How Not to Manage People

Great managers know that there are always opportunities for improvement, and each day they strive to be better shift leaders, supervisors, middle managers, directors, or CEOs than they were the day before.

One of the biggest things a good manager or leader can do is to inspire confidence in those they manage.

Good management technique is logical, but we as humans are often illogical and often self-defeating.

As soon as you think you know it all, or that only you know best, you are on a slippery slope to unemployment or bankruptcy.

One positive aspect of empowering your team is that it frees up both you and them to do your own jobs.

When people are empowered, they tend to take ownership of their role and their responsibilities, and when they do that, they are less likely to abuse any power bestowed on them by the empowerment.

Trust your team; sure, give them guidance and         training, set parameters, guidelines and such, but at         the end of the day, leave them to it—resist the urge         to micromanage.

The more they understand where you are going and how you are going to get there (the road map), the more likely they are to keep on the right track.

When mistakes are made, and they will be, don’t chastise or throw a tantrum; help the team or individual learn from the situation.

FAVORITISM IS A very common problem among managers. It is a human trait to like some people better than others, and that’s okay in our personal lives, just not in business. In business you need to keep an objective view as to the value of every member of your team. A key point to remember is that you don’t have to like someone for them to be a valuable employee. And just because you like someone doesn’t mean they are necessarily good for your company.

true loyalty can often be when someone tells you something you don’t necessarily want to hear.

Nothing causes more issues when managing people than poor communication, miscommunication, or no communication.

leaders should listen at least as much as they talk, if not more, and in meetings should keep track of how much time they talk as opposed to listen.

It is such a simple thing to do to focus first on the things your employee or your team are doing well and then provide constructive criticism. That can be followed by some suggestions as to what to do next, and then maybe, only maybe, and where absolutely necessary—a negative observation.

Managers need to focus on how employees feel as well as how they perform because, more often than not, feelings and performance go hand in hand.

Training yourself to have constructive conversations with employees who are upset, or grieving for instance, is vital to your success as a manager.

Bill Wilson said, “Indecision with the passing of time becomes decision.”

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, said, “I trust the weakest pen more than the strongest memory.”

Teams need a leader, someone they can trust to guide them in managing a project or their workload, someone who has their best interests at heart, and who has and will take ultimate responsibility for the output of the team.

As Steve Jobs said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so that they can tell us what to do.”

Great resumes do not necessarily equal great hires.

As Ingrid Vaughan of Smart HR says, “In an era where employees have lots of job options, strong managers must see their employees as people, not just workers with a dollar sign. That simply won’t fly, especially with the younger workforce. The future of work demands that we put people at the center of every organization by encouraging them to bring their whole selves to work. Inclusive leaders lead from the heart, understanding that people cannot separate themselves into pieces that belong in different slots. Managers who support the whole person when they come to work every day and lead alongside, not above them, will reap the results of a stronger culture, higher retention and productivity, and personal accountability.”

Make no mistake, you are always leading by example, whether you like it or not. You need to be the employee you expect all your staff to be.

You need to park your ego, be a guide, don’t micromanage, empower your people by trusting them, value their input, and focus on the team and each business goal, not your own personal agenda.