How to Be a Good Manager

In every large organization, there's a hierarchy of management that keeps the whole operation running smoothly. Whether you're a senior (upper level) manager, middle manager, or supervisor, you're responsible for directing people so that the organization's goals are accomplished. A good manager can motivate people, learn from previous mistakes, and gain respect from a team. This article focuses on managers in a large organization rather than in a small business (see How to Be a Good Boss) or working on specific projects (see How to Be an Effective Project Manager).

Steps
Motivate

• Motivate people

Why are the employees there? What keeps them with your organization and stops them from going somewhere else? What makes the good days good? What makes them stick with the organization after a bad day or a bad week? Don't assume it's money - most people aren't that one-dimensional. Ask the employees how they're liking their job on a regular basis. Encourage them to be honest with you. Be a good listener. Then take action based upon what they tell you. If health is important to them, give them time to go to the gym and work out. If their family is important, respect the time they may need to send their kids off to school in the morning or pick them up in the afternoon. Remember, our values are what makes us "tick." If you manage by respecting your team's values, they will give you 110 percent of their effort.


Delegate
You're a manager because you're good at what you do, but that doesn't mean you're supposed to do everything yourself. Your job as a manager is to teach other people how to do a good job. If you're uncomfortable with delegating, however, this can be a huge leap of faith for you. One way to overcome this is to start small. Give people tasks that, if performed incorrectly, can be fixed. Take the opportunity to teach and empower your employees. Then gradually give them tasks with greater responsibility as you come to understand their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to anticipate any problems they might have so you can coach them properly before they begin.


Communicate

• Keep the door open

Always remind people that if they have any questions or concerns, you're ready and willing to listen. Don't be one of those managers who inadvertently makes an employee feel like they're bothering you when they bring up a question or concern. Instead of seeing it as another crisis to manage, look at it as an opportunity to show your employee how much you want this organization to be a fulfilling place to work. Never minimize or dismiss their concerns, and always make sure that you've answered their questions completely.


Learn From Mistakes

• Let people make mistakes

As a manager, you take responsibility for other people's actions, so the last thing you want to do is be responsible for someone else's mistakes. In an attempt to be proactive and prevent mistakes, you might give careful instructions and create clear, strict standards. But are you making people afraid of mistakes? Do they always check with you about every little thing, reluctant to make their own decisions because they might not do it correctly? That ends up making the employees more dependent on you, which makes them less effective and unnecessarily drains a significant portion of your time. In order for people to think for themselves, they need to learn, and in order to learn, sometimes we need to make mistakes. Trust them, and give them a fair margin of error.

• Learn from your own mistakes

When things don't turn out the way you expected, recognize what you could have done differently and verbalize this realization to your employees. This shows them that you make mistakes too, and it also shows them how they should handle their own mistakes. Whenever you're doing something correctly after having done it incorrectly in the past, let whoever is watching know. For example: "The reason I know to press this button is because this happened to me when I first started out, and I made the mistake of pressing the blue button, thinking 'This will shut down the system, which should resolve the issue' and I found out - the hard way - that it makes the issue even worse!"


Embrace Egalitarianism
Treat everyone equally. Most of us aren't as egalitarian as we'd like to be. Many times, favoritism happens on a subconscious level. The tendency is to give more positive recognition to the people who remind us of ourselves somehow and who actually like us, rather than to the people who make the biggest contributions to the organization. In the long run, it's people in the latter group who will make the most progress in achieving the organization's goals, so monitor your own behavior carefully and make sure you're not accidentally short-changing them, even if they give you the impression that your positive regard doesn't affect them. Some people shy away from positive feedback but appreciate it nonetheless.


Tips

1. Celebrate success with your team, whether it's by giving them a pat on the back, taking them to lunch, or giving them the afternoon off.
2. Avoid making them stay back after normal working hours. Respect their time and personal commitments and they will reciprocate by producing exceptional results for their manager and the organization.
3. Forget about your credentials. Education didn't make you a better manager. But experience can contribute to becoming a good manager.
4. As a manager try to communicate with your employees in a proper way and avoid making them feel down.
5. Never reprimand an employee publicly, no matter how well deserved.
6. Don't scold the entire department for what one person is doing wrong. For example, you notice that Jane is often late to work. Instead of sending a group email warning everyone to be on time, confront Jane privately.
7. Does the company have a policy for inclement weather? If not, develop one. A good rule is to follow the local school schedule. If classes are dismissed early, consider sending employees home early. If local schools are closed, employees should use their own judgment. They should not be made to feel that they must risk their lives traveling to work during bad weather.
8. Snow days present a problem for employees with children. The day care center or school may be closed. Should you allow employees to bring their children to work on snow days? Check with your Human Resources department, since there may be safety or insurance issues. It is very important to respect employees' time and personal life.
9. Intervene immediately whenever there is a conflict between employees. Don't ignore the problem, or suggest that they work it out themselves. An employee in this situation often feels trapped and powerless, especially if the other employee outranks them or has seniority with the company. Schedule individual meetings with each employee, then see them together. Call in a company mediator if necessary. Address the specific problem(s), not general complaints. "I resent having to help Bob when he gets behind, because he never does the same for me" is a specific problem. "I don't like Bob's attitude" is a general complaint.

Warnings

1. Being a good manager doesn't mean being a people pleaser. If an employee keeps crossing the line or failing to meet expectations, use a feedback sandwich or nonviolent communication to correct the situation. If that fails, consider firing them.
2. Before taking a drastic step like termination, consider having the employee transferred to another department. He or she may bloom in a different environment.
3. If termination is absolutely necessary, don't automatically give the employee a bad reference. The job may simply have been a bad fit. Emphasize the employee's strengths and skills.