What makes a good manager?
Discussion
Just thinking about this…
Having been a 'specialist' for some time, I'll soon be managing a team, who it’s fair to say, are a good bunch of ambitious and capable individuals - and don't mind admitting I'm a little bit daunted by it..
My basic premise is ‘treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself’ and to fundamentally just be myself. But my concern at this point is that every time there is a problem, instead of supporting people to help them learn and get better, my instinct will be to roll up my sleeves and either help them as a 'work buddy' and/or take on too much myself - which I have been advised will not actually benefit anyone in the long-term.
I once had a great boss who I learnt a lot working for. It didn't always feel like it at the time because he often left me to sort things out myself in the way I decided was appropriate, but after a couple of years he left and I realised just how much experience I had gained and I thank him for that.
I’ve got my own thoughts, but in your opinion:
What makes a good manager?
What pearls of wisdom can you share?
What mistakes have you learnt along the way?
Cheers,
Matt
Having been a 'specialist' for some time, I'll soon be managing a team, who it’s fair to say, are a good bunch of ambitious and capable individuals - and don't mind admitting I'm a little bit daunted by it..
My basic premise is ‘treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself’ and to fundamentally just be myself. But my concern at this point is that every time there is a problem, instead of supporting people to help them learn and get better, my instinct will be to roll up my sleeves and either help them as a 'work buddy' and/or take on too much myself - which I have been advised will not actually benefit anyone in the long-term.
I once had a great boss who I learnt a lot working for. It didn't always feel like it at the time because he often left me to sort things out myself in the way I decided was appropriate, but after a couple of years he left and I realised just how much experience I had gained and I thank him for that.
I’ve got my own thoughts, but in your opinion:
What makes a good manager?
What pearls of wisdom can you share?
What mistakes have you learnt along the way?
Cheers,
Matt
There's certainly nothing wrong with being civil and approachable but do not try and be a 'best mate' to your staff. You are there to manage them.
Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
Rule 1. Be yourself.
Rule 2. Be even more yourself.
Rule 2a. Don't have a personality transplant and become Matty big b
ks. You'll more than likely crash and burn and those around you will enjoy the spectacle..
Rule 3. Understand who 'yourself' actually is
Rule 4. Be consistent
Rule 5. Understand that you need to lead and you need to do it consistently
Rule 5a. Understand exactly what your job is - not what you think it is.
What do you deliver, who do you answer to.. no really, who do you answer to and what do you answer for?
Rule 6. But leading is not telling people what to do all the time..
Rule 7. Learn to match skills and understand the dynamics of your team
Rule 8. Don't play members off against each other. Do this once and you will betray trust that cannot ever be regained
Rule 9. You are not superman. You may feel the compulsion to be, but you are not. Understand what you are good at, what you are not good at. Play to your strengths and get support / guidance / learning for those areas where you are not so strong
Rule 10. Leading isn't 'science' as many management books would have you believe. The left brain approach only works for left brained people. You will exclude statistically half your team if you adopt only a rigid left brain style. Use your right brain skills as well. The best managers are often described as 'a people person..' and that does not mean they get pissed with the team, it means something else entirely different
Rule 11. Understand that management is a two way street. You manage your team, but they also manage you. They have the 'power' to make your life abject misery if you make life hard for them. You will 'fail' as a manager they rarely if ever fail as a team...
Rule 10. See rule 1.
Rule 11. See rule 9, but replace certain words with team
Rule 12. Enjoy it. It can be fun, an absolute breeze if you do it right or abject hell if you do it wrong. What do you reckon your 'honeymoon period' is? What ever you think it is, halve it and work to celebrating a team achievement within that time frame.
Rule 14. See rule 12, but stop after the second full stop.
Rule 2. Be even more yourself.
Rule 2a. Don't have a personality transplant and become Matty big b
ks. You'll more than likely crash and burn and those around you will enjoy the spectacle..Rule 3. Understand who 'yourself' actually is
Rule 4. Be consistent
Rule 5. Understand that you need to lead and you need to do it consistently
Rule 5a. Understand exactly what your job is - not what you think it is.
What do you deliver, who do you answer to.. no really, who do you answer to and what do you answer for?
Rule 6. But leading is not telling people what to do all the time..
Rule 7. Learn to match skills and understand the dynamics of your team
Rule 8. Don't play members off against each other. Do this once and you will betray trust that cannot ever be regained
Rule 9. You are not superman. You may feel the compulsion to be, but you are not. Understand what you are good at, what you are not good at. Play to your strengths and get support / guidance / learning for those areas where you are not so strong
Rule 10. Leading isn't 'science' as many management books would have you believe. The left brain approach only works for left brained people. You will exclude statistically half your team if you adopt only a rigid left brain style. Use your right brain skills as well. The best managers are often described as 'a people person..' and that does not mean they get pissed with the team, it means something else entirely different
Rule 11. Understand that management is a two way street. You manage your team, but they also manage you. They have the 'power' to make your life abject misery if you make life hard for them. You will 'fail' as a manager they rarely if ever fail as a team...
Rule 10. See rule 1.
Rule 11. See rule 9, but replace certain words with team
Rule 12. Enjoy it. It can be fun, an absolute breeze if you do it right or abject hell if you do it wrong. What do you reckon your 'honeymoon period' is? What ever you think it is, halve it and work to celebrating a team achievement within that time frame.
Rule 14. See rule 12, but stop after the second full stop.
Be clear about what you want, and when you want it by, and make sure that whoever you've given the task to knows what is expected.
Little more frustrating than knocking your pan in on something only to find it's not really what the boss wanted, or it is what the boss wanted but is now useless because the meeting about it was last week.
Little more frustrating than knocking your pan in on something only to find it's not really what the boss wanted, or it is what the boss wanted but is now useless because the meeting about it was last week.
Dear Matt UK,
praise in public, criticise in private.
Support your people.
Be aware of your team's and individuals' strengths and weaknesses - right job right person.
What motivates your people - there for the pension or ambitious?
Happy people do the best work.
Little things mean a lot - free proper coffee made when you want it or expensive crap from a vending machine.
The last one is what so many budgets-are-the-only-metric big organisations get wrong. A little "investment" can go a long way to keep your people happy.
For how not to do things (especially in engineering) Dilbert is hilarious, oh, and you've seen the Office of course?
regards,
Jet
praise in public, criticise in private.
Support your people.
Be aware of your team's and individuals' strengths and weaknesses - right job right person.
What motivates your people - there for the pension or ambitious?
Happy people do the best work.
Little things mean a lot - free proper coffee made when you want it or expensive crap from a vending machine.
The last one is what so many budgets-are-the-only-metric big organisations get wrong. A little "investment" can go a long way to keep your people happy.
For how not to do things (especially in engineering) Dilbert is hilarious, oh, and you've seen the Office of course?
regards,
Jet
adycav said:
There's certainly nothing wrong with being civil and approachable but do not try and be a 'best mate' to your staff. You are there to manage them.
Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
I would agree with most of the above, and also add that it will really help if you know the jobs that your 'underlings' are doing inside-out. This is something that my guys always appreciated, and the fact that when they came to me with their issues/'roadblocks', I actually genuinely understood their issues, and knew how to go about resolving them.Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
jet_noise said:
praise in public, criticise in private.
Support your people.
This is also good advice, and don't underestimate the power of (appropriate, and not excessive) praise, although not necesarrily praise in public, otherwise it could be taken badly by the others.Support your people.
Definitely support your people and, where necesarry, take them to task outwith the public forum (i.e. after the meeting).
Just remember the days when that complete p***k ran the team and all the reasons you and everyone else hated him. Then, when it comes to a decision, think what he'd have done/said, and do the opposite. That's what I did. Worked a charm.
Also, a little give and take works wonders IME. Be flexible, try and keep them happy, and they will, IMHO, work a lot harder.
Also, a little give and take works wonders IME. Be flexible, try and keep them happy, and they will, IMHO, work a lot harder.
Don't go in as Johnny Big-Potatoes. 'Confident Humility' is your friend.
Don't get hung up on unimportant things that you think are befitting your position - name on the door, own office, etc are all trinkets not to be asked for but to be given (unless it's really necessary - office for example)
Quickly assess your team - who's weak, who's strong, who's doing too much/too little. The faster you do this, the faster you'll achieve results
Don't get too close to staff - they're not your friends, they're your colleagues.
Happy workers are good workers - don't be an arse.
Don't be taken the piss out of. Be flexible and approachable but know when someone's pulling your plonker.
Don't get hung up on unimportant things that you think are befitting your position - name on the door, own office, etc are all trinkets not to be asked for but to be given (unless it's really necessary - office for example)
Quickly assess your team - who's weak, who's strong, who's doing too much/too little. The faster you do this, the faster you'll achieve results
Don't get too close to staff - they're not your friends, they're your colleagues.
Happy workers are good workers - don't be an arse.
Don't be taken the piss out of. Be flexible and approachable but know when someone's pulling your plonker.
Listen to other people's assessments of your employees but don't treat it as gospel, a personality clash between team members and the boss can affect work, so a previously good worker can go bad and vice-versa. Nothing is guaranteed to piss your team off more than the new boss coming in and old promises going out of the window.
What makes a good manager?
1) Never do anything yourself that you can't delegate.
2) Coach and train your staff so you can delegate everything.
3) Honesty.
4) Humility.
5) Never work more hours than them. There is no reason for you to take home work when they could.
6) You are there to make them look good and help them further their careers. Do that and they will respect and trust and for years to come help you out.
What pearls of wisdom can you share?
1) Remember the Phrases "Can you just" and "I need it yesterday, sorry about that" and "thank you"
2) Only promote TEAM players.
3) LEAD don't manage.
What mistakes have you learnt along the way?
1) I'm a bully. I'm useless at delegation, at coaching, I'm less than honest, I'm egocentric, I did too many hours when they clock watched, and they happily and rightly dropped me in the s
t. monthefish said:
adycav said:
There's certainly nothing wrong with being civil and approachable but do not try and be a 'best mate' to your staff. You are there to manage them.
Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
I would agree with most of the above, and also add that it will really help if you know the jobs that your 'underlings' are doing inside-out. This is something that my guys always appreciated, and the fact that when they came to me with their issues/'roadblocks', I actually genuinely understood their issues, and knew how to go about resolving them.Don't give the impression that you have any 'favourites'.
Don't swear all the time and try too hard to be 'one of the lads'.
Don't conspire with your staff to slag off/undermine senior management or fellow managers.
Be consistent.
As a new manager some people may attempt to test you out - push the boundaries a little to see what you are made of. If this occurs deal with it fairly and firmly.
Listen and give advice where appropriate but don't let more 'needy' individuals monopolise your time.
Apologies if this post is a little lacking in structure but I've had a few Morettis this evening.
I am sure that we have all had good and less good line managers. It may help you to consider examples of both and identify what factors made them 'good' or 's
te'.OP it sounds like you have already begun to do this, so I'm sure that you'll do fine.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Some really excellent podcasts here : http://www.manager-tools.com/
Some rather American but others excellent. I highly recommend the Feedback set, we have started using it in the company to considerable effect (we were rather surprised).
Some rather American but others excellent. I highly recommend the Feedback set, we have started using it in the company to considerable effect (we were rather surprised).
Thanks for the replies - really appreciate it. I'll be moving into role in the next few weeks and I'm really looking forward to it. Having read through the posts, there are certain points that are very relevant.
I am going to be moving into a role managing a team of people who I currently work alongside now, who do the sort of role I do. Which is a double edged sword..
One the one hand, I'll know what goes on daily and will be able to help sort issues and know if someones not pulling their weight. On the other hand I am aware that on a Friday I'll leave the office with one hat on, and arrive the following Monday morning with a different one on.
And far from being a 'power-nutter' who can't wait to strut around calling myself "boss", I'm nearer the other end of that scale at the moment; a bit unsure as to how the transition will go as I learn to 'step-up' and accept the fact that they are 'my' team and I will be 'leading' them.
I think the key will be to not put myself under pressure from Day 1, and accept that there's a learning curve in front of not only me, but also the guys and girls in the team.
I'm sure there will be good days and 'learn days'. Looking forward to the challenge though
I am going to be moving into a role managing a team of people who I currently work alongside now, who do the sort of role I do. Which is a double edged sword..
One the one hand, I'll know what goes on daily and will be able to help sort issues and know if someones not pulling their weight. On the other hand I am aware that on a Friday I'll leave the office with one hat on, and arrive the following Monday morning with a different one on.
And far from being a 'power-nutter' who can't wait to strut around calling myself "boss", I'm nearer the other end of that scale at the moment; a bit unsure as to how the transition will go as I learn to 'step-up' and accept the fact that they are 'my' team and I will be 'leading' them.
I think the key will be to not put myself under pressure from Day 1, and accept that there's a learning curve in front of not only me, but also the guys and girls in the team.
I'm sure there will be good days and 'learn days'. Looking forward to the challenge though
Edited by Matt UK on Friday 25th September 15:00
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