What makes a good manager?

Acc72

Some great advice on this thread - especially from Sasha101 and Miss Havisham (pretty much a staff management book in a few paragraphs).

I wish I had read similar a couple of years ago, maybe I would have avoided some of the many mistakes !! .........

dawyldthing

(depending on the job) ask if they are happy with the shifts that they are doing. I know when I first started where I am now we'd regularly be working every day of the week. So me and collegues got talking and recommended a rolling rota, and in the end he put it in place to give us more predictability and its worked.

Be firm but fair, see if theres things and changes that your collegues can see that could happen.

Do ask your collegues about what they want out of their job. I know the other day I was asking about some courses I want to start in September as i'm tired of it being all work and no joy outside of it, and its worked.

I would say have a meeting every 2 months, so you can find out what the team are happy about etc.

Set out guidelines about holidays if there isn't one in place so you aren't going to be left with one person for weeks at a time as people haven't had their holidays for the year.

Show yourself to be reliable and dependable, but also there to do a job as well and meet targets.

Also see who is happy to do overtime, as some people want it all and some want none, so its no good putting one person on some shifts if you know they don't want the overtime and then find the one who would do it is already working

imatt

somethingcorporate wrote: »

Putting aside enough time to get to know your team on a 1:1 basis. Understand who they are, how they like to work and what they are looking to get out of the job.

Good point. I highlighted this from somethingcorporate as I rememberatarting a job a few years a go selling IT eqpt in a major office retailer. On the first day, the manager never even intoduced himself to me! I had no idea who he was for a couple of days.

Mista_C

It's a two-way process. You get to manage the work that comes from 'above' by delegating it down but you also need to be prepared to take the ideas and concerns from your team in order to push them up.

Listen to your team, some of them might have a better way of doing a task. Just because you're the boss doesn't automatically make you right. Likewise, if you have listened, and been overruled on a matter from your manager you need to make sure your team know not to go taking it on themselves to change the way things work.

Like most things in life it's all about balance. As already said don't try to be friends but don't distance yourself too much.
Once a month or so it doesn't hurt to shout "Anyone fancy a pub lunch?" or such. Your team might want to talk about work when you're there, that's fine, let it be about their work and not yours. No one's going to care about the person being there but most don't want the job description coming to lunch.

Never presume to tell someone the best way to do something without having done it yourself a couple of times, at least give it a go so you know what you're talking about.

Take charge and responsibility. It's not only your job to dish out tasks and pass on ideas, you're their leader, lead them by setting an example.

Wyndham

I'm 6 weeks into managing a new team, though I had done management before, but had a break from it. The thing that I think worked best was setting up 1-1 meetings with all the team, to give them a chance to tell me about themselves, what they were working on, what they liked and didn't like, any development or training they were interested in, etc.

I let them know the areas I was going to be asking about before the meeting, using a document as a basis, but being prepared to move with the conversation. Most of them also volunteered some personal information about family etc. even though I purposely didn't have that as one of my questions.

I've referred to the notes I made a few times since as one thing with a new team is trying to remember who it was who mentioned something or other...

colino

I think you have the benefit of some experience, albeit with a smaller team, so are head and shoulders above an entirely green manager.
Never forget though, that with all the stake-holders you have, all of the subordinates and same-level managers, suppliers and customers who all think they have first call on your time (and will silently believe they can do a better job!) your employer pays the salary and while you can, hopefully, contribute and shape their goals, you are there to get things done for them and behalf of them.
Your ability to get things done effectively and with the lowest possible cost base is what makes you climb the greasy pole, nothing else.

scooby088

As someone who has been managed by some right morons I'd say listen to your workers, good and bad, know your stuff with regards to the job, be friendly but not over friendly.

Judith_W

One thing I did when I started managing a new team was the supernanny technique - observe first and try to understand what works and what doesn't, and why things are done the way they are before changing anything. When you do change anything, make sure everyone is clear on the change, why you are making it, and the consequences of not following the new requirements. Follow through if the team don't do what is required.

Some things you may want to give a defined trial period so you can easily change if you don't think it works well.

Judith_W

Also one thing that really got my goat with my old manager was that she struggled to make time for her team, working part time and she always put the clients needs first.

If you book a 1:1 meeting, do everything you can not to cancel/move the meeting as the employee will feel they are of low priority to you.

LittleMrsThrifty

Judith_W wrote: »

If you book a 1:1 meeting, do everything you can not to cancel/move the meeting as the employee will feel they are of low priority to you.

This was the golden rule when I did my previous new manager training and it is one of my pet hates. Just because I am lower down the food chain doesn't mean that my boss should always be late for me. So it's something I'll be doing all I can to avoid!