8 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR
MANAGERIAL SKILLS
Each year, thousands of people make
the switch from staff engineer or scientist to manager.
And, although many of us look
forward to the change, we find it frustrating once we get there.
When we were engineers, we were
rewarded for our technical skills and labors in direct proportion to what we
accomplished.
But now, as a manager, our success
is measured not by our own output hut by the output and productivity of the
people we supervise. And that sense of not being in direct control can be a
frustrating feeling.
Fortunately, working with others and
getting them to give you their best can be just as rewarding as technical
accomplishments . . . once you get the hang of it. Here are eight tips that
will help you to manage and to guide your people more effectively.
The Human Touch
The most valuable qualities you can
develop within yourself are patience, kindness, and consideration for other
people. Although machines and chemicals don't care whether you scream and curse
at them, people do.
Your subordinates are not just
engineers, scientists, administrators, clerks, and programmers they're people, first and foremost. People with
families and friends, likes and dislikes. People with feelings. Respect them as
people and you'll get their respect
and loyalty in return. But treat them coldly and impersonally and they will
lose motivation to perform for you.
Corny as it sounds, the Golden Rule
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you'' ‑is a sound, proven
management principle. The next time you're about to discipline a worker or
voice your displeasure, ask yourself, "Would I like to be spoken to the
way I'm thinking of speaking to him or her?'' Give your people the same
kindness and consideration that you would want to receive if you were in their
place.
Don’t Be Overly Critical
As a manager, it's part of your job
to keep your people on the right track. And that involves pointing out errors
and telling them where they've gone wrong.
But some managers are overly critical. They're not happy
unless they are criticizing. They rarely accomplish much or take on anything
new themselves, but they are only too happy to tell others where they went wrong, why they're doing it incorrectly, and
why they could do the job better.
Don't be this type of person.
Chances are, you have more knowledge and experience in your field than a good
many of the people you supervise. But that's why the company made you the boss!
Your job is to guide and teach these
people not to yell or nit-pick or show them how dumb they are compared to you.
Mary Kay Ash, founder and director
of Mary Kay Cosmetics, says that successful managers encourage their people
instead of criticizing them. " Forget their mistakes," she advises,
"and zero in on one small thing they do right. Praise them and they'll do
more things right and discover talents and abilities they never realized they
had."
Let Them Fail
Of course, to follow through on Mary
Kay's advice, you've got to let your people make some mistakes.
Does this shock you? I'm not
surprised. Most workers expect to be punished for every mistake. Most managers
think it's a "black eye" on their record when an employee goofs.
But successful managers know that
the best way for their people to learn and grow is through experience and that
means taking chances and making errors.
Give your people the chance to try
new skills or tasks without a
supervisor looking over their shoulders but only on smaller, less crucial
projects. That way, mistakes won't hurt the company and can quickly and easily
be corrected. On major projects, where performance is critical, you'll want to
give as much supervision as is needed to ensure successful completion of the
task.
Be Available
Have you ever been enthusiastic
about a project, only to find yourself stuck, unable to continue, while you
waited for someone higher up to check your work before giving the go ahead for
the next phase?
Few things dampen employee
motivation more than management inattention.
As a manager, you have a million things to worry about besides the report
sitting in your mailbox, waiting for your approval. But to the person who wrote
that report, each day's delay causes frustration, anger, worry, and insecurity.
So, although you've got a lot to do,
give your first attention to approving, reviewing, and okaying projects in
progress. If employees stop by to ask a question or discuss a project, invite
them to sit down for a few minutes. If you're pressed for time, set up an
appointment for later that day, and keep it. This will let your people know you
are genuinely interested in them. And that's something they'll really
appreciate.
Improve the Workplace
People are most productive when they have the right tools and work in
pleasant, comfortable surroundings. According to a study by the Buffalo
Organization, a comfortable office environment creates an extra $1600 of
productivity annually for professionals and managers.
Having the right equipment is
equally important. One of my clients recently hired a full-time technical
writer at a salary of $25,000, but was reluctant to invest $2500 in a word
processor for him to use.
I explained that, in my experience,
a word processor can easily double the
productivity of a writer. Therefore, if the writer was expected to produce
$25,000 worth of work with a typewriter, he could produce $50,000 with a word
processor an extra $25,000 a year in productivity for a $2500 investment! The
client bought the computer. Both the company and the writer were delighted with
the results.
Be aware that you may not be the
best judge of what your employees need to do their jobs effectively. Even if
you've done the job yourself, someone else may work best with a different set
of tools, or in a different setup because each person is different.
If your people complain about work
conditions, listen. These complaints
are usually not made for selfgain, but stem from each worker's desire to do the
best job possible. And by providing
the right equipment or work space, you can achieve enormous increases in output
. . . open with a minimal investment.
A Personal Interest in People
When is the last time you asked your
secretary how her son was doing in Little League or how she enjoyed her
vacation?
Good salespeople know that relating
to the customer on a person-to-person level is the fastest way to win friends
and sales. Yet many technical managers remain aloof and avoid conversation that
does not relate directly to business. Why? Perhaps it's because engineers are
more comfortable with equations and inanimate objects than with people, and
feel uncomfortable in social situations.
But just as a salesperson wants to
get to know his customer, you can benefit by showing a little personal interest
in your people their problems, family life, health, and hobbies. This doesn't
have to be insincere or overdone just the type of routine conversation that
should naturally pass between people who work closely.
If you've been ignoring your
employees, get into the habit of taking a few minutes every week (or every day)
to say "hello" and chat for a minute or two If an employee has a
personal problem affecting his mood or performance, try to find out what it is
and how you might help. Send a card or small gift on important occasions and
holidays, such as a 10th anniversary with the firm or a birthday. Often, it is
the little things we do for people (such as letting workers with long commutes
leave early on a snowy day, or springing for dinner when overtime is required)
that determine their loyally to you.
Be Open to Ideas
You may think the sign of a good
manager is to have a department where everybody is busy at work on their
assigned tasks. But if your people are merely "doing their jobs,"
they're only working at about half their potential. A truly productive department
is one in which every employee is actively thinking of better, more efficient
methods of working ways in which to produce a higher quality product. in less
time, at lower cost.
To get this kind of innovation from
your people, you have to be receptive to new ideas; what's more, you have to
encourage your people to produce new ideas. Incentives are one way you can
offer a cash bonus, time off, a gift. But a more potent form of motivation is
simply the employee's knowing that management does listen and does put employee
suggestions and ideas to work. Quality Circles, used by Westinghouse and other
major firms, are one way of putting this into action... The old standby, the
suggestion box. is another time tested method.
And when you listen to new ideas, be
open minded. Don't shoot down a suggestion before you've heard it in full. Many
of us are too quick, too eager, to show off our own experience and knowledge
and say that something won't work because “we've tried it before” or “we don't
do it that way.” Well, maybe you did try
it before, but that doesn't mean it won't work now. And having done things a
certain way in the past doesn't mean you've necessarily been doing them the
best way. A good manager is open-minded and receptive to new ideas.
Give Your People a Place to Go
If a worker doesn't
have a place to go a position to aspire to, a promotion to work toward then his
job is a dead end. And dead-end workers are usually bored, unhappy, and
unproductive. Organize your department so that everyone has opportunity for
advancement, so that there is a logical progression up the ladder in terms of
title, responsibility, status, and pay. If this isn't possible because your
department is too small, perhaps that progression must inevitably lead to jobs outside the department. If so, don't
hold people back; instead, encourage them to aim for these goals so that they
will put forth their best efforts during all the years they are with you.
About the Author
Robert W. Bly, an independent
copywriter and consultant specializing in industrial and high-tech advertising,
can be reached at 174 Holland Ave.,
New Milford. NJ 07646. (201) 599-2277
