Becoming more effective manager

By Sherif Attar 

Last week, we talked about developing your people. To do that, you need to develop yourself, too! So, here is Get Down to Business on:

Part of your responsibilities is helping team members improve performance. You may run regular meetings and provide coaching and training.

What do you do to improve your own performance to conduct those activities? Most managers would answer, “Not much.”

Here are ideas adapted from Sandler Systems, Inc.:

Analyse your attitude:

How you approach your work reveals how you feel about your job, and establishes a baseline outlook from which your team develop their attitudes about work and work ethic. Are you enthusiastic, or do you view your work as an imposition? When facing challenges, do you look for possibilities or you only point out limitations to overcome? It’s difficult for your people to perform at their best and go the extra distance when they perceive that your only goal is to get through another day!

Adapt your behaviour:

You and each of your team members have a unique personality. Each team member has different strengths. You need to appreciate those differences and adjust your interaction, so those differences become building blocks to co-operation, and productivity, rather than roadblocks.

Acknowledge your limitations:

Your primary function as manager is to guide your people to perform at their best; not be a “know-it-all”. Let your people know that you may not have all the answers (even if you think you do!). Include them when setting goals, developing strategies, and addressing challenges. Encourage them to offer ideas and input. Their participation gives them greater ownership in the processes and eventual outcomes and provides additional motivation.

Delegate responsibilities:

Your routine activities can be assigned to team members. Delegating responsibilities frees up your time to invest in more pressing activities, and gives your team members greater ownership in the functioning of the department… which encourages them to perform at their best. Delegating responsibilities facilitates team members’ personal and professional growth.

Be a resource:

When you encourage your people to provide input about goals and projects, you must be available to answer questions, and provide guidance. Let your people know that they can discuss issues. And when they do, pay attention. Encouraging interaction without paying attention is worse than not encouraging the interaction in the first place.

Follow up:

Let them know how they’re doing; give them feedback. Doing so enables you to manage their activities in “real time”, keep them on track, and correct mistakes quickly.

Explore these ideas versus your attitudes and actions. You are sure to find new ways of interacting with your people – ways that will help them improve.

Sherif Attar, an independent management consultant/trainer and organisation development authority, delivers seminars in the US, Europe, Middle East and the Far East.