Being a Good Manager

Depending upon what kind of manager you are, you might need to oversee 2 employees or 20 employees. Aside from knowing the job that those who you’re overseeing are doing, it’s important to know exactly what your role is as well. More than likely you either started out working the level below where you are now (so you know the ins and outs of the company) or you were a manager at a similar firm. Either way, you should find out what your employees expect of you and tell your employees what you expect of them.

Training :

No matter what industry you’re in if you don’t train your employees, how do you expect them to work the way you’d like them to? Sure, they’ll “figure it out” after a while, but is that the best way to go about that process? If you either have a certain way in which you want things done or know a quicker or more efficient way of getting through the process, why wouldn’t you share it with your employees? Training doesn’t have to be extremely formal but making sure that each of your employees understands their role and knows how to complete tasks the correct way is the foundation of a successful business.

Be organized :

Managing a group of people forces you to stay organized. You don’t only need to know what you have to get done for the day, but you have to be on top of the tasks assigned to the employees below you. If you’re not organized, your employees won’t be organized. You should have an outline of goals, timelines, and even a breakdown of how you would like tasks to be accomplished so that your employees aren’t lost. There’s nothing worse than employees being unproductive because they’re not sure what they’re supposed to be doing.

Communicate effectively :

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important characteristics of a good leader. If you’re not sure that you’re getting through to your employees, try using a communication styles assessment. This sort of test will analyze how you communicate and help you overcome habits that make it hard for you to get through to other people. It can also help you understand how others communicate so that you can adapt to understanding others as well. Breakdowns in communication can lead to major breakdowns in the business. Clear, concise instructions are necessary for good and productive work. It’s important to note that people can’t read your mind. Therefore in order to be a good leader you need to be able to articulate exactly what it is you need from people. Communicating goes both ways, however, so it’s important that you are also a good listener.

Give feedback :

If you’ve been in the lower level position before, you probably know that feedback is an important part of doing your job to your best ability. This doesn’t mean that you have to give someone a pat on the back and a hearty “good job” every time they do what they’re supposed to do, but if someone does something in a more efficient manner or gets innovative with their workload, you should mention how you enjoy their work ethic. With that, if someone is doing something wrong, it’s important to point that out. More often than not, they’re not purposely cutting corners or being lazy, but they just don’t know the correct process. You’d be surprised how well some workers can retain the information you provide them with.

Reward impact :

Employees want to feel like what they’re doing matters, and that recognition should come from their manager. Showing employees how the work they’re doing is impacting the company or helping a client is important in making them feel valued. If you throw tasks their way without even explaining what it’s for, it won’t seem so important.

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