My first job out of college was manager of a retail store. I spent half the time managing 10 employees an the other half traveling to gift shows purchasing product to sell in my store. It didn’t take long to figure out that I was a pretty good buyer, but terrible manager.
Over the years I learned from that experience and have been given the opportunity to figure out what my management style is and attempt to improve upon those early failures.
In my current job I manage a group of 35 technicians. But in reality, I’m more of a “sounding board” than anything else. Here is a list of things I’ve learned that have helped me over the years:
- Listen – One of the hardest things to do is also the most important. It’s hard to bite my tongue at times but it’s usually the best thing to do. Back to the sounding board description: I’ve found that many people just need someone to listen to them as they work out the problem in real time. If you jump in with a solution, you’ve robbed them of a great opportunity
- Get Out – What I mean is get out of your office. If you sit behind a desk with the door partially closed, you’re not accessible. In fact, if you can sit near your team and give the office to someone else, do it! You won’t believe how much more you’ll learn about your team if you do. Go to lunch, shoot hoops, play a game or anything else that lower the barriers. I enjoy playing Xbox games with the techs even though I get my butt kicked every time. If you’re approachable during the good times, you stand a better chance of hearing about the problems in a timely fashion when there’s still time to react.
- Be a Good Friend – I’ve never understood managers who don’t believe they should be a friend to their employees. This doesn’t mean you have to get together to watch the Survivor finale, but it does mean that you treat them kindly like you would a friend. It means giving them honest feedback like your best friends do. It means going to bat for them when needed and looking out for their well being and spending time with them. I’ve learned it’s ok to ask for their advice and solicit feedback on important decisions. My boss calls this “putting skin in the game”.
- Be Kind – It’s easy to be kind at the Christmas party or company meeting. Or right after anonymous surveys were sent out to gather feedback on the management team. But how do you treat your employees on Monday morning when you’re tired and all you want to do is finish an email? Do you make meeting with them a priority? I’ve found that it’s the small gestures that matter the most. The simple hello or smile in the hallway. The quick email sending kudos for a job well done. Those carry far more weight than any pep talk you’ll ever give.
- Admit Mistakes – This is a tough one. But you’re going to make mistakes as a manager and it’s better to admit, fix and move on. I’ve found my team to be a lot more forgiving when I admit to a mistake rather than acting like it didn’t happen. Acting like nothing happened just perpetuates the notion that management is detached or just plain clueless. Or both.
I still have a lot to learn and continue to make my share of mistakes. But I’m learning from those mistakes and watching how others manage to see what I can glean. It’s an ongoing learning process, but one that’s made more enjoyable because of 35 hard working, fun and eccentric individuals.
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