Managing people can be a difficult job. Being a manager takes a special skill set and, unfortunately, not everyone has those skills.
Just because a person is a good employee, does not mean they will be a good manager. Some become managers and turn into monsters. They don’t know how to handle their new power and the responsibilities that come with it. They become demanding, unapproachable, obnoxious, and just hard to be around.
Years ago when I was promoted to a manager, my director and vice president at the time, would often remind me that the important thing was to manage my staff, because ultimately their success or failure was important to the department. I wanted to do a good job, so I worked hard to become the type of manager I wanted to work for, but also one who was effective.
Below are the habits that make a good manager and also the ones that can turn a manager into a monster.
A Good Manager:
- Explains what is expected of the employee. An employee should not have to figure out how the department works or what their role is in the grand scheme of things.
- Empowers the employee to make decisions without having to ask the manager before they make a move.
- Respects work-life balance. An employee should not be made to feel bad because they have a life outside of the job and might not be available for every company activity.
- Encourages staff to be creative and to try new things and to continue with what works and adjust what doesn’t. Learns from mistakes and doesn’t make the staff feel bad because it didn’t work out.
- Is flexible, supportive, and coaches and trains staff for the next level
A Bad Manager:
- Micro-manages everything the employee does. Wants to know where they are, who they spoke to, and what they are doing.
- Restricts creativity. Is not open to new ideas, innovation, or trending practices.
- Bullies the employee by speaking rudely, being disrespectful, and embarrassing them in front of others.
- Does not communicate to the employee what is needed to do the job. Does not provide feedback—good or bad—on staff performance.
- Plays favorites. This is unfair, demotivating, and causes strife among the staff.
- Works long hours. This may seem like a good thing, but a manager who has to come in early, stay late, and often come in over the weekend is often an incompetent manager who is not practicing good time management. They are often afraid to delegate tasks that they do not need to be doing.