10 Rules on How to Be an Effective Manager

Tips to Effective Management

Great managers can make the difference between team members merely getting by or thriving in the workplace. An effective manager is an invaluable resource, not only for team members on staff but for the entire business.

As business owners know, entrepreneurship requires performing many management skills every day without a technical manager job title. For instance, a new business owner may find themselves influencing company culture one moment and providing personal development advice to team members the next.

The manager job is not an easy one and to become effective in the role requires a lot of energy and expertise. Researching best practice management tips help with this process immensely.

10 best practice rules about how to be an effective manager include-

1. Encouragement

An effective manager is one that makes efforts every day to make the office a better, more enjoyable space. From fostering company culture to personal development opportunities with individual team members, a successful manager knows that time spent with employees is well worth the results.

Fact-: Great managers take time to make sure each team member is encouraged and motivated.

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2. Communication

When a manager leader does not take time to listen to the opinions that team members voice, the entire company culture is negatively influenced. An effective manager is one that employees want to talk to and brainstorm with.

3. Transparency

A good manager knows that transparency with direct reports is essential to building and maintaining trust. Without a company culture of trustworthiness and transparency, direct reports may begin to doubt or even challenge the leadership skills of their manager.

Great managers know that they are role models for their direct reports and should lead team members by example.

4. Feedback

While administering feedback is a well known manager job requirement, the ability to accept feedback also important. A good manager understands that employee feedback and tips help managers become effective in their role.

Additionally, when managers make time to listen to team member feedback they are helping to maintain a company culture and work environment that employees want to work at. To encourage feedback from employees, managers should facilitate open dialogue proactively.

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5. Leadership

Great managers lead by example through their own words and actions. For example, if a manager is late every day to arrive at the office, employees will likely doubt their leadership skills and authority.

On the other hand, if a manager is the first in the office each day and the last to leave, they may find that employees want to stay late to work alongside them.

Remember-: Great managers exhibit leadership skills through their own actions and words first and foremost.

6. Recognition

Recognizing an individual team member for a job well done is a free approach to improve company culture and create a work environment where employees want to become better workers. Beyond words of recognition on social media or in the conference room, financial rewards are excellent for recognizing employee contributions.

When team members see management make time to recognize great work it also serves as a personal development contribution. For example, if a manager and team member discussed time management skills in a personal development meeting previously, recognizing that employee for improving their time management skills is an effective way to reinforce their good behavior and growth.

7. Consistency

Consistency is a crucial leadership skill that every successful manager should possess. Favoritism in the workplace is a very real issue that can negatively impact everything from company culture to personal development initiatives.

Great managers will consistently uphold rules and treat team members equally.

8. Teamwork

Beyond setting personal development goals, team members should be encouraged to work towards company goals collaboratively. Encouraging team members to work together towards a common objective is a great team building exercise that positively impacts company culture as well as the overall work environment.

9. Thoroughness

A successful manager is thorough when interacting with their direct reports. For example, a good manager may follow up a phone call or in person meeting with an email summary of important points discussed.

As such, both accuracy and thoroughness should be considered highly desirable leadership skills for those who wish to become effective managers.

10. Flexibility

Employees want and need different things from their managers. For example, while one team member may respond very positively to constructive feedback, another may not.

Great managers take time to get to know how their employees are best motivated and encouraged. If a manager is willing to do so, they will likely be much more productive in their efforts to lead team members.

Key Takeaways

There are many best practice tips available for advice on how to be an effective manager.

Best practice management tips range from fostering open communication to flexibility.

The 10 Rules of Management Conflict

The other day I was interviewed for a story entitled "Conan O'Brien is living the ultimate employee fantasy." In venting his frustrations with NBC's management, Conan achieved personal satisfaction, high ratings, and $40 million to go away.

Sure, he burned some bridges. But look at it this way: NBC screwed him and he vented. That's a wash in my book. All in all, I'd say he made out okay.

But the whole incident got me thinking: we hear loads about bosses who are jerks, but what about employees who are jerks? What about public displays of vehement disagreement bordering on insubordination? I mean, when and how is it okay to disagree with the boss? Is it always okay to speak your mind? Is it ever a good idea to disparage your management, as Conan did?

To answer these and other thorny questions, I've come up with a set of rules. If you're angry at your boss or disagree with management and feel the need to speak up, ignore this list at your peril:

Tobak's 10 Rules of Management Conflict

Stay calm. Never react in anger or blow your stack. If you're so POd that you can't trust yourself to be calm, then go away and come back when you can. The workplace is no place for that kind of behavior, period. Attack the problem, not the person. When you criticize or attack someone personally, you risk burning a bridge. Focus on the real issues at hand. You know, what the company actually pays you to do. Be open and honest. The second you grit your teeth, cross your arms, and close your mind, you give in to stubborn childish behavior. But if you remain open and keep your wits about you, you'll manage to do the right thing in a tough situation. Don't lose perspective. Try to remember that you're being paid to do a job, not to fight a war. The workplace is about business. You know, customers, products, that sort of thing. It's not about you ... or him. Try to be empathetic. Put yourself in her shoes and try to understand her perspective. If you can't or you're not sure what it is, then ask; you're assumptions may be wrong. If she does the same, next thing you know, you have detente. Take the high road. That doesn't mean be quiet when something needs to be said. It means say it at a time and place and in a manner that's reasonable and respectful of all present. If you kick yourself afterwards, then you probably didn't do it right. Have faith in yourself. The workplace is no place for yes-men. You were hired for a reason, and it's not to blindly march along with the pack. If that's what management wants, you work for a crappy company. Don't go at it in public. If you do, be prepared to apologize in public and, worst case, be fired for insubordination. Accomplished managers and executives really do not like to be publicly eviscerated. Would you? Then let them have it. As long as you follow the preceding eight rules, then it's okay to go for it. Just try to be civilized. Disagree and commit. This comes from Andy Grove's Intel. Keeping your mouth shut when you disagree isn't being a good soldier. But disagreeing, losing the fight, and committing to help the winning plan succeed, now that's being a good soldier.

Following these rules will do wonders for your management career. Who knows; maybe you can be the next Andy Grove.

Also check out:

20 Rules for Effectively Managing People

20 Rules for Effectively Managing People

People management definition

People management is also referred to as human resources management and includes the recruitment, training, and management of employees. Specific people management tasks include arranging compensation, conducting employee performance reviews, and ensuring effective workplace communication.

How to be a better manager

An effective leader should always strive to improve their skills to become a better manager. Effectively managing people requires the ability to relate to different types of personalities and the capability to display strong leadership skills. Effective managers also need to have a good understanding of employment legislation, training, and employee motivation techniques.

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Here are some tips to help you improve your skills to become a better manager:

Improve your leadership skills

As a manager, your employees look to you to lead them to meet the business objectives. Leadership involves making decisions about which employees are the most suited to different tasks. You will also need to provide clear and detailed direction for your employees. Effective managers are able to mediate to resolve conflicts that arise within the team.

Focus on training and development

In order to become a better manager, you must ensure that your employees are equipped to perform their tasks to a high standard. One of the ways to prepare your team is to give them access to suitable training and development opportunities. As an effective manager, you may also be responsible for hiring the right candidates to join your team. Individuals who want to become better managers view training and development as an ongoing process, which continues after a new hire has been through the onboarding procedure. Your job is to develop employees so they are confident enough to take on new challenges to be promoted within your business.

Demonstrate strong decision-making skills

Managers generally have the last word in relation to disagreements and making decisions regarding work. In order to become a better manager, one of your objectives should be to make impartial decisions, irrespective of the team members involved.

Encourage team building

An effective manager is aware that he or she needs the support of their team to be successful. To become a better manager, you should go beyond ensuring that your team is cohesive. You should seek to improve your team’s reputation throughout the company. Your team building efforts should include using objective methods to measure team members’ performance and resolving any conflict that arises.

Promote mentoring relationships

To become a better manager, you should seek to build a mentoring relationship with your employees. Being a successful mentor includes creating long-term developmental plans, giving professional advice and guidance and helping your employees to spot opportunities to advance their careers.

Now that we have reviewed some of the methods to become a better manager, here are 20 rules you can follow to manage your team more effectively:

1. Make an effort to get to know your employees

At the very least, you should know your employees first names. This is irrespective of the size of your company. You should also know about their personal interests outside of the workplace. Getting to know your employees is important because this gives you a better insight about how they perform their job. Additionally, showing an appropriate level of interest also helps to make your employees feel valued.

2. Treat your employees as individuals

This rule leads on from the rule above. Getting to know your employees will give you the opportunity to treat them as individuals. Your employees’ unique strengths, preferences and developmental areas should dictate the approach you adopt. Effectively managing people means that you concentrate on individual employees and tailor your approach to meet their needs.

3. Stay consistent

An effective manager balances the need for individuality with consistency. You should encourage a good attitude and positive behavior on every occasion. You also need to deal with bad attitudes and poor behavior whenever they are displayed. Consistency shows your employees that you are a dependable manager, who will apply the same yardstick to everyone.

4. Provide opportunities

The cost of hiring a new employee is $7,645, on average. It is more cost effective and less disruptive for your business if you identify opportunities for progression for capable team members. After you have identified an opportunity, you can help your employees to prepare themselves for the selection process, for example, providing interview tips.

5. Communicate clearly and accurately

Communication skills are vital for effective management. You should be clear in your communication because ambiguity will lead to confusion. You must also avoid any misleading information when communicating with your employees. Every type of communication is significant in the workplace. So, the rules for effective communication apply whether you are using email, phone, letter or are speaking face-to-face.

6. Acknowledge and celebrate wins

It is recommended that you celebrate with your employees when they have over-delivered on a task or have exceeded their targets. Celebrating wins show that you appreciate your team. This approach will be beneficial to your company, since employee appreciation has a host of advantages, including lower employee turnover rates and higher productivity.

7. Set team focused objectives

You should set team focused objectives to help your employees create a bond. Setting goals on an individual level or at a departmental level deprives team members of getting to know each other better. Setting team focused activities helps them to motivate each other to achieve a common goal.

8. Be friendly and approachable

The ‘us vs. them’ approach should be avoided if you want to get the most out of your employees. Unfortunately, some companies have encouraged a culture where the managers are seen as completely separate from employees. Ensuring that you are friendly and approachable will help your employees to feel comfortable to discuss different issues. Therefore, you will be in a better position to address any difficulties your employees are facing at work.

9. Support innovation

Your employees should feel free to approach you about different ideas they have to improve how things are done. Innovation should be encouraged because employees have a greater perspective of how things can be changed for the better as they perform tasks on a day-to-day basis.

10. Reward good work publicly

You can utilize social media to shine a light on the employees who have achieved something outstanding. You can also recognize extraordinary achievements in front of team members, the department or the whole business. Rewarding employees should be done fairly and consistently to avoid any accusations of bias.

11. Offer constant feedback

Most of your employees will be keen to know about their performance, including areas that require improvement. Make yourself available to provide feedback after a piece of work has been completed. You should identify areas of growth and provide training and development to fill any gaps in knowledge.

12. Lead by example

An effective manager does not only expect his employees to do as he or she says. Instead, they realize they must lead by example. How you behave, deal with others and approach your work are different ways to set an example for your employees to follow.

13. Keep flexible

When dealing with individuals it is always helpful to retain a degree of flexibility. You should acknowledge your employees’ commitments outside of work and make the necessary provisions. For example, you can allow employees with children to work flexible hours in order to reduce the amount they pay for childcare. Additionally, you should also adopt a flexible approach to your employees using their annual leave.

14. Address conflicts

Dealing with conflict may be one of the most challenging aspects of managing people. However, conflict resolution is an essential part of effective management. Avoiding conflict is not an option and neither is making others feel like your way is the only right way. Instead, you should seek to take the role of a mediator when conflict arises. However, ultimately, your job as a manager is to find a fair resolution to conflicts.

15. Be transparent

One of the best ways to build trust in your team is to be transparent. Your employees will value your honesty, even if the news is not in their favor. There may be times when you are constrained by company policy and are unable to divulge sensitive information. In these instances, you should explain to your employees that you are not in a position to comment but will update them as soon as you’re able to.

16. Show empathy

It can be difficult to see things through your employees’ perspective, especially if they are displaying challenging behavior. There could be a number of issues affecting the way that an employee is now approaching their work. It is likely that the employee is experiencing issues outside of work. Employees may also be displaying negative attitudes towards you, based on a type of behavior that you are displaying. An effective manager will put themselves in their employees’ shoes and listen to their concerns.

17. Invite employees to give opinions

You should encourage a culture where employees are happy to provide their opinions on different aspects of the company. Your employees should be commended for giving their opinions as long as this is done in a respectable way. You should always thank the employee for speaking up, even if the opinion is not valid. Discouraging employees from giving their opinions can build up resentment.

18. Seek assistance

Just as your employees need help, you will also need assistance and advice from time to time. If you are dealing with a challenging employee, it is useful to get another perspective on how to handle the situation. You can seek assistance from a number of different people in your organization. For example, you can get guidance from someone in Human Resources, your mentor or another manager. Seeking help from people you trust will make you a better manager, because you will approach situations with new insights and knowledge.

19. Help people to love their job

You can introduce small changes to help your employees enjoy their work and love their job. Simple touches like having a team lunch and redecorating the break room can go a long way to boost morale.

20. Set clear and measurable objectives

Your employees should be clear about what is expected of them. Additionally, they also need to know how you will determine if the completion of a task is a success. Targets are important as they provide an objective basis for employees to know whether they are on the right track. Setting clear and measurable goals will help you conduct performance reviews because you’ll have tangible data to refer to.

Effective management can be tough, especially when trying to balance the competing interests of different employees. Scheduling your workforce is an aspect of management that should be simple. Deputy is an easy-to-use workforce management tool that not only schedules your hourly employees but includes features to make life easier for management. For example, our communication hub allows you to keep in contact with your team through a secure portal.

Sign up for a free trial today (no credit card required) to find out how Deputy can take care of your employee scheduling needs so you can focus on bettering your business. Click on the link below to get started!