Management, again
Management and you
It's been awhile since I last spoke about this and I believe that it is time to again bring it up.
Was recently filling out a survey for the U.S. government and they asked me about management and what I thought. You know me, I can't not have a "thought" about something, so, I listed a few items of what I thought was important, what wasn't important, what was a must and what to look for in poor manager.
But, I digress - what I really wanted to talk about is if you are a manager in your company, meaning, you manage more then one person, then, you must take it seriously. Reading magazine, the web, etc., so many small company owners say "I don't have time for my employee's", and they don't understand why they are not as successful as they should be.
The same is with a manager of a large business or company - that they again say "I have so many employee's, I can't find the time to manage them", and then don't understand why they don't accomplish the goals and tasks that they were assigned.
Management of an employee doesn't mean that you have to spend 10 hours a week with an employee.
I have come to realize that spending five minutes a day with each staff member not only makes them feel good, but it keeps them focused and on track and, of course, it keeps you informed on where and what is happening with your staff and their projects.
You can spend an hour a day or five minutes a day, it is up to you. But, I must advise you, that it is the questions that are the most important. Asking how the kids are vs. where the project stands is the difference of 10 minutes vs. 2 minutes.
A suggestion, and you can ask any previous staff of mine about this, and they will ALL agree - tell your staff, when you first hire them or inherit them, that "I am concerned about your welfare and personal health. I am busy, like you, and I will NOT ask you every day how your family is, how your health is, and so on. I will come across rude and in haste, and let me assure you that that is not the case - I will ask you some quick questions so I know where we all stand and move on, so you can get back to doing your work - and so can I."
Simple and effective. It even comes back to a previous post that I have done, where I talk about my staff working whatever hours they want, as long as they get the job done in the time required. Please see that post.
It is up to you to manage your staff and manage YOUR time. You don't have to be a friend to everyone, and you don't have to be an a**hole. Be yourself, and if you can't believe that, speak up, tell your staff how you manage, and manage everyones expectations.
Good Luck.