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Successful managers aren’t perfect. Successful managers do get more done, get better results, and have higher retention rates than unsuccessful managers. I don’t know all the secrets of being a successful manager, but I do know seven secrets that can help you be a more successful manager.
Successful managers…
1) Are comfortable being themselves – Know who you are, and be comfortable with that. Know who you’re not, and be comfortable with that. Take the time to understand who you are, so you’re not surprised by what you naturally gravitate towards, and away from. It’s also very ok to be vulnerable and show pain when you feel it. It doesn’t make you seem weak; it’s truly a sign of strength that you are comfortable enough to be yourself in front of your team. Who wants to work for a robot anyway?
2) Empower others to be their best selves – Your team is better than they know. Your team is better than ANYONE knows. We’re humans. It’s true! We have greater potential than anyone knows. So ask yourself a few tough questions to know if you’ve empowered your team to be their best selves. Does your team know you’ve got their back, no matter what decision they make, as long as they made a thought out, intelligent decision? Do you believe your team is better than they know? Can your team make a decision without you being there, because you’ve taught them how to evaluate information and make the best decision with the information available?
3) Set stretch goals for themselves and their team – Meeting easy goals doesn’t help anyone, not long term. Easy goals are tasks, not goals, so take time to set stretch goals for yourself. Share those stretch goals with your team…and then help them set stretch goals for themselves that tie back into the goals of your team as a whole.
4) Set the example – If you’re coming to work late, your team thinks it’s ok to come into work late. If your team sees you not following the dress code, or being rude to customers, or to other people, then your team thinks it’s ok to treat these people badly. Set the example in all you do, and realize that no matter where you go, the spotlight is always on YOU!
5) Ask for help when they need it – You don’t know everything. You can’t know everything. So be willing to ask for help when you need it. Ask it of your peers, your manager, and your team. Show your team that it’s good to ask for help, and they’ll ask for help too.
6) Admit when they are wrong – You’re going to make mistakes, unless you’re not taking enough risks, in which case you shouldn’t be a manager. When you do make those mistakes, admit them. Admit them to your manager, to your peers, and to your team. Apologize, make it better, but admit when you are wrong, don’t cover it up or pretend it didn’t happen.
7) Don’t worry about who gets the credit – Don’t worry about who gets the credit for things. Share all the credit you can with your team. If your team does great stuff, you’ll look good, and it really doesn’t matter who came up with the idea. If you instead try to snag the credit for every little thing your team does, you’ll look petty and like a glory hound, and your team will stop working so hard to do extra things that would otherwise propel them forward.
And one more:
8) Say thanks often and authentically – Make time to say thanks to your team for all the great stuff they do, in an authentic way. Honest, specific appreciation goes a LONG way, especially if you can’t always offer more pay, more time off, or more other benefits.
Got any secrets for being a successful manager? Share your tips in the comments below!
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eurritimia/369919302/
Hi
i really enjoyed the fact that no manager is an island on his own, every body is important just like all the parts of the body is necessary for the healthy functioning of the entire body.
please nitify me of follow-up comments.
Hi Phil,
Great article. Enjoyed reading the article, what really caught my attention was to thank and praise for all the small and major contributions made by the team. In the manager’s busy schedule, it is so easy to overlook and forget this very important secret. Ken Blanchard has this covered very well in his popular book – “The One Minute Manager”. This, I think, is by far the most overlooked aspect of management. Praising and thanking is so relevant in today’s business environment where pay raises are difficult and giving employees time-off is impossible given aggressive schedules. Management need to become creative in thanking, praising and appreciating the contributions from thosr that go over the normal call of duty. I myself am guilty of overlooking this often, and definitely am striving to get better at this aspect of my role as a manager.
Great list. It’s so important to have self awareness to be your best and also be comfortable with your employees so that they can be themselves rather than trying to make them into you.
Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best independent business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2009/10/14/101409-midweek-look-at-the-independent-business-blogs.aspx
Wally Bock
10/14/09: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs…
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week’s independent business blogs. This week, I’m pointing you to posts about a serious leadership disease, the leader as Guinea pig, leadership secrets, leadership principles, and leadership speaker…
Very nice post. A simple organization of concepts which help a Leader be Genuine and Authentic, which hence breeds credibility and loyalty. Points 1), 6) and 7) are very very critical.
@JeffreyJDavis
Great guidelines in doing the right thing when it comes in Customer service. However, there are still lots of Do’s and Dont’s in improving our customer service business program. One way of making sure is to seek assistance from a professional online firms like http://snurl.com/customerwhitepaper. This white paper has some great ideas and stats that can help polish your customer service standard.
Though I work with a different consulting firm, I like Gallup’s Q12 as a tool for managerial effectiveness. It’s simple and I have found it to be effective. And the other nice this is that it follows a hierarchy, making it easy to prioritize.
But, while the Q12 is good for measuring / managing workgroup level engagement, I do not usually recommend it for organization-wide engagement measurement exercises.
If you ask for their improvement ask them where you need improvement as well! We are far from perfect and requesting feedback is part of our growth as a manager/leader. But don’t just ask where you need improvement but act upon it – otherwise, without action it just becomes hot-air. If YOU can do it then so can they (lead by example).