Management For Smarties (continued)
What behaviors do bad managers exhibit? According to Baty, they are individuals who:
- Can't get things done
- Have poor project management skills
- Lack an understanding of the technologies they're using
- Lack motivational skills
"Micromanagers, yellers and screamers, people who take credit for what others have done, who sell their employees down the river, point fingers and have an obviously authoritarian style are not popular these days," says Baty.
Improving Your Management Style
"Eighty percent of folks, I have found, will make the effort to be a better manager," says Benz. Most will find it easy to do. Some will require some additional coaching and counseling and the rest will be resistant to change.
According to Baty, "The most successful people, whether CEO, CIO, or C-anything, are the ones that learn from their mistakes." If you are a strategic thinker who can assess a situation and act accordingly, build a consensus and contribute to the bottom line, there's a great opportunity to really grow, make a real difference in a corporation and build a great career.
What are the most common attributes of effective managers? According to Baty and Benz, the good ones:
- Don't play favorites. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, and that team dynamics will suffer if individuals receive preferential treatment.
- Give credit where credit is due. They acknowledge good work and give kudos to those directly responsible.
- Let their employees make mistakes -- and help them to learn from them. They encourage their reports to take on new challenges, self-manage and provide helpful feedback.
- Know how to manage up as well as down. They understand it is important to keep supervisors informed of their team's progress, and make them aware of areas that are potentially problematic.
- Recognize that their success as well as the organization's success is inseparable from their team's success. Good managers are strategic thinkers who seek to improve processes and procedures and build a consensus within their department to ensure that goals are met. (article continues)
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