MANAGER OR JUST A “SENIOR SPECIALIST”?

MANAGER OR JUST A “SENIOR SPECIALIST”?

There’s a very real truth that few people dare to say out loud:

• Many mid-level managers are still mainly doing technical work.
• Writing reports, handling problems, taking on difficult tasks, chasing deadlines…
• As for managing the team? “Later. Not urgent yet!”

🧩 When asked why they don’t delegate work to their team, the common answers are:

• “They’re not good enough yet.”
• “They’re not ready.”
• “If I delegate, I’ll have to fix it later — that’s even more time-consuming.”
• “I’ll just do it myself — it’s faster.”

Sounds familiar?
It sounds reasonable — but in fact, it’s an excuse.

The real reason is:
They haven’t learned (or dared) to coach, to empower, to truly fulfill the role of a manager.

📊 So what is the real role of a MANAGER?
According to international studies:

• 55% Leadership – Inspire, develop people, build strong teams.
• 20% Management – Ensure work effectiveness, allocate resources.
• 15% Planning – Set short, medium, and long-term strategies.
• 10% Organizing – Structure tasks, coordinate across departments.

In other words, an effective Manager is someone who gets things done through others — not someone who does everything themselves.
One person can drive the work of many — but only by playing the right role.

💡 So, what’s the lesson here?

• If your employees aren’t ready — coach them, don’t do it for them.
• If they’re not skilled yet — help them learn and grow.
• If you keep doing everything yourself — you’ll forever be just a “senior specialist with a title”, not a true manager.

🔥 The growth of a manager doesn’t come from being great at doing the work —
but from the ability to build a team that’s great at doing the work.
And if you haven’t done that yet — don’t be too quick to call yourself a leader.