Brian Colpak Explains The Role of the Office Manager in Small Business: Where the Buck Stops

While the Office Manager can delegate specific duties within the office, they are not discharged from ensuring that the delegated tasks have been performed correctly and on time. In this article, entrepreneur Brian Colpak discusses the critical role of an office manager.

The Role of Office Manager

A dedicated office manager is depended on to provide confident oversight of the day-to-day operations of an office. They report directly to the senior managers and are expected to make routine decisions. They are typically more generalist than specialist. In some cases, they even have no specific skills or experience related to the company’s core business. This is because their skillset is big-picture coordination and organization.

The office manager is generally involved in company hiring decisions but doesn’t usually have the final say about who gets the job. They commonly have a seat at the table during departmental budget discussions but don’t make the final decisions. In other words, they have a bit of responsibility in almost every aspect of the business.

The office manager plays a vital role for both large and small enterprises, but it is within small businesses that this position is the most critical. In a small business, a good office manager insulates the owner from the routine tasks of running a company so the owner can focus on growth and direction. Without a competent and trusted office manager, many small businesses would fail.

A Delicate Balance

There is a delicate balance between delegating a task and retaining responsibility for getting the job done. Walking this fine line is especially important for office managers within a small business. The owner depends on the manager to get things done correctly and efficiently, but the manager can’t do it alone. The manager is responsible for the outcome but must delegate the work to others.

An Example

Marie is the office manager for a small manufacturing company. The company employs engineers, salespeople, and workers on the plant floor. Marie has no specific expertise in manufacturing, engineering, or sales, but the company owners depend on her to make “non-technical” decisions and keep things running smoothly.

If, for example, the owners hear about missed shipments and unhappy customers, they will look to Marie for answers. She can’t control the production department, that job belongs to the production manager, but she must be involved enough to answer the owner’s questions about customer complaints.

Like office managers in small companies across the country, Marie is responsible for ensuring that the owner’s vision becomes a reality for the company. She has the authority to delegate specific tasks but must always shoulder the responsibility to see that things get done.

A good office manager will never use the excuse, “I told them to do it, but they didn’t get it done.” Like Marie, they understand that their role within the company means that, as the famous sign on President Harry Truman’s desk says, “the buck stops here.”

About Brian Colpak

Brian Colpak is a tech entrepreneur and the founder of Continental Global. After spending most of his career in managerial positions, he founded and led a company that was recognized as one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in Massachusetts before starting his current company. These days his main focus is on an upcoming project in Dubai.

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