Can I Be A Good Manager?

"I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have enough common sense to do without me having to persuade them"

~Harry S. Truman

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."
The woman below then responded, "You must be in Senior Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

~ As related by Yatin Buch, MBA

Recently, I was asked by an ex direct report whether or not they are suited for a position in a more senior management role. What do they need to know? What skills do they need to have? Where can they improve?


Let's start with a David Letterman-like top ten list.
 
Top 10 Clues That You Are Management Material

• 10. You like not doing anything
• 9. You understand that emails are sent not to inform others, but to protect the writer.
• 8. Work fascinates you - you can sit and watch it for hours
• 7. You like sweating the small stuff
• 6. You have always enjoyed low hanging fruit
• 5. You know you should communicate better, but you don't want to discuss that with the employees 
• 4. You didn't know factual data can actually be real
• 3. You experience "Reverse Amnesia For Managers", which is when you take credit for the iniatives you tried to stop and refuse blame for the initiatives you forced through.
• 2. Doing things right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.

And the number one clue you are management material -

• 1. Teamwork to you is alot of people doing what you say 

All joking aside, here are some really basic key skills and abilities that help anyone be a better manager.

Need For Good Managers Increasing

The need for good managers is not going away. It is intensifying. With flatter organizations and self-directed teams becoming common; with personal computers and networks making information available to more people more quickly; the raw number of managers needed is decreasing.

However, the need for good managers, people who can manage themselves and others in a high stress environment, is increasing.

I believe anyone can be a good manager. It is as much trainable skill as it is inherent ability; as much science as art. Here are some things that make you a better manager:
 
As a person:
 

• You have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are happy with who you are, but you are still learning and getting better.
• You are something of an extrovert. You don’t have to be the life of the party, but you can’t be a wallflower. Management is a people skill - it’s not the job for someone who doesn’t enjoy people.
• You are honest and straight forward. Your success depends heavily on the trust of others.
• You are an includer not an excluder. You bring others into what you do. You don’t exclude other because they lack certain attributes.
• You have a presence. Managers must lead. Effective leaders have a quality about them that makes people notice when they enter a room.

On the job:

• You are consistent, but not rigid; dependable, but can change your mind. You make decisions, but easily accept input from others.
• You are a little bit crazy. You think out-of-the box. You try new things and if they fail, you admit the mistake, but don’t apologize for having tried.
• You are not afraid to “do the math”. You make plans and schedules and work toward them.
• You are nimble and can change plans quickly, but you are not flighty.
• You see information as a tool to be used, not as power to be hoarded.

Take a look at yourself against this list. Find the places where you can improve and then get going. And , if you need help, remember that's what this site is all about - Helping new managers get started and experienced managers get better.


If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 
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