How to be a great manager

In every large organization, there's a hierarchy of management that

keeps the whole operation running smoothly. A good manager acts as a
facilitator while blending into the background, tweaking small things
here and there to great effect. Being a good manager is about calmly
leading and showing by example. It's one of the toughest jobs out there
— in part because you have to manage egos and expectations — and also
one of the least acknowledged. Despite this, there are several tricks of
the trade that will help you successfully manage all your responsibility,
in style and with verve.
Part 1 of 5: Motivating Your Employees

Motivate people. Why are the employees there? What keeps them with
your organization and stops them from going somewhere else? What
makes the good days good? What makes them stick with the
organization after a bad day or a bad week? Don't assume it's money -
most people aren't that one-dimensional.
 Remember, our values are what make us "tick." If you manage by
respecting your team's values, they will give you their best effort.
 Ask the employees how they're liking their job on a regular basis.
Encourage them to be honest with you. Then take action based upon
what they tell you.

 Offer perks that your employees will value. If health is important to

them, give them time to go to the gym and work out. If their family is
important, respect the time they may need to send their kids off to
school in the morning or pick them up in the afternoon.

Make people feel good about what they are. The successful manager is
great at identifying his employees' strengths and applauding them every
once in a while. That's because good managers know that happy people
make productive people. Try to applaud your employees' strengths both
publicly and privately.
 In a meeting with your boss, for example, mention something one of your
workers did well. If your boss happens to mention to that worker that you
said something good about them, they're likely to feel that you
appreciate them and made the effort to put in a good word. That sort of
compliment doesn't go unnoticed.
 Privately laud what your employees do well. Tell them when you have a
moment. Go into detail. A private chat, however short, can have a
positive impact on morale, resulting in more self-motivation.

Tell your employees how much you appreciate them from time to
time. Just go out and say it. Ask them out for a cup of coffee and tell
them what you appreciate about them: They're a hard worker; they
effectively motivate other people; they're easy to coach; they're
disciplined or go the extra mile; they always cheer you up, etc. Don't
mince words — just tell them straight out. An employee who knows just
how much they are appreciated will work harder, enjoy what they do
more, and pass that psychic happiness along to other employees.
Part 2 of 5: Setting Goals

Under-promise, over-deliver. This idea can apply to several different

areas of life, but it's a great managerial mantra. Do you want to be the
kind of person who has wildly optimistic goals that they never meet, or
do you want to be the kind of person who sets measured goals and ends
up exceeding them by leaps and bounds? Although this is about image,
image is extremely important.
 Don't be the kind of person who never shoots for the moon. Staying
measured in your goals doesn't mean that you should always play it
conservative, never setting high goals. A manager who never punches
above her weight can come across as lacking ambition. Even the
conservative poker player knows they need to go 'all-in' from time to
time.
 Make sure each employee knows what's expected. Having concrete
goals empowers your employees and keeps them focused on work.
Explicitly outline what you expect, when the deadline is, and what you'll
do with the results.

Offer goal-oriented feedback. Providing your employees with quick

feedback that's focused on their work can help foster improvement. Meet
in small teams or one-on-one, and go over your comments in detail.
 Set up a schedule for feedback. Offer it regularly so that your employees
know when to expect it and can make space for it in their workflows.

Hold yourself to the highest standards. We all know the kind of manager
who constantly shouts or bitterly complains when mistakes are made
but gives himself a 'pass' when he fails. Don't be this kind of manager.
Ideally, be harder to on yourself than you are on your employees. This
can have a trickle-down effect: Employees see the types of goals and
standards you set for yourself and want to emulate you because they
look up to you.
Part 3 of 5: Delegating Responsibility

Delegate. You're a manager because you're good at what you do, but
that doesn't mean you're supposed to do everything yourself. Your job as
a manager is to teach other people how to do a good job.
 Start small. Give people tasks that, if performed incorrectly, can be
fixed. Take the opportunity to teach and empower your employees. Then
gradually give them tasks with greater responsibility as you come to
understand their strengths and weaknesses.
 Learn how to anticipate any problems they might have so you can
coach them properly before they begin.

Assign tasks that will stretch your employees. As your workers begin to
take on more responsibility and demonstrate that they're capable, give
them tasks that will expand their skills and help them take more
ownership of their work. Not only are you finding out how much your
employees can handle, you're making them more valuable to the
company.

Assume responsibility for your employees' mistakes. When one of your

underlings makes a mistake, don't lord it over them; assume the mistake
as your own, even if it isn't technically yours. What you're doing is
creating a culture where your employees feel comfortable making
mistakes.[1] This is a very important concept:
 Doing this allows your employees to innovate and, ultimately, to learn or
grow. Workers who learn from their mistakes will grow to become better
workers; those who fail to make mistakes in the first place usually play it
too safe, never venturing out into deep water.

Don't take credit for your employees' achievements. Let them take
credit for their own achievements. This motivates them to continue to
chase after success. The successful manager is like a conductor. He
orchestrates the music so that each element sounds as good as possible
and resonates with the group as a whole. A great conductor will lead by
example, blending into the background.
 What happens if you're the type of manager who "steals" someone's idea
and plays it off as your own? You send the message that you only care
about your image and are ruthless enough to sacrifice someone else in
order to get ahead. That's not a great image to have, and it certainly
doesn't motivate the people below you to work harder.
 You may be thinking — take responsibility for other people's mistakes
and don't take credit for what your employees do; where does that leave
me? If you do good work and you're an effective manager, you shouldn't
worry about dressing up your laurels. People will recognize the work that
you do. Even more important, they'll be impressed that you motivate your
employees, know how to be humble, and stay out of the way. If you work
hard, you'll get your dues.

Acknowledge your own missteps. When things don't turn out the way
you expected, recognize what you could have done differently and
verbalize this realization to your employees. This shows them that you
make mistakes too, and it also shows them how they should handle their
own mistakes.
 Whenever you're doing something correctly after having done it
incorrectly in the past, let whoever is watching know. For example: "The
reason I know to press this button is because this happened to me when
I first started out, and I made the mistake of pressing the blue button,
thinking 'This will shut down the system, which should resolve the issue'
and I found out — the hard way — that it makes the issue even worse!"
Part 4 of 5: Communicating Effectively

Keep the door open. Always remind people that if they have any
questions or concerns, you're ready and willing to listen. Maintaining an
open channel of communication will make you aware of problems
quickly, so that you can fix them as soon as possible.
 Don't be one of those managers who inadvertently makes an employee
feel like they're bothering you when they bring up a question or concern.
Instead of seeing it as another crisis to manage, look at it as an
opportunity to show your employee how much you want this organization
to be a fulfilling place to work.
 Never minimize or dismiss the concerns of your employees, and always
make sure that you've answered their questions completely.
 Take an interest in your employees. Don't make every interaction with
your workers strictly business. Ask after their well-being, chat with them
about yourself, and establish a personal connection.
 Being in-tune with your employees' lives outside the office can
potentially alert you to times when that person needs extra
consideration from you, for instance if he or she requires sudden time off
for a family funeral. If you can be accommodating about upheavals in the
personal lives of your workers, they'll feel good about rewarding you with
loyalty.
 Know your boundaries. Don't overstep and ask your employees about
anything too personal, such as religion, politics, or personal
relationships. You can keep up a friendly rapport without being invasive.

Don't mix positive and negative feedback. Say you're giving your
employee feedback in a performance review. You start off by mentioning
how great the employee is to work with, and note one or two additional
things they've excelled at. Then you launch into an extended itemization
of their deficits — "sales were down this quarter," "revenue slipped," etc.
What do you think the employee hears most resoundingly, the positive or
the negative?
 When you mix positive and negative feedback, both areas suffer. The
positive becomes overshadowed by the negative, and the negative
doesn't carry the full force of its potential impact. Of course, there may
be situations where you'd want to communicate this, but on the whole it
makes communication less effective.
 When you silo positive and negative feedback, the positive stands out
even more and the negative becomes more urgent.

Listen. Listen to what your employees and coworkers have to say. You
don't always need to be the driver of meetings, keeping I others out by
dominating the podium. Always make a sincere effort to listen, but be on
 the lookout most during the following situations[2]:
 When employees are actively sharing ideas. Don't butt in and talk just to
make sure your voice is part of the mix. This can put the idea-sharing
into a stranglehold.
 When emotions are turbulent. Let people voice their emotions in a safe,
controlled environment. Stifled emotions can turn into resentment,
eroding your working relationship. Similarly, emotions that are not
adequately dealt with can interfere with rational discussion, which
should be the mainstay of your work environment.
 When teams are building relationships or having discussions. Offer your
employees a receptive ear when they're building relationships and
getting creative.

Clarify what you're hearing. A good manager not only strives to make
herself clearer, but also strives to understand what those around her are
saying. You can do this by repeating what the other person has said as a
part of your conversation. Use this technique when you're not exactly
sure what the other person is saying.
 Instead of asking your co-worker "I'm sorry, can you repeat what you just
said? I'm not sure I understood." say something like "So you're saying
that we could drive up productivity by offering more meaningful
incentives. What might that look like in the flesh?"

Ask questions. Intelligent questions show that you can follow the flow of
the conversation and clarify when necessary. Don't be afraid to ask
questions because you're worried about appearing "stupid." Effective
managers care about understanding what's important; they don't care
about how they get there. Know, too, that others will probably have
questions and may not ask. If you ask their question for them, you can
act as a facilitator and build your team's engagement level. That's the
true mark of a manager.
Part 5 of 5: Embracing Egalitarianism
Treat everyone equally. Most of us aren't as egalitarian as we'd like to
be. Many times, favoritism happens on a subconscious level. The
tendency is to give morepositive recognition to the people who remind
us of ourselves somehow and who actually like us, rather than to the
people who make the biggest contributions to the organization.[3]In the
long run, it's people in the latter group who will make the most progress
in achieving the organization's goals, so monitor your own behavior
carefully and make sure you're not accidentally short-changing them,
even if they give you the impression that your positive regard doesn't
affect them. Some people shy away from positive feedback but
appreciate it nonetheless.

Treat your employees well. If you're good to your workers and they're
happy with their jobs, they'll pass that kindness on to customers and
invaluably bolster the image of your company. Or, they'll do the same
for their employees and maintain a positive corporate culture.