What makes a good manager?

[Anonemousse]

I've accidentally found myself managing 15 people and second line managing another 6. I've never managed anyone before so this is a huge step for me and not one I would have chosen or am overly happy about. It's this or find another job though (and I like where I work) so I need to make the best of this.

I think I'm good at acknowledging a job well done. I've been told I'm approachable. I need to work on my discretion and assertiveness. I need to also change my mindset so that my primary purpose isn't to make my staff like me, but to be respected and seen as fair. I also need to get the balance right between trusting them to do their job but also checking that they are.

If you think about your best manager, what made them good?

Conversely, what made your worse manager, that?

I'm taking every management course offered.

Has everyone only ever had crap managers then? TBH most of mine havent been great. The normal micro-managing, "bring your whole self to work" unless it means not being a corporate robot etc.

You're posting in AIBU which is why you maybe didn't get a response @Anonemousse - what is your "AIBU" question?

Forgetting that for a minute...

Clarity. Good managers explain things simply and are straight and direct.

Great managers do all that, but also take into account you as the individual, any personal challenges, and use available resources to guide and help you to be the best version of yourself.

But all that fluffiness aside, I appreciate warm, human , straight talkers. Not people pretending to be "big manager" but losing any humanity in the process.

Managers that make no mistakes or take zero accountability when they do are the worst. Those sort of managers usually always blame the staff below them.

Follow LeadershipHeather on Instagram. She has some very good pointers on how to manage a team well.

Good managers give specific praise and offer private criticism sandwiched between praise.

Good managers don't say no, but suggest you think about your idea (which is a nice way of saying I don't think this will work but you can have a go at convincing me).

Good managers encourage team work and peer on peer support.
Good managers are not afraid to muck in.
Good managers treat people fairly.
Good managers coach people to imporve and build skills and knowledge.
Good managers let you make a few mistakes, but then help you correct them yourselves.

Be fair, consistent and clear. Try and balance having authority with being approachable. Give feedback promptly. If there are difficulties with performance, be honest early in the process, identify support and put plans in place.

I hate being micromanged.
My favourite manager i had trusted me to do my job. He came down to see how we were doing and asked for my input eg do you think you can get that done on time, if not what do you need? Could be i suggested coming in early or just that I could do with a bit of help. He saw my potential and worked with it.

My current manger is hit and miss. You can get on with him and have a laugh but if you say something he isn't happy with he gets very defensive. Tries to give people a well done but picks the wrong person, we have someone who reorders rejects. He praises them but they're the messenger, its the people before hand who find the issues. Doesn't have enough product (or tbh department) knowledge. Quite often undermines our opinion on quality so people give up.... then goes on about upping quality.

Everyone has difference management styles and everyone likes to be managed differently.
I personally err on looking out for my team’s wellbeing, allowing flexibility, treating them like adults and not micromanaging. My team are pretty much all great though and easy to manage (apart from one incident which I posted about on another thread)
I am always visible and contactable. I’ll lend an ear if they need to rant, give advice if they ask for it and always ask before I step in on their behalf in case they would prefer to handle a certain situation themselves.

I am a good manager and I know that as even though many of my staff have moved on, they all stay in touch. You’ll get better over time. Things I struggled with at first was challenging conversations, and becoming too much of a counsellor at times. I receive excellent feedback from the people I manage but doesn’t i’m perfect; still things I can work on. I pride myself on being approachable and having an open door policy. Staff can approach me, and tell me I made an error. I helped out with some admin last week and they almost didn’t tell me they’d seen a mistake I made - so I made sure their LM thanked them for raising (i am several grades above them, was just helping in a crisis) and said I am not perfect and I never want staff to feel they cannot flag errors I make.

The first thing I do with new staff is give them a piece of my work to critique and tell them not to hold back! Usually sets a good tone

You have to line manage people 'below' you and deal with those senior to you (like managing 'up'. I had a manager who only did the latter and pretty mich ignored us, as he wanted to get ahead with senior team and nad hismown vanity projects. Whilst we felt trusted and could get on with our work without being over-managed, we also felt ignored and under valued by him. So it's a balance!
When I was a line manager I wasn't told what the role comprised of, and hence struggled, so if you can get someone to define your responsibilities it would help,,especially in HR, conditions etc type of issues.
Fairness is absolutely key.

A manager who leaves their personal bad mood at the door, nothing is worse than having a manager who makes the whole shift hell just because THEY had a fight at home with their partner.

Be consistent. My manager at yhe moment is a mardy witch, we all say "What mood is Lucy in today?" before we go and see her. It's exhausting. Some days she's our biggest advocate, other days she'll try to tear a strip off you just for breathing.
We are a team with some at admin level and some at senior professional level, and she tries to manage us all in the same way, it doesn't work, the more senior staff are responsible to our professional body so won't just follow orders blindly, and this frustrates her.
Modify your management style for each person, but be consistent in fairness and equality.

I have been told I'm a good trainer and am patient and explain things well. That's why I found myself in this position I think.
I'm not afraid to admit a mistake and I would never purposely take credit for soneone else's work.

Soneone did a good job last week and I'd praised them privately already but also told everyone in the team. Not a big gushing announcement just a "I dont know if everyone has seen but Sue got all the information on our website last week which has already saved everyone loads of work. Thank you Sue". I got a really sweet message from someone saying the old team manager never did things like that but would have happily reminded people if Sue hadn't done the work. I dont understand that approach.

I spoke with a couple of other people about it and the themes seem to be the same as the ones on here:

1. Fair
2. Consistent
3. Encouraging
4. Take no shit (I'll struggle with this one)
5. Trust and honesty. Both ways.

It seems like if you have this everything else will work out.

Will your company invest in you? If so, ask about training or coaching opportunities.

I read somewhere that a good manager should have some idea of what it is like for their reports to be managed by them. So a bit of empathy, and understanding what people need from you. Even though that may vary from person to person.

I have appreciated managers who praised work that I did well, and ones who made decisions which allowed me to make progress in my work. If you faff about failing to make a decision on the next step it can sometimes be worse than making a bad, but clear, decision.

I have learned the hard way that you have to be consistent and treat everybody the same for basic procedural stuff like approving leave or discussing absences. Make sure that these procedures are known to everybody and that there is no favouritism (e.g. make sure that when somebody who is absolutely reliable calls in sick, you go through the same steps you would with somebody who you suspect is taking the piss.)

Put things in writing. In particular, keep notes on one-to-one meetings because sooner or later, you'll need them.