HOW TO BE A GOOD MANAGER

How to be someone that employees look up to

Managers seem to invoke 2 types of attitudes from employees: they hate them or love them. Sadly, we always seem to hear more about how bad the managers are thus reflecting the company in a bad light. They can range from treating employees with little respect, placing themselves on a throne looking down on everyone else, etc.

The bottom line is that managers are often someone that employees will look up to so whatever they do will lead to employees thinking that the method is correct, even if it may not be. So how can we improve this?

• Set up a goal that is challenging but achievable. Just posting the goal is not enough. You need to set up milestones and assign tasks to the employees. This will help to build up teamwork and also help them to understand how they can improve the business.
• Always act with integrity. You are the unofficial spokesperson of the workplace. This means that you do not lie to the customer or to the employee. Not only does it harm your reputation but it also reflects your company badly.
• Care about your employees. Buy gifts for anyone getting married or having a baby or allow some flexibility with time off for family functions. This makes the employee feel valued and more likely to stay with you especially if the employee is a good worker. Employees spend 1/3 of their life working and as such, work plays a large part in their lives.
• Give feedback to your employees, both good and bad. If your employees have been doing a good job even on routine work, praise them from time to time. It gives the impression that the employees are being recognized for their work and gives them satisfaction beyond their pay cheque. Conversely, if work has been poor to date, you need to find out why and set up a plan to help get the employee back on track. It could be as simple as reviewing office policies or offering additional training. In addition, review performance on a regular basis. It is far easier to resolve issues as they arise than to try and correct it several months down the road.
• If you find yourself exhibiting some of the bad habits, take the step now to try and improve yourself to be a better manager to both your employees and the company.