There are many types of employees in the workforce. There are many types of employers. And it goes without saying (though I'm saying it here) that there are many, many types of managers. We all have our 'horrible boss' stories, maybe not as eccentric as those in the movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, but we have stories nonetheless.
I have had fantastic supervisors, ignorant managers, micro-managers and ill-equipped bosses. But for every experience I have had in my career, I make it a point to leave that situation with a take-away - good or bad. All of my experiences have made me a better boss, a better supervisor, a successful manager who provides constructive criticism and praise when employees deserve it.
Based on my 20 years of experience managing individuals at different stages of their career and being managed by different personality types, I have developed a list of manager 'musts' in order to make sure you and your employee(s) are working in a happy, healthy, efficient and successful environment.
1. Hire talent. Don't hire friends, family or someone because you owe someone a favor. Hire the person best suited for the job. It will save you hours in training and years in therapy. Hire for talent and work for talented. When you interview for a job, you are interviewing the employer as well. Make sure you want to work there, that you are suited for that job, that environment. It will save you hours of frustration and years in therapy.
2. Set your employees up for success, not failure. As a manager, it is your job to make sure your employees have the tools they need to do their job and do it well. If they do not have the means to do their job, they will inevitably fail, which will reflect poorly on you. As an employee, speak up if you do not have the tools you need. Your manager wants to be successful, your success will reflect on their ability to listen and deliver.
3. Have a plan. As a manager, it is your job to provide direction to your staff. Your department needs to have a strategic plan so that everyone knows the goals and priorities of the department. This will enable you, the manager, to best delegate tasks and know what your employees are working on without micro-managing. As an employee, if there is no set plan, or there is confusion as to what your responsibilities are - be proactive. Develop a plan and propose it to your manager. A good manager will take note of your initiative and will provide constructive criticism.
4. Keep employees informed. If you are looking for a way to empower your employees, give them knowledge, give them information. You don't need to provide all the company secrets or divulge confidential information, just make them feel like a part of the team. Employees, keep your managers abreast of the projects you are working on, the status, any barriers you may face. This will help prevent micro-managing or not-so-pleasant summons to the boss' office.
5. Provide feedback. The definition of insanity is doing things the same way and expecting different results. If you provide your employees with constructive feedback - positive or negative - you will enable the employee to learn from mistakes and foster creative thinking. A good employee is one who welcomes feedback, who takes it and runs with it (preferably in the right direction and not out the door). But an employee should be able to provide feedback to a manager as well. And the manager should keep an open mind and not feel threatened by an employee's input.
6. Have an open door policy. It is easy to say, "My door is always open." More often than not the door is always open until it is shut. Managers should work with their door open. Unless a meeting is in session or the manager is on a conference call, the office door should be open. This gesture shows employees that they can come in with questions or concerns and that you have time for them. Employees, be respectful of your managers' time. Don't hang out in their doorway, monopolizing their time talking about your pet Chihuahua. Appreciate the open-door policy, don't abuse it.
7. Trust your employees. If you hired someone for talent and not because they know someone who knows someone, then you hired them for a reason. Trust them to do their work. If you don't trust them, then you essentially don't trust your instincts on who you hired. That is your fault, not theirs. Trust them until they give you a reason not to. Employees, don't give your managers a reason not to trust you.
8. Lead by example. A manager is much like a parent. You can't tell your employee to act one way and then act another. The whole "Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work when a parent says it and sure as heck doesn't work in the workforce. Employees pick up on how hard their manager actually works, when they come in, when they leave, if they are willing to help others. Your attitude directly impacts your hires. Be smart. Work hard. Have fun. Lead your team. Employees, be smart. Work hard. Have fun. Be lead.
A manager is more than a title. A manager MUST be a worker, a teacher, a mentor, a leader. It is okay - in fact, it is admirable - to want to work your way up to manager, director, CEO level. But not everyone is meant to be a manager. Before you strive for that title, make sure you are up to the task. As a manager, you have the professional lives of your employees (and yours) to worry about. You are there to guide, advise and lead the team, not to just collect a paycheck.
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