Management Tips That Really Work

Every manager should strive to learn something new every day. Here are my 5 top tips for being a good manager.

Don't Be Selfish

A good leader should not be selfish. He should demonstrate to his workers that he is willing to take one for the team. This will get him a lot of respect.

For instance, the team might be embarrassed at a town hall or other large meeting. Instead of pointing the finger at the person responsible, a good leader will take that one for the team.

This quality is also respected by senior managers higher up in the food chain.

Don't Be Two Faced

Do not "suck up" to senior management and then be like "buddies" with your team. You will eventually get caught out by this fine balancing act and it doesn't actually serve any useful purpose anyway.

Be who you are and don't apologise for it. Just smooth any rough edges but always be yourself. Workers hate nothing more than a two faced boss.

Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive

You may have heard this mantra before but it is definitely good advice and applies equally well at all levels of an organisation.

Don't wait for things to happen to you. Mitigate risks by planning ahead and trying to spot potential stumbling blocks.

If you do this then you will also be able to spot opportunities before others and be able to take advantage.

Be Decisive

Do not dither. Do not be indecisive. It is better to make a quick decision and follow through and be 80% successful than to dither and make a decision, regret it, change your mind, then change your mind again.

Make your decisions based on logic and not emotions then follow through unless a significant factor changes.

Don't Take It Personally

Never take anything personally. As a leader, you are supposed to be better than that. A good leader is calm and collected and think rationally. Think of the vulcans in Star Trek but with a little more individual personality!

A bad manager will react and have outbursts, he may even swear and publicly admonish his workers. The only way is down from such a situation.

4 Great Leadership Tips For the Effective Manager

Any good manager should always be trying to improve and develop himself. Check out these 4 great tips based on my own experiences of leading.

There is nothing worse than an incompetent manager. Wait a minute...there is! An incompetent manager who refuses to learn! Any good manager should be constantly on the lookout for ways to improve. So let's take a look at 4 tips that will help you to become a better leader.

Learn To Let Go

Too many new leaders struggle to get to grips with not having everything in their control like it used to be when they worked on their own. Back then they would be given a task and they could control every single aspect of it to make sure that a good job was done.

As a leader, you simply can't do that. If you attempt to "micro-manage" in this way then you will work some very long hours and burn out. You'll also have totally missed the point of being a leader and a manager.

Instead, you should trust your workers and when you give them tasks to do, make it clear what you expect. When they deliver as you wish, show your gratitude to them and be sure to think about long term rewards for continued success.

Be Ethical

A leader must be ethical. If you have previously bent the rules, here and there, then do not be tempted to do it as a leader. The damage done if or when you are exposed will be ten times worse than before.

As a leader, you must set a positive example and even if some rules appear to hinder rather than help, you must abide by them at all times.

If you start to bend the rules then your workers will see it and lose respect for you. What's more, they will also think that they too can get away with bending the rules. Soon you'll have a huge can of worms!

Don't Be Pushy

As a leader, your reputation is of paramount importance. Do not be pushy with people - don't berate your workers in public and don't become known for a fiery temper during meetings.

Do this and you will soon bury any alliances that you had and find yourself isolated.

Instead, you should become known for your cool exterior and your ability to take action based on logic, not emotions.

Persevere

Most people, when setting out to achieve a goal, will fall at the first obstacle and then give up. Real leaders will not give up. They will fall, get up, fall again and get up again.

Only by persevering and staying on the right path will you be able to achieve your own goals and those of your team.

Setting an example like this has another benefit - this quality is infectious and before you know it, your entire team will be showing these same qualities and achieving far more than other similar teams in your organization.