member did this by meeting with each member of his team to get their perspectives on the company\u2019s direction. He listened to their feedback, looked at the market and their competitors, and reshaped the company\u2019s vision accordingly. The adjustment in the team\u2019s purpose gave him<\/em> greater purpose to show up for work each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dig into the work itself.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you feel in \u201cfunk\u201d at work is because you haven\u2019t been able to be in a state of \u201cflow.\u201d Choose to get back to more hands-on work to make progress on something you love to work on. Before you were a manager, were you a programmer by trade? Roll-up your sleeves and write some code. Do you work at a public relations company and used to be the one interfacing with journalists all the time? Put together some traditional media pitches and pick up the phone. Reconnect with what you love to do most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switch up your role in the company.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You might be feeling \u201coff\u201d because you\u2019re not in the right position in the company. One member mentioned how he changed his role in to a \u201cvisionary\u201d one (think CEO) rather than an \u201cintegrator\u201d one (think COO). He then realized he was better suited \u2014 and qualified \u2014 for big-picture thinking than operating the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider going on a \u201cwork retreat.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You could be missing some of the unstructured creative time you had prior to being a leadership position. To combat this, one member will take little work retreats a few times a year where he can recharge his batteries. He normally spends about a week in an AirBnB in some random city all by himself. It\u2019s like a vacation in the sense that he completely unplugs from his normal responsibilities, but instead he just works on design\/programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, of course, these are not solutions to remedy serious core company issues. You may be feeling \u201coff\u201d for important reasons that you need to resolve: Your team culture is toxic or your work habits are unsustainable. Pay attention to the underlying reasons causing the \u201coff\u201d feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, these suggestions work well as a short-term boost, when you know it\u2019s merely an \u201coff\u201d feeling, and you\u2019d like to steady yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re stuck in a slump as a manager, you don\u2019t have to stay in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Never miss a post \u2013 get our latest leadership insights, as they’re released…<\/h3>\n\n