How to Be a Great Manager

You can be a highly effective manager if you can incorporate some basic principles into your everyday work practices. Here are some ideas to consider to help you learn how to be a great manager.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Drive
• High energy
• Good people skills
• Strong work ethic

1. Managers need to be connected to one another. Make a daily practice of talking to each other manager at your level about what is going on in his area. You will garner good information and build rapport with others. It's fine to talk about non-work stuff, too.

2. Treat everyone on the job with respect and courtesy at all times. This does not apply just to other managers. You need to set the example for everyone else. You need not be best buddies, but give others their due.

3. You should have meetings with your people on a regular basis and, in some cases, where time sensitivity is paramount, daily meetings to ensure that everyone's priorities are in line. Encourage questions and be courteous in answering them so as to encourage others to come forward if they don't understand.

4. Learn to give out tasks to each of the people you manage. Some of them, like the staff member who has been there for 10 years, may not need close supervision and can be trusted to meet his quotas and deadlines. Still others, especially new hires, will need to be monitored periodically to ensure that they know what to do and how to do it.

5. Keep everyone in your group aware of the priorities and their order so they will do first things first. Avoid telling one employee and expecting him to communicate it to his work mates, unless he is a qualified lead person. This presents the impression of favoritism, which you want to avoid at all costs.

6. Allow each staff member to talk about problems with you and be sympathetic. Giving them a hearing once in a while is good, and shows you are understanding. If the same person has personal problems all the time, however, beware. You may have a problem employee on your hands.

7. New employees often come to the company from other places where they have been trained to do work in a superior way. Take note and learn from these new folks. You might have a chance to do things better or faster than before. Be open and flexible to new ideas.

8. Impose the same standards on all employees in the same way. Don't favor anyone. If it is vital to the job, non-performance needs to be addressed with a structured disciplinary program. Train your supervisors to handle these situations.

9. Get your people ready to be promoted to higher levels by training and developing their skills. Even if it means a good one will be transferred to another part of the company, by developing your people, you are building a stronger base and your managerial achievements will be readily apparent to all.

10. Your effort to be positive is a gift that can make you a better manager. Strive to see the good side of things and point these out to your staff. Never talk bad about the company or people in higher level positions or you will lower yourself in the eyes of your people.

References

• Free Management Library: Building Basic Skills in Management and Leadership
• Mulhauser Consulting, Ltd.: Management Skills and Leadership Skills