| Another one walked out the door. With him, | | | | had the tools, training, encouragement and trust |
| $25,000 in recruitment fees, $3,000 in relocation | | | | they needed. By serving them, I met my goals. |
| expenses and a $31,000 learning curve went | | | | Good managers manage the whole person. I used |
| down the drain. Clients became uneasy, employee | | | | to look on my employees as machines, seeing |
| morale suffered and my firm's ability to recruit | | | | them only as a means to get the job done |
| top talent was negatively impacted. | | | | instead of the people they were. When I began |
| My management style was costing my firm | | | | to look at the whole person, I began to become a |
| money and it was exacting an emotional toll on | | | | good manager. |
| me. Taking each departure personally, I was | | | | Being a good manager doesn't mean liking every |
| beginning to feel like a failure. | | | | employee. While I have not liked every person I |
| Like so many young managers, I had been | | | | have managed, I have cared about each one. |
| bumped up into management because I was a | | | | As managers, it is important to recognize we |
| good producer. No one had considered that | | | | cannot separate our employees' work lives from |
| production and management require two different | | | | their personal ones anymore than we can |
| skill sets, and that those skill sets are often at | | | | separate our own. |
| odds with one another. | | | | I also learned how to utilize employees' strengths |
| I wanted to be a good manager. I took | | | | and support their weaknesses. No employee has it |
| management courses, read a plethora of self-help | | | | all. Our job as managers is to create personalized |
| books and hired a management coach, but I still | | | | environments for employees in which they can |
| hadn't hit on the right formula for management. | | | | thrive. |
| Totally ill equipped for my new role, I continued to | | | | Years ago, I hired a senior consultant who was |
| make mistake after mistake. | | | | one of the most creative people I knew and had |
| It wasn't until I looked at myself that I got it. | | | | a Rolodex as large as a car tire. Still, she could not |
| First, I had tried to control my employees. Then, I | | | | manage traditional public relations accounts. |
| had tried to motivate them, but only when I | | | | After trial and error, she became "a marketing |
| sought to inspire them did I become a good | | | | matchmaker" setting up strategic meetings |
| manager. It was a principle so simple that I had | | | | between companies sharing similar marketing |
| missed it. | | | | objectives. Her division quickly became one of the |
| Good management is not built upon behavior | | | | agency's most profitable, and she remained a loyal |
| modification, manipulation ormotivation; it is | | | | employee. |
| grounded in intention. Instead of searching for the | | | | Good managers thrive on feedback. Key to |
| right combination of words and actions to produce | | | | becoming a good manager is 360-degree |
| desired behaviors, I began to put my employees' | | | | feedback. Good managers put ego aside, ask for |
| needs first and truly care about them as people. | | | | constructive feedback and act upon it. One of the |
| Together we worked toward the company's | | | | worse things a manager can do is ask for |
| goals while meeting our individual needs. | | | | feedback and not act upon it. |
| Good management is not linear. Like the | | | | At my old firm, employees filled out "How Am I |
| imagination, it is fluid, flexible and creative. While I | | | | Doing?" surveys on their managers. To encourage |
| found no set rules to becoming a good manager, | | | | candid feedback, responses were confidential and |
| I did discover seven principles that helped me | | | | compiled by an outside source. |
| grow into management. | | | | From the feedback, managers were encouraged |
| Good managers know themselves. Good | | | | to select no more than three areas for |
| managers know their strengths and weaknesses, | | | | improvement, develop a plan, and share that plan |
| and they understand their management styles. | | | | with their employees. |
| A clue to identifying our management styles can | | | | Good managers constantly check in with their |
| be found by examining our relationships with our | | | | intentions. Good managers focus on intentions |
| parents. Once I looked at my relationship with my | | | | over outcomes. |
| father, I discovered why my employees were | | | | One employee had been with the firm for close |
| unhappy. I had adopted his impersonal, | | | | to seven years. We changed her job description |
| authoritarian style. | | | | several times to present new challenges and |
| Good managers share themselves, as well as | | | | capitalize on her strengths. But as the agency |
| their knowledge. When I train executives in | | | | matured, it became apparent we no longer had a |
| presentation skills, I encourage them to be | | | | place for her. |
| themselves. The best presenters are those who | | | | Over lunch, I learned she was unhappy, and |
| share their souls with their audiences, and good | | | | although she wanted to move on, she was afraid. |
| managers are no different. | | | | That afternoon, we mapped out a plan that made |
| Sharing our souls does not mean becoming close | | | | sense for her and for the agency, set a |
| intimate friends with those we manage. It does | | | | completion goal of three months, and agreed to |
| mean, however, allowing employees access to our | | | | meet periodically. |
| lives. Employees want to know their managers as | | | | Today, she is the director of marketing for a |
| people, too. | | | | large professional service firm. She is happy and |
| Share yourself, but don't share your moods. | | | | challenged and looks back on her agency days |
| Employees crave consistency and calm from | | | | fondly. |
| managers, especially in crises. | | | | When good managers make mistakes, they |
| At no time do managers show their true colors | | | | correct them fast. Even with the right intentions, |
| more than in crisis. I ran red. Adrenaline surged | | | | we all make hiring mistakes. When we do, we |
| through my blood when faced with crisis. While I | | | | need to correct them fast. Again, if our intention |
| was super-productive, I put the office in a | | | | is pure, we can make this transition humanely and |
| hyper-frenzy. By staying grounded, I could get as | | | | with a minimum of disruption to the operation. |
| much done without electrifying the office. | | | | Few are born great managers. But these seven |
| Good management is servant leadership. At its | | | | principles -- know yourself, share yourself, |
| simplest, servant leadership recognizes great | | | | practice servant leadership, manage the whole |
| leaders are humble servants. Servant leaders | | | | person, thrive on feedback, check in with your |
| manage from the soul and not the ego. | | | | intentions, and correct mistakes fast -- helped me |
| My job was not to do the job, but to get the job | | | | to become a better one. |
| done right and that meant ensuring my people | | | | |