What is the primary role of the manager? The primary role of the manager is to make sure that everything is running smoothly, and that the daily operations of the business are going smoothly. Whether this means that the manager takes an active role in the running of the business, or just takes a supervisory role depends on what the situation calls for. The manager is really there to manage the people around him, and manage the situations that come up on a daily basis.
The manager is really the point man for everything that goes on around him. If the manager is responsible for a department, it means that the manager needs to make sure that everyone is doing what needs to happen to have a smooth running department. This means that the manager must be a good facilitator, and be accessible to everyone that might need the manager. The manager needs to make sure that are conflicts are taken care of, and that everything is going according to plan.
What about the store manager, or the manager of the entire company? The job of this manager is to make sure that everything is running smoothly, but they have more room to delegate. They can take different tasks and assign them to the appropriate manager underneath them, and make sure that the entire company is running well. This is slightly different than being a department, or lower level manager as you have to treat other management a little differently than employees.
The manager has to act like a manager, and think like an employee. The goals and aspirations of the two may be different, but both sides need to be happy in order for things to get done. A manager needs to understand what the company goals are, and has to be able to integrate the company goals with goals that employees can achieve. If employees don't want to work hard, or don't understand what they are doing, they won't be successful.
A manager has to be flexible, and ready for anything to happen. This might mean that the manager helps out in another area, or performs tasks that an employee might normally do if there is a shortage of help for the day. A manager should be well versed in all areas that they are in charge of, and be able to at least do a passable job if called upon to perform a certain duty. A manager should be able to multi-task, and be able to still keep a level head while doing so.
Essentially the role of the manager is to be whatever the company needs the manager to be. The manager needs to be flexible, supportive, a people person, and someone who has a vision. The manager needs to make sure that everything is running smoothly, even if that means that the manager has to do a lot of work one day, but may be able to delegate that work on other days. Management should be the leadership, and be willing to step up whenever necessary.