Share your manager opinions

[vino]

Congratulations on your new role!

I've been in leadership for years and through the positions I've held I have learned in most cases people respect hard workers. Understand the business your in, the roles your staff have within your immediate team and the company, learn the work they do, why they make decisions they make, be open to listening and learning. Obviously it isnt to the same degree as leaning each task in and out but having an understanding of the business gives a good foundation to either implement changes, improve efficiency, or make staff moves. Allow yourself a good amount of time to learn, I dont go in too strong and throw opinions around or make huge changes when there isnt the understanding of the key functions.

I have used quite a few resources over the years and been on courses based on the following books, they are a really good place to start to find out what kind of leader you are, how to deal with difficult people/teams, and some guidance for 'hard to have' conversations.

Kouzes and Posner have quite a few leadership books and there is always some information in their books that really helped me navigate certain team members, times of change etc.

the Leadership Challenge is a course I was in for about 9 months, this is the book that the course was based on, really good read
www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Challenge-Extraordinary-Things-Organizations/dp/0470651725

I havent read this one specifically but it sounds like a good start:
Learning Leadership: The Five Fundamentals of Becoming an Exemplary Leader
www.amazon.ca/Learning-Leadership-Fundamentals-Becoming-Exemplary/dp/1119144280

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
www.amazon.ca/Encouraging-Heart-Leaders-Rewarding-Recognizing/dp/0787964638

This book is amazing, i refer to it quite a bit
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/0071771328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521123546&sr=8-1&keywords=crucial+conversations+2nd+edition

Managing people is hard and an endless task. Years ago, when I was complaining about some co workers I was supervising to my Dad, and he said 'it's never the work, it's always the people'. I repeat that all the time to myself because it's so true.

[Yogurt]

My husband manages people in a kitchen environment, which is obviously a different animal than the business world. One thing he says people appreciate is when he shows the other workers that there is no task that he is "above" doing. As in, if there is a mountain of dirty dishes and the dishwasher is slammed, be willing to jump in and do whatever needs doing.

[McBenny]

[aprilz81]

Based on what my boss doesn't do, here is a list of what I like in a manager:
1) Have your staff's back. Don't automatically assume when someone says something bad that your staff is at fault. Investigate with an open mind and if your peeps didn't do anything wrong be sure to clarify it with the person complaining.
2) Don't micromanage unless you have a history of knowing people won't do their work without it (and then look at replacing that person).
3) Encourage and praise where appropriate without kissing their ass
4) When something does go wrong give immediate productive feedback on how to avoid making the same mistake again, don't wait 6 months or until the annual review to dump stuff on them.
5) Encourage your staff to work smart not hard. If people are constantly complaining about workload or consistently working more hours than scheduled check in with them and make sure they are using all of the tools at their disposal to get stuff done faster.
6) Treat everyone equally in regards to workload and expectations. Don't load up high performers with extra projects because you know they can handle it and have the same expectations of your low performers as your high performers (which goes back to #5 - work smart, not hard).
7) Be quick to share credit with your team if/when your team did all the work.
8) Don't be an ass.

Congrats!

[Deleted]

I appreciate when my managers show me they have my back and value a work life balance that is good for both me and the company.

[sweptaway]

I've been managing a team of people for a long time now but I am always learning new things about myself and the way people operate

Know that not everyone is motivated by the same things. You have to get to know your team and know what works for each of them individually as far as goal setting, etc.

They know I'd never ask them to do something I am unable or unwilling to do myself - like pp said, there's no task I'm "above" doing

On the flip side you also need to know when to delegate- your job is going to be doing higher level stuff and you need to preserve time for that. This was a hard one for me, and it's a hard balance to strike. Delegating also often means putting in training time, but the ROI is totally worth it when you finally have people you trust to do things.

Make sure your staff knows that you value their input, but you are the final decision maker. So, they should feel comfortable coming to you with suggestions or questions, but it's not always a democracy. Also, when they come to you with a problem, ask them what their solutions are for that problem. It's not always your job to fix everything, but to give them the guidance they need to figure it out on their own

[sweptaway]

Oh, and
Say Thank you. Often, and for specific things

[Deleted]

I think it helps to know a little more about the type of environment you will be managing in. How many people? General type of job function? Experienced or rookie employees?

[trueblue]

What kind of team are you going to be leading? New? Experienced? I got a new manager With less experience than I have about 2 years ago and during our first meeting he said ‘I reviewed your performance reviews for the past few years and talked to old manager + director/avp - you know what you are doing so I am going to try not to get in your way. I am here for whatever you need.’ And he did stay out of my way and did have my back on whatever I needed him too. That made me more than willing to change some of my work habits to his way of doing things. From there we just worked out our rough edges and have a very good collaborative relationship now.

Also - don’t micro manage, if you need to know the status of things set up a recurring meeting with your employees to talk about the status of things and timelines going forward.

[emma]

1) Don't be an asshole

[CurlieWhirlie]

Congrats! Being a manager is HARD. It's a lot like parenting.

Brought to you by my manager's behavior this weekend: I hate it when my manager asks me to do something, and then does it himself anyway. I also hate it when he asks my team to do something without telling me.

[macic]

With a small-ish team, I think monthly one-on-ones could be helpful (especially starting out). It gives the opportunity for immediate feedback (both ways). You can ask them initially what they’d like to see from you and follow up at subsequent meetings with a (“how am I doing?” Or “what can I do to help you succeed”).

[Deleted]

I’m a big fan of open communication. I do prefer frequent one on one meetings, especially if you are managing millennials (they tend to do well in that environment). The key for me is to make it formalized in timing and transparency (announce that you do then every xx weeks and make sure they happen - I use recurring calendar appointments and move them if I have to) but casual in execution. Make sure they fee comfortable sharing and that you ask open ended questions to prompt good discussion. And if people are shy at first, don’t give up. It’s a relationship built on trust and it takes time for people to feel comfortable opening up.

I also focus on feedback - positive and negative. My goal is to never go more than 7 days (so 1.5 work weeks) without some sort of feedback. And I aim to do way more positive than negative. What I’ve found is that people will take your negative feedback to heart if you have a track record of recognizing their positive efforts. If they only hear from you when something goes wrong, they don’t really respond well to that. Feedback can be as small as a quick email or text, a shout out in a team meeting, an email to your boss praising their efforts, or a handwritten thank you note.

Other tips:

Put in the effort to care about people on a personal level. What are their goals - how can you help them achieve them?

Don’t take credit for your team’s work - always give credit.

Roll up your sleeves when there is a deadline and work along side them whenever possible.

Communicate expectations early and often. If you are particular about something, let them know. What’s the best way to get in touch with you? What’s your turn around time on getting back to them? No one wants to guess.

[GhoatMonket]

Jun 11, 2018 14:23:45 GMT -6 @icedtea said:

Jun 11, 2018 14:06:34 GMT -6 McBenny said:

Lol is this a weird question? I've had a lot of bad managers and am trapped under a feverish baby so I figured what the heck.

Not at all. It's good that get feedback from others on what has worked for them. 

[rs4eva]

Jun 11, 2018 14:29:56 GMT -6 emma said:

1) Don't be an asshole

Also, you aren’t going to please everyone. Someone will always think you are an asshole.

[theseaword]

That’s a big question. I think my top tips would be-
Communicate often. 1x1s and staff meetings if that’s appropriate to your corporate culture. Make sure you know how your folks feel in their role and where they want to go in their careers. Advocate for them in the organization.

Don’t be afraid to admit if you don’t know something. Ask the experts, if you’re not the expert.

Modify your style to best communicate to the individual.

Don’t send big announcements or major procedural changes over email.

Be really timely about feedback. Document any performance issues that discussed in person in an email that you also share with the person. No surprises on anyone’s review. They should know where they stand. They should also always know their goals and how the work they are completing relates to those goals.

[McBenny]

Jun 11, 2018 14:23:45 GMT -6 @icedtea said:

Jun 11, 2018 14:06:34 GMT -6 McBenny said:

Lol is this a weird question? I've had a lot of bad managers and am trapped under a feverish baby so I figured what the heck.

On one hand I feel there are so many variables that the question is like moot. Then on the other hand I think, isn't this something she should know or would have thought about before even applying for this position? Isn't this something you need to research on your own in accordance to your industry?

So I landed in a place of, this is her homework and well Clint shows my facial expression.

[McBenny]

Jun 11, 2018 16:30:09 GMT -6 @icedtea said:

Jun 11, 2018 16:28:13 GMT -6 McBenny said:

On one hand I feel there are so many variables that the question is like moot. Then on the other hand I think, isn't this something she should know or would have thought about before even applying for this position? Isn't this something you need to research on your own in accordance to your industry?

So I landed in a place of, this is her homework and well Clint shows my facial expression.

I've been thinking about it for a while, but I also thought I had a couple more months to get comfortable with the idea. 

But largely I was bored and wanted anecdotes. I'm not sure why that means I don't want to do my homework...? 

I didn't say this is what it means. I said this is where I landed as in my perception.

[McBenny]

Jun 11, 2018 16:38:57 GMT -6 @icedtea said:

Jun 11, 2018 16:32:57 GMT -6 McBenny said:

I didn't say this is what it means. I said this is where I landed as in my perception.

👍

I am actually really excited to manage people again, and believe I'm good at it. But I'm struggling with some imposter syndrome. 

I think you will be fine. The fact that you are even thinking about this shows great insight.

[thechickencoop]

Don't send out "encouraging meme" emails to your team.

[thechickencoop]

They actually just fired my team manager who was doing the meme emails....

Too bad. So sad. He definitely wasn't a good fit.

[spicysalmonroll]

I hated when my last manager would call me (from across the hall) and ask me to print/bring him a report that he had access to and could have printed himself in 1 second. Like, I work under you doing my tasks, not assisting you with yours (accounting industry).

[imchuckbass]

I have a manager now that most employees are very unhappy with. My biggest complaint is she like to tell us often that she’s the boss but very rarely shows good leadership. She enjoys being “ in charge” and talking about herself and her accomplishments. She will praise employees but it often comes across as very phony and insincere. She also has a very hot/cold personality and people don’t know how to read her. So my advice to you is to avoid all of these things because it makes for an unhappy lot of employees!! Best of luck to you!

[piratecat]

Sounds like an exciting opportunity. Congrats and good luck! You’ll be great!