Management Tips

Management Tips

Tell people what you want, not how to do it.

You will find people more responsive and less defensive if you can give them guidance not instructions. You will also see more initiative, more innovation, and more of an ownership attitude from them develop over time.

Don't DO Anything.

Your job as a manager is to "plan, organize, control and direct." Don't let yourself waste valuable time by falling back on what you did before you became a manager. We know you enjoy it and you are good at it. That's why you were promoted. Now you need to concentrate your efforts on managing, not on "doing".

Delegate the easy stuff.

The things you do well are the things to delegate. Hold on to those that are challenging and difficult. That is how you will grow.

Learn from the mistakes of others.

You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

Goals you set for yourself, or others, should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based.

Set an example.

"One of the most significant parts of a manger's job is for them to become a positive role model that can pull a team together and deliver the level of service expected from their customers."

Know Your GPM.

In engineering, gpm is gallons per minute, a design criterion. In Management GPM is an acronym for Goals, Plans, and Metrics. To achieve your goals, you must first determine what your Goals are. Then you have to develop a Plan that gets you to your goal. Finally you need Metrics (measurements) to know if you are moving toward your goal according to your plan.

You Can't Listen With Your Mouth Open.

Your associates, your employees, your suppliers, your customers all have something of value in what they have to say. Listen to the people around you. You will never learn what it is if you drown them out by talking all the time. Remember, the only thing that can come out of your mouth is something you already know. Shut up and learn.

Practice what you preach.

To lead, you have to lead by example. Don't expect your people to work unpaid overtime if you leave early every day. Don't book yourself into a four star hotel on business trips and expect your employees to stay in the motel off the freeway.

Don't Limit Yourself.

The difference between leaders and managers is that leaders do not set limits on themselves. There are enough people trying to limit what you can do. Don't be one of them.

Anyone can steer the ship in calm waters.

What will set you apart in your career is how you perform during the tough times. Don't become complacent and relax just because things are going well. Plan ahead for the downturn.