Not all managers are created equal. There are plenty of good managers and then there are great managers. Here are some key points on how to be a better manager:
Mistakes are an opportunity to learn
When a member of your team makes a mistake, use it as an opportunity to work with that person to understand what went wrong and why. You and your team can then put steps in place to prevent the same mistake happening again. You may even find a better way of doing things as a result. Mistakes can often drive new innovations in a business.
Delegate responsibility and accountability where appropriate
Decisiveness is a quality of a good manager. However sometimes you aren’t the right person to make a decision. Sometimes it is best to delegate responsibility to a member of your team who has the best expertise in that particular area. This drives accountability among your team members and gives your people an opportunity to step up.
Look past the action to understand the motivation.
Good managers deal with problems. Great managers look past the problems in order to understand the underlying issues that, if overcome, can lead to a much bigger change in the right direction. A problem is very often a symptom of a deeper issue in your business. Stop dealing with symptoms and fix the problems.
Focus on the objectives of your people.
Good managers focus on getting the most out of their people. Your team’s objectives should align with the overall objectives of the firm. If you focus on each team member’s objectives, lead and inspire them to achieve those objectives and encourage them in the right direction, the overall objectives of the firm should end up being achieved by default.
Be supportive
The best managers support their team members no matter what. At some point, somebody will upset a client, a supplier or a colleague. Regardless of the issue, a really great manager will support their team members.
You let your team members have the ideas.
If you’re a great manager, you will see the potential in your team members. As a result, you should be able to find ways to let them have the ideas, even though the outcome was what you probably hoped for all along.