| What makes a "good" manager?
First of all, what is management? The dictionary defines management as "the
act or art of managing: the conducting or supervising of something (as a
business).". Sounds about right. But then, Attila the Hun was a manager of
sorts. Clearly, there is a big difference between being a manager and being
a "good" manager who has earned the respect of the people.
It is interesting that the formal definition of management includes the
word "art", because in some respects, it is an art as much as a science.
Just about anyone can learn the basic mechanics of becoming a manager.
However, there is a certain amount of mystery in defining that extra
dimension of skills and traits that elevates certain people to a status of
"good" manager. What is it?
Part of it is charisma. Charisma is a sort of magical quality of magnetic
charm or appeal that makes people want to follow the person who has it.
Strong interpersonal skills are certainly critical to the creation of
charisma, but are by no means the only ingredient. The perception of
charisma must be earned through accomplishment.
A strong leader gains the respect of his/her people by actions. Principal
among those actions is the involvement of the organization in decision
making. How many times have you heard someone say, "If I was running the
show, I sure wouldn't do it that way!"? It is important that the manager has
the mechanisms in place that allow ideas to bubble up from all corners of
the organization. No matter how smart we think we are as managers, we
certainly don't know everything. Many of the very best ideas come from the
people on the front line of the day to day business. We have to have a way
for people to express those ideas and get rewarded for their contributions
if the idea pans out. Delegating many of the day to day tactical decisions
in no way undermines the manager's authority or responsibility for the
bigger picture. Remember this: If people have enthusiastic ownership of an
idea, their idea, they WILL make it work, even if it is a BAD idea. If not,
they can torpedo even a GOOD idea.
Recognizing people for their contributions is one of the surest ways to
secure employee loyalty and to earn the perception that the manager is smart
enough to understand that he/she doesn't know everything. Recognition and
rewards are not necessarily monetary. In some cases, simple public
recognition is all that is required. Recognition nurtures the ego and
differentiates people from their peers. Recognition just makes a person feel
good and stimulates the desire to have it happen again.
If a manager utilizes the people to help develop the organization's
mission statement, then the people will follow. Having a solid and workable
mission statement is critical to organizational success. It can serve as the
basis for decision making. If you bounce an idea off the mission statement
and it sticks, you might do it. Otherwise, forget it. For example, if you
are in the business of developing the worlds best diagnostic software, you
are not going to open a restaurant to raise extra cash. That would be way
outside the mission statement. See the point? All tactical decisions should
fit within the mission statement.
Next, a "good" manager is a strategic thinker. The manager should have at
least a five to ten year view of the future. Where does the organization
want to be in five years and tactically, what needs to be done today,
tomorrow, next week or next month to get there? Nothing can undermine a
manager faster than having the organization perceive that the manager has no
idea of direction.
Then, there is integrity. A manager has to be seen by his superiors and
his employees as being honest and forthright and doesn't play silly
political games. No one likes a sleazy character that cannot be trusted,
especially if that person is in charge of the careers of people. Would you?
The "good" manager fights for his/her people and they know it. Everyone
knows that outstanding performers are amply rewarded and substandard
performers are penalized or eliminated. People know that the decisions made
by the manager well thought out and are in the best interest of the
organization. An employee may not like the fact that the manager had to cut
their pet project out of the budget. But if the employee is in tune with the
organization, he/she will understand why it had to be done.
A "good" manager is highly selective when building the "culture" the
organization. People hired should "fit" the collective personality of the
organization. Loners and hotheads should not be merged into an organization
of people who genuinely like each other and work well together. Think about
the best sports teams. The very best ones are those where the members are
more like family than team mates.
Finally, the "good" manager will spend the extra time to collect the
information necessary to show how valuable the organization is to the
company. This can take any number of forms such as cost savings, cost
avoidance, improved process, improved productivity, and so on. Then the
manager makes sure everyone knows about it, from top to bottom. It is vital
that the people feel they are important and are making a contribution to the
overall success of the company.
There is no magic formula for becoming a "good" manager and the points
mentioned above are certainly not an exhaustive list. Some of it is
instinct, but it mostly stems from the gut-level understanding that the most
important thing in an organization is its people. Treat people with respect
and dignity and you will get that back in spades.
About the Author
Bio: Darwin Brown's 32 year career in Information Technology includes
various management positions at Booz-Allen Applied Research, General Motors
and Compuware, a Fortune 500 software company. Currently, Mr. Brown is
authoring a science fiction novel about world energy. And is a contributing
career writer for JamminJobs. Visit us at:
http://www.jamminjobs.com
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