The Three Classes of Managers in Ghana, My Experience with Starlife

When the sun shines early in the morning you will see the waves of hustle across all angles some with goods on their head, some with suit and sweat with half worn shoe eyeing for the daily bread. I happen to be the one on a suit with half worn shoe through the Kejetia terminal heading towards Aseeda house to the office of starlife assurance company limited.

In ghana we have three characters of managers that can change your life or worsen your life as a young employee, so this article is intended to let young graduate to know and understand theses characters of managers to enable them to adjust to their rhythm, it is also to inform the characters to beware of their action and make amendment for positive impact.

The three types of managers are 1. Development Manager, 2. Inheritance Manager 3.Rake Manager

The Development Manager is a type of manager that play a holistic role in the development of those they manage, there will invest in your skills, ideas and give you hope. They will always look out for your social and psychological needs to enable you to work for them to meet the target. They relate to you as a parent, they will give you the necessary advice to advance your education. whiles in Starlife I met this type of managers and they are Mr Fancis Kungu, who train and nature me, Mr Pual Aninakwa there were instrumental to my career development with Starlife Assurance.

The second Manager is the Inheritance Manager this is the type of manager that prepare young staff towards the role of their inheritance, this type of manager will always want you to become the next manager and will always psych you to exceed your target. This type of manager will query you when you make a mistake, so mistake should not be part of your story. This was the type of manager that helped me to go for further education abroad. Mr Collins Amoateng and Mr Philip Aforve former zonal manager and branch manager of Starlife Assurance company respectively.

The last manager is what I call the Rake Manager, this type of manager award those who help them to meet the target, punishment for those who don't perform well and punishment for those who want to develop themselves for greater heights. This is the manager that brought my career with starlife to a sudden end.

I joined Starlife in 2005 as Sales Executive and as a sales executive you are to build your own commission so for about a year I did not earn salary but I brought clients that contributed millions of cedis to the company, after working for five years without a leave, I had opportunity to further my education abroad with my own funding, not the company, with the intention to come back home and continue my work, after I left and written a letter to management my commission was stopped by the rake manager but that did not stop me from coming back home during my summer holidays I came back to Ghana and worked for the company, my commission was reinstated after I went back to school again the commission was stop, remember is not salary.

After graduation I came back to Ghana and wanted to still work as Sales Executive to my surprise the, then marketing manager refused to allow me to work, this is a job that even a university graduate in Ghana will not feel comfortable to do but I have graduated with postgraduate degree and also worked with the company for over five years yet still i was refused to work again, I was not given official letter and there was not any reason for not paying my commission and that was were I, realise that the black soul is a dark soul. I wrote to management and the board of Starlife but they never get back to me but at least some of the things a raised in my letter has been implemented so, I am satisfied that I have at leats sacrifice for the rest of the Sales Executives to enjoy, but that will not end the fight is to still have a change on the characters of Rake Mangers.

The rake manager in Starlife was Nana Yaw former branch manager and Mr Peter Kyei former marketing manager. The action also made me become an entrepreneur so you see to me the style of managing is not the best manager remember I was once among the 20 national best sales executive in 2009 but yet still I was ignored just because I acquired higher education and this was the time that there was politics in leadership at starlife. Remember the Rake Manager is always good in playing politics at management level so that is always their strength.

In summary, the Development manager and the Inheritance manager are the types of managers that developed to become a manager and these type of managers always like to carry their team with them so when they leave company A to company B they take some of their members along with them, theses type of managers are very few in Ghana.

The rake manager is a type of manager that do not want their team members to upgrade and when you try to take course or study for a higher degree they will find ways to bring you down or get you out of your job, these type of managers are many in Ghana.

Is time sales executive should be respected and Insurance Commission should protect Sales Executive because there are the next Cheif Executive Officer.

In Ghana when you speak the truth you are tag as disrespectful