Dictator (aka Hitler)

Some first time managers are thrown into the deep end and believe that they have to begin acting as if they know everything. After all, their direct reports will be looking to them for leadership. They start to act like “the boss”.

These dictator or autocrat managers make most decisions and expect their staff to jump when they are told what to do. They harbor fear in the workplace and generate fear and resentment throughout the office. The dictators make people believe that they are working for someone.

The Diplomat

Diplomatic managers know that spending the time up front to explain the what and why with their direct reports will reap benefits in the long run. They cause people to want to work that extra bit harder because employees are left feeling cared for and respected. They feel feel that they are working with someone.

While the autocrat/dictator thinks that the diplomat is a wimp, the diplomat thinks that the autocrat is too authoritative in management.

Why You Need To Be “Alert”

A manager needs to be alert and exercise a balance between control and encouragement. Each employee is different. As a manager, you need to determine what each employee needs from you in order to perform at their best.  You need to be alert to their needs.

People can be

• very motivated, but lack the skills or knowledge to succeed;
• lacking motivation, but have the necessary skills;
• motivated and perform well, need little control or encouragement;
• lacking both ability and willingness to perform; or
• average in all areas

A change in situation or work environment can trigger a change in an employee from one “attitude” to the other. Being alert and aware of the needs of your direct reports can make a huge difference for you as a manager.

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The Monopolizer

Monopolizers are fast decision makers. They stick to all decisions they make, rightly or wrongly, and they like to be in charge of everything. If you work for one of these managers you need to be direct with your communication – have all the facts and be clear and assertive. You will also need to be prepared to take action on their decision, whether you like it or not.

The Methodical

The managers with the methodical personality style are those that are more analytic. They like to have information from multiple sources before committing to a decision. If you work with a methodical manager, you may find yourself being asked for suggestions as to the best course of action. Make sure that you are able to demonstrate that you have considered your proposal and can explain the reasoning and logic to them.

The Motivators

These managers seem to have good relationships with everyone in the company. They are often creative and have a high energy. Often, work takes a backseat to the socializing around the office. If you need to get their attention you may need to ask them about their weekend or children before getting down to business.

The Mixers

Mixers shy away from conflict and they are resistant to change. They are patient, sympathetic, understanding and are probably more concerned with the needs of others or how people are going than the work itself. You might need to communicate with them with particular emphasis on feelings and teamwork.

Should you be loyal to your manager?

Nobody follows a leader blindly these days in management circles. If a policy has been made that contradicts your expressed opinions you may be expected to follow it or even implement it regardless. See if you can find out how that decision came about and the processes that led to the decision. Don’t be narrow sighted, people don’t like change generally and you have to see the bigger picture as much as possible.

Your responsibility to your manager

You need to keep your manager informed of your plans, actions and team projects. Where you need to present arguments or concerns make sure this is done factually with back up evidence and examples where possible. Be open minded and listen to your manager’s point of view because they may be right.

Dealing with an unreasonable manager

Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture when you’re covered in the proverbial at work. If you and your team have a long term problem with your manager you need to think why top management is allowing this to continue. If it is a problem only for you, then it’s a different situation. Believe it or not, sometimes bosses don’t realise if they are causing you problems so the best approach would be to be direct but professional in bringing the problem to their attention. It also helps to find a mentor somewhere else in the organisation that can offer you advice on how to handle the situation.

Driving good people away

During an economic downturn, some companies may take advantage of this and make their employees work harder as it is more difficult for people to leave. Doing this however can cause the top performers to leave, retaining the less capable employees. At the same time, it has a major impact on morale and production.

The skill to attain is to learn how to manage your boss. You can begin to do this by first study his or her management style…

Styles Of Leadership That Can Motivate Anybody!

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1. Hiring – a manager finds individuals that are suited to positions required to complete a job as part of a larger project. The individuals must have the required skills and commitment, or can be coached or trained to succeed in the role.

2. Communicating – with employees. A manager needs to share the goals of the organization and company objectives so that employees know how their role fits into the bigger picture.

3. Planning - A manager needs to plan the works to ensure they are completed by the right people in the right time frame.

4. Organizing – Managers are responsible for ensuring that the right resources are put in the right roles to complete the job. This means deciding which employees do which tasks and means they also have to understand their teams strengths and weaknesses.

5. Training – If there are gaps in the skill level of your team, managers provide opportunities for training for development.

6. Monitoring - this involves monitoring each of your employees and ensuring they are succeeding in their tasks. Managers need to also be aware of the work load of their employees so that they are not bored or snowed under.

Remember, you have two ears and one mouth so you should be listening twice as much as you talk.

Why Poor Listeners Fail

Poor listeners love the sound of their own voice and have to let other people hear it as well. Sometimes poor listeners also spend their time thinking of some smart arse remark with which to interject rather than listening to the other person. Poor listeners make poor managers. Remember that.

Some people can comprehend much more per minute through reading than through hearing someone talk (at a comparatively slower rate). This is especially true for speed readers. So when someone speaks, it is only natural they tend to zone out since the speaker doesn’t demand their full attention. This “comprehension gap” is another reason why some people are poor listeners. The amount of people actively listening are few and far between, so it doesn’t really take much to differentiate yourself among other managers by being an active listener.

How To Be An Active Listener

Encourage the other person to talk. Nod occassionally to show comprehension but more importantly look at the other person when they are talking to you. Don’t turn your head away or be distracted by a piece of paper. Stay focussed as much as possible.

Some well-placed comments work well in conversations: “That’s interesting. Tell me more”, “Why do you suppose that is?” To be an active listener you need to send the same signal with all of the following:

• the words you use
• your facial expressions
• your tone of voice

Naturally, when you become a good listener (and therefore a better manager) some people will start coming to you more with your problems. This can waste a lot of your time.

Conversation Terminators

Some managers use verbal cues such as “I appreciate you coming in” or “Let me think about that a while” to indicate that a conversation has come to an end for the time being. More subtle ways I’ve witnessed include a manager placing his hand on the telephone to indicate he is about to make a call when you leave. Sometimes when all else fails a bit of direct communication would not be considered rude given that all other signals have been ignored. Both parties should be actively paying attention to tune in to each other’s signals.

At the end of the day being an active listener means you are more aware of what is happening around you, especially with your direct reports, making you a more effective manager.

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People Remember Appreciation.

When employees are asked about the best and worst examples of management they have seen, it is nearly always linked to some sort of appreciation and whether it was received or denied. Everyone wants to know that the work they are doing is important. Furthermore, appreciation is free and has the potential to improve employee performance more than a measly salary increase.

Appreciation: The Skill

Remember to be specific with regards to the tasks that you appreciate and want to have repeated in the future. Remember to describe the impact of how that tasks fits in and has helped improve the bigger picture. Don’t overdo it. Too much feedback lessens its impact and can also come across as being insincere.

What People Want

What do Gen-Y employees need from their Baby Boomer managers that Gen-Xers don’t? How does gender affect employee-manager relationships?

The Success Habit

When assigning tasks to your team, and more specifically to new members, give tasks that can be mastered and build from there. Don’t assign an extremely challenging task such that the poor employee is stressed, struggling and destined to fail. Start with the small success to faciliate the larger ones later on.

Furthermore, if an employee should fail at a given task, never criticize them publicly. Talk to them privately in your office and never make it seem like the end of the world. Explain why an action was wrong and how it should be done next time. Remember, people come to work wanting to do a good job.

Do You Expect Perfectionism?

I must admit I do, for myself, as a project engineer. But I don’t make the mistake of thinking that others are the same as me. People have different abilities.

As a manager, don’t pretend to be perfect – others will resent you for it. Involve your employees when formulating a plan to improve your business or divisional performance. This brings ownership and a better chance of success as your team want to “make their idea work”.

Building Trust

Some other ways to build trust:

• Give clear directions when you are assigning tasks. Explain why the task is required and how long they have to complete it.
• Share the vision or your goals. Don’t guard everything close to your chest because you think people only need to know the minimum to do the job. Communication is key. If you explain how each task fits in to the bigger picture, your team will appreciate its importance and take more care in their work as they understand how it affects other people’s work.
• Share your “success and failure” experiences. This makes you human and you will develop a better relationship with your team, making you a more effective manager.

Making People Management Easy

Use Employee Handbook Templates to help you manage your staff in half the time.
Note: these are designed for Australian businesses.

Trust or Bust: How to Win by Building Trust in the Workplace

Settling In

When you become a manager, you may or may not feel a little resistance from your coworkers. People being human can be jealous of you, particularly if one of your peers had his eye on the role. At the same time you are replacing another manager and your initial actions will be judged against your predecessor’s. If he/she was a great manager and has been promoted (hence your promotion) you could have some big shoes to fill.

If circumstances permit, use the first few days to get to know the team. Employees generally communicate better with their superiors than with the people they are managing. It is worth  noting that your direct reports will have more to say about your future than your supervisors. People talk. More importantly, your supervisors will talk to your direct reports about your performance and this will influence which way you move next in the organisation (up, sideways or down).

Use of Authority

Do NOT go around changing things and undoing the systems and procedures of your predecessor on Day One. This will not work in your favour at all. Restraint is the key.

As a Manager, what you don’t say to a direct report is as important as what you do say. Never demands that tasks are carried out, always “request” them. If they are not completed, then you may exert a little authority. Exerting your authority as soon as you acquire the role will only cause a lot of resentment towards you in the workplace. I repeat: Restraint Is The Key.

The Personal Touch

When meeting each team member for the first time, the objective should be to open the lines of communication between them and you. When talking with anyone you should give them your full attention. Do not type an email or look around the office like you have somewhere else to be or something more important to do. Do not fake interest as this is plainly obvious to everyone.

Find out their goals and aspirations at work, people will appreciate help towards achieving them. As a Manager, you will quickly realise that your technical skills are far less important now than your ability to deal with people.

(This is often a rude awakening as sometimes people are promoted to management because they have been good at a certain technical ability. This is one of the reasons why management is not for everyone.)

The Peers You Left Behind

Can you still be friends with Coworkers after your promotion to a Manager? Sure. Just be sure to separate the work from the friendship. Do not let the two interfere. If he/she is a good friend they will know that you are now in a difficult position at work. This should not be taken personally as a Manager is there to ensure that a job gets done – he is not there to make friends (his friend is not paying his salary).

Avoid the tempation to use him/her as a confidant. This will appear as though you favor that old friend over other people in your team. If you need someone to talk to, find another manager in a different department. Confidentiality relating to work and insider knowledge pertaining to your level of responsibility is also maintained if you speak with someone else at your level.

Mood Swings

Your direct reports are well aware of your current mood and if/when you have other mood swings. Some managers use mood swings as a manipulative tactic. While it sounds smart, this should be avoided if you are expecting any kind of respect in the workforce and to be viewed as a mature manager. In fact, dramatic mood changes make you a less effective manager as people will wait until you’re in a good mood to approach you. At the same time, it is unrealistic to try and pretend you are not human and you do not have times when you are overjoyed, pissed off or upset.

Being A Manager Can Be A Fantastically Successful Career When You Know What You Are Doing… - First Class Manager

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