I am about to change roles at work where I'll be managing a small group of people. Can you give me any tips or advice either as a manager or underling? Thanks!!
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As an underling, I always appreciate when I'm not being micro-managed. It's always nice when my manager acknowledges and appreciates my hard work too!
Good luck!! -
Make sure you communicate to them clearly that you want a positive relationship where their dialogue is appreciated and heard. And give them a means to do this- like saying my door is always open, feel free to call or email-depending on what your work situation is. I feel that feeling comfortable expressing things to a supervisor is really important. Its something I have been discussing with people recently because they are having a hard time doing so with their manager.
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I find it's good to setup weekly meetings with direct reports, where they control the meeting agenda... it helps to have that regular opportunity for them to share what's on their mind! Also, "office hours" can be great too - a time of day where your door is open to impromptu meetings.
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I also hate being micromanaged. My manager used to have an every other week tag up meeting with me, which I liked (it depends on your field, but I was contracted out to programs that he didn't always have visibility on). Whereas my current manager has a WEEKLY tag up with me and I feel like it's too much.
Appreciation goes a very long ways, too! I think everyone is always concerned their boss doesn't think they're doing a good job, when merited.
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Please don’t micromanage!!!
My manager and I do 1x1 meetings every other week, which is great. We did weekly for the first 6 months or so, and then switched it to every other week.I think the best managers are good coaches and good at coaching people, not just “managing people". Ask questions, help people work through problems (instead of hanging them out to dry, or always supplying the answer), connect them to resources, etc.
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I definitely think showing appreciation when merited goes a long way. Usually when workers feel appreciated it makes the work place happier and they become more productive.
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I coach managers for a living, and the below is my "if you do only 3 things as a manager" advice:
1. Set really clear, appropriately challenging goals so they are crystal clear on what is expected of them. Make it really transparent about what would absolutely delight you by the end of the review period, and what "pretty good" versus "amazing" would look like.
2. Check in on those goals fairly often make sure all's on track and that you have the opportunity to give feedback (reinforcing the good stuff, correcting the bad stuff). Even just quarterly big-picture convos are super helpful.
3. Learn to be a great coach. Ask lots of probing questions during check-ins and get them to a place where they're proactively solving their own problems.Honestly, if more managers did that at my company we'd have happier employees and be more successful with our mission.
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I second setting very clear expectations and providing timely feedback to hold people accountable. Help the people doing the work find solutions to problems but don't hand down a solution when at all possible. This again speaks to accountability and not micromanaging. I work in healthcare but I can't provide my nurses a solution for nursing-related workflow issues because I'm not the one doing the work. I can help them find resources and empower and support them to work together to get a resolution. Find a mentor with a managerial style you respect that seems in line with your natural personality and lean on them for guidance. And figure out how to walk the fine line between manager and friend. Good luck!
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Yes on not micro-managing. If you see a person's performance needs it, then fine or setup a meeting to discuss how you can assist in making them do their job better. Otherwise, let them do their thing.
Every other week meetings are great also for checking in. My manager does weekly and I think it's a bit much. Maybe for the start of a project, sure, but once it's under way, every other week is good.
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As an underling I always appreciated timely feedback and the opportunity to improve. I've only had three managers and one thing I have come to appreciate is a filter. A manager that can filter information and manage timelines can greatly reduce stress.
When I have managed groups when giving out instructions I like to share anticipated outcomes or what would need to happen before we could move on to the next step. I found that when people are fully aware of the expectations and know how their contribution impacts the results they rise to the occasion.
Recently, I sat in a workshop and one piece of advice that was given to a manager to help improve productivity was to include her employees in shaping the process/ policy. The manager had a set way of doing things that her employees just failed to do. But, her employees were the ones that completed the tasks 95% of the time. By having them create and agree to a new SOP everyone would follow and be able to fill in for each other when needed.
Here's what micro managing looks like to me. Give me a task with a deadline. But, yell me how to do the task (beyond how you may want a spreadsheet returned) and you check in for progress updates before the deadline. What's worse is a micro manager that doesn't know exactly what they want even when specifically asked. Do overs especially for things that are out of the scope of my job ie busy work is the worse!
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When I was managing a team, I liked to have bi-weekly team check-in meetings and bi-weekly individual check-ins on the opposite weeks, plus set team-wide goals. Eventually as the team got more experienced, I let the team set their own goals (making sure they were appropriate). I'd also hold monthly lunch and learns where I'd give them more advanced training, and I tried not to micro-manage (since I personally hate that), so instead I set up a way for the team members to basically check each other's work periodically, which they liked.
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Do not micromanage!! Also, treat people like humans. show empathy for personal issues (which you will hear about) and work with them to offer fair/reasonable solutions so they can do their jobs.
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One thing I always did in one on one meetings when I was managing a team was to always ask what they needed me to do to help them and what they needed me to stop doing. I only had the meetings monthly and I tried to get out of the office to do them - either walking around the production floor or taking the employee to lunch.
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Thanks for your replies! These are great. I'll keep them all in mind. I definitely think trust and communication are important.
Anyone else have tips? Tips on managing friends?
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