Management and You

Management is an important part of managing a business. When you have a business that is driven by customer support it is doubly important. So much so that you can’t go without a great management system. Directsat.com has shown that you are only as strong as a business as your weakest link. If that link is in your management your business could fall apart at the seams. By keeping an eye out for the right qualities in a manager you can eliminate that worry.

A few key factors to look at are:

• Integrity – have they given credit to the people they work with? No employee will follow a manager that steals their achievements.
• Honesty – have they voiced their opinions to you in a correct manner? No one wants a “Yes Man” to be in management. You want people who offer their opinions in an appropriate way whether that is during a manager only meeting or in your office.
• Respect – have they been respectful to all those around them? It took me forever to figure out that a person that is nice to you but a jerk to another without cause is never a nice person. They will be one of the fastest ways to ruin your company.
• Tact – have they said, acted, and dressed to meet the situation? It is as important to know when not to say something as it is to know when to say the right thing. A good manager candidate will know this and show it. They’ll dress appropriately to fit the day. They’ll dress up to important meetings but they won’t ignore the casual Fridays. Employees like a manager to feel they can relate to.

If you follow those easily recognizable aspects then you should be on your way to finding a great management team. There are always some things to look out for and be cautious of.

Some of them are:

• Pettiness - Do they make mountains out of mole hills? This trait will cause a lot of strife before it is caught so asking a few “How would you handle this?” questions may get you some idea.
• Meddling – Do they want their hand in every cookie jar? Having managers that can manage in several areas is great but if you have someone that pushes themselves into every part then it will cause strife not only between the managers but also with work being done twice.
• Passive Aggressive – Do they make comments that clearly show they are angry but say they are fine? This trait will get a bit strange to define. Many HR people will tell you that counting to ten is a good thing but if they are doing it to the persons face and don’t try to handle the issue it will just start an even bigger fight. Look out for it but make sure you don’t confuse witty sarcasm for it as that can sometimes lighten the mood.