What makes a good manager?

SueC_2

Make it personal.

The best piece of advice I was given when given my first management role was:

People are employed by companies, but they WORK for people.

MessyMare

Well, seeing as I just got a job and my boss has turned out to be amazing-

she involves me in decisions where appropriate; she asks my opinion and listens (it may not change but she has taken it on board); she trusts me and isn't on my back hounding me every moment of the day.

SueC_2

Be consistent.

Yes, you will have good days and bad days. Yes, you will have staff that you like / dislike / find easy to manage / need to count to ten under your breath before you go and speak to them about anything. But regardless of that, do your very best to treat them all equitably and to culture an environment where they know where they stand.

Better to be consistently inflexible than to give employees the message that if they ask for the same thing enough times eventually they will get the answer they want.

SueC_2

It's a lot easier to keep control when you are around than it is to trust others to maintain those standards when you're not watching over them.

Judge your success on how well your department does when you are not there.

DCFC79

Willing to show you how to do x y and z but also let you have a go yourself. He must be strict with those not pulling they're weight and must apply the same authority from 1 person to the next and not show any favouritism to a special friend. If going to socialise with colleagues out of work then what happens out of work stays as it is and isnt spoken of when at work. As well as being strict they need to be able to help you with any possible personal issues.

All i can think of at the minute.

Mistral001

A good manager will equally look good from the employers perspective as they do from the employee's perspective. That balance often takes a lot of courage to achieve.

PS. Even the owner of the firm has an employer or many employers - they are called clients and customers.

Enfieldian

About £50,000 a year in my case.

Any less than that and I wouldn't be anywhere near as good.

SueC_2

Enfieldian wrote: »

About £50,000 a year in my case.

Any less than that and I wouldn't be anywhere near as good.

I'm glad you said "in my case".

Some of the worst managers I've had have been the highest paid. Strategically brilliant, but frankly shouldn't have been allowed to come into contact with another member of the human race, and certainly not to take responsibility for their motivation and development.

RobertoMoir

I think a good manager is consistent, trusts people to do their job, realises that the trust and respect a manager might expect from their team is a two way street, and holds their employees to account (in a "light touch" constructive way) when the employee's own standards slip rather than ever letting their staff be surprised by a bad performance review or whatever.

hcb42

to have faith and trust in your team, be a good coach and developer of other people's skills set, to support when required but let them get on with the job, to set clear direction and expectations and trust them to get on with it, break down barriers when required to do so