This is a little different than most of my blog posts, but it's something I still wanted to put out there. I've worked for a variety of organizations and individuals, and I've worked in a wide array of jobs - everything from scrubbing toilets, to interviewing celebrities, to research, to fundraising. In so doing, I've observed some things. I typed them into my Blackberry one very frustrating day, and now I'm transferring them here, to a place where they will stay (even after my Bb dies).
As I manage my home, and someday if I ever manage others in an organization, I want to remember these things. I hope you enjoy...
1. Do not let one mistake lead you (a boss) to not trust the employee in his/her entirety. Remember not to label people by one interaction.
2. Notice when people do things right, and say so. A little encouragement can go a long way toward keeping up morale.
3. Confront mistakes when they happen. It doesn't matter if your subordinates like you. They will function better for the company when they know what you think is a mistake.
4. Make expectations clear. Fuzzy expectations lead to unmet goals.
5. When you give an assignment or delegate a task, give authority to complete the task. If assignments are given without authority, employees accomplish nothing, and ultimately the task remains on your plate, as their boss, undelegated.
6. Foster an atmosphere of earned trust in your employees. They must earn your trust, but once they have, let them do their jobs and don't micromanage. This will free you to do your job.
7. Hire carefully and you will fire infrequently. Take time to really vet candidates for positions. If you take the time to get the right person for the job, you will spend less time managing them and more time accomplishing your job.
8. Trust your team and the experts. If you have followed the above steps and fostered an atmosphere of trust, hired carefully, and delegated to capable employees, then trust the advice they give you. Do not spend time majoring on minor details about which they likely know much more than you. Give them freedom to do their job so that your organization can move forward.
9. Be ware of stifled talent. Not giving authority and trust to your employees can stifle their talent and ambition and breed resentment toward you and your organization. If you have a good employee who feels stifled or unable to function, you will likely lose that talent, training and ambition to a competitor.
10. Be ware of cancers in your organization. Some employees can turn out to be cancerous to your organization, causing disruption, distrust, and dissatisfaction among other employees. These cancers must be dealt with either by reprimand and retraining, or by cutting them out. Even a seemingly "contained cancer" has an undeniable effect on the whole body.
11. Provide a clear structure. By providing a clear structure within which your employees fit, you provide a certain level of predictable expectation. Make sure each employee knows to whom they report, and on what date they will receive a review.
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