Are you a good manager?
Being a good manager can make all the difference in the success of a business. In his best-selling book, The One Thing You Need To Know:…About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success, Marcus Buckingham focuses on four key elements or principles that make a good manager. By focusing on these management principles you will reach the ultimate goal of creating a great work environment and bringing out the best in your people.
The most important goal of a good manager, says Buckingham, is to discover what is unique about each person, and capitalize on it. As a manager you should learn their strengths and weaknesses, what motivates them, and their learning styles. This can be done by either observing them or, even better, asking them questions like: What were the best and worst work days you've had in the past three months? Once you have figured out their strengths you can'turn these talents into better performance. By making an employee responsible for honing their unique skills, employers will have each person working at what they do best.
There are some basic principles to meeting this primary goal. First, Buckingham recommends hiring good people. Of course, this is easier said than done. However, if you spend a bit of time defining what you are looking for in this employee, you will be rewarded by a perfect fit for the job. For example, in the interview ask open-ended questions such as requesting specific examples of how they've done things in the past. These kinds of questions will generate spontaneous responses.
Second, you should set clear expectations and remind employees of these expectations throughout the year. One way to do this is to set goals, and revise and reinforce them four to five times a year. Talk about progress, offer feedback, and, of course, correct.
Thirdly, offer praise and recognition. This will lead to great performance. Buckingham believes that withholding praise from employees because you feel that it will go to their head is wrong. There is no such thing as too much praise, he says. An emplolyee who is appreciated will work harder, enjoy what they do more and inject a postitive atmosphere into the workplace.
And finally, show your people that you care about them. According to the research, there is a clear link between caring and productivity, Buckingham says. These workers are less likely to miss work, have accidents, steal or quit. Listen to them, learn about their lives and tell them you care.
Here are just a few of the many books, e-books and DVDs the library has that can help you become a good manager:
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