The Best Manager

This post is the eighth in a series that shares a summary of a podcast from a company called Essential Communications, along with my notes that dig into each point a little deeper.  If you like what my post has to say, you may want to check out their website and see what else they have to offer you.

http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/your-teams-best-interests-part-one

Catching you up:  When employees believe their manager has their best interest at heart, they are more satisfied and more productive than those who don’t believe that.  Treat your people well, and you will be rewarded!

8.  Be the resource they need.  

In addition to getting your people where they want to go (promotions), another essential part of being a good manager is being the resource they need.  This really means two things:  providing them the materials and the guidance/support to do their job (and to be able to do it well).

To show you support your people, first you have to trust them.  They (almost always) want to do what’s right for the company and what’s right for you as their boss.  They want to do a good job.  They want to learn and grow and improve.  They want to contribute positively – through their efforts and their ideas – to the success of the team, the department, and the organization.  Your team members want to be good and to do good.  Trust that have good intentions, and then give them some room to do their good.

Second, you need to provide them with whatever they need to be able to do their job.  This might be as simple as ensuring they have specific material goods (a stapler or three-hold punch, a laptop for business travel, a cell phone to make after-hour calls to clients, brochures for product sales, customer service management software, and so on).  Find out what’s slowing them down or what could make them faster (or more effective/successful).  Let them know you want them to succeed and will do what you can to make that happen.

Be sure to also consider intangible items.  Does a team member need training in a certain application or to be mentored by a senior salesperson?  Is there a bottleneck of information or data reports?  Sometimes your people will benefit from information that doesn’t seem relevant or necessary to their job.  Consider sharing the information you have, including from your vantage point.  What is the big picture?  Where is the company headed?  In what ways is the market environment changing?  How are competitors responding?  While you don’t need to overwhelm your team with data or minutiae, be sure they know enough to make informed decisions.  Being the keeper of all the important information only means two things:  everyone will need you (to an annoying degree), and your people won’t be able to do their jobs well (which makes you look bad).  When in doubt, remember that you trust your people—share with them.

And lastly, remember that you are a phenomenal resource for your people.  Not only do you give them the feedback, guidance, professional development, coaching, and mentoring that they want and need, but you also support them when/if they get into a tough spot.  You are the buffer between them and upper management (and sometimes between them and the client/customer/guest).  You provide a sense of safety, that your team isn’t on their own.  This is where you can really show you care about them and their futures – and that you have their best interests at heart.  

When things go wrong…, there’s no need to make your people feel badly about whatever happened; I’m sure they already do!  This is the time to be the nice guy:

• stand up for them (“they meant well”, “it’s an opportunity to learn”, “they don’t deserve to be treated this way”), 

• back them up (“that’s exactly how I would have handled that situation if that’s all the information I had”, “they acted within the scope of their duties, and I stand behind them”), and 

• speak up for them (show where they did do well:  “they did a fabulous job presenting the material”, “they skillfully pivoted when the client threw that curveball”, “did you notice the way…?”.

At least, do those things in public.  Afterwards, you can supportively coach them towards better outcomes for the next time.  In this way, your team will continue to get better and better (and to make you look the amazing manager you are).

I read a lot of articles and attend many webinars and conferences on how to create organizational cultures that motivate employees.  I love sharing the nuggets I take from those with you.

This month’s posts share a summary of a podcast from a company called Essential Communications, along with my notes that dig into each point a little deeper.  If you like what my post has to say, you may want to check out their website and see what else they have to offer you.

http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/your-teams-best-interests-part-one

1.    Be sure your employees understand their job. 

2.    Deliver lots of feedback—both praise and developmental.

3.    Create opportunities for new responsibilities.

4.    Allow employees to have high visibility.

5.    Position people for promotion.

6.    Provide professional development. 

7.    Offer career development. 

8.    Be the resource they need.  Share the view from your vantage point. 

9.    Be fair. 

10. Tell your team how to succeed with you.