Suze Bragg

13 biggest mistakes managers make
August 11, 2008

More often than not, I've had encountered bad managers in my career.  One in particular gave me the greatest lesson on how not to act, and I took that information and performed a 180.  Here's what I've learned:

1.  Talking more than listening.  One of the best techniques people can employ is to shut up and listen. Seriously. Building awareness of all that is around you can impart wisdom you never thought possible and most often it's the non-verbal clues that managers miss.  I've learned a lot from the people I've managed over the years, and with each team I learn even more.  

2.  Failing to delegate.  Nobody can accomplish all things by themselves, and adequately delegating so you can do what's most important is the single greatest technique to succeeding.  You don't have to do it all and yes, people can do things as well as you can...if they're given a chance.  

3.  Neglecting the details.  I've worked for "big picture managers" who thought of ideas, but not how to implement them.  They didn't consider it their job, but it's in understanding the details that requires a manager to help his/her team execute properly, and being able to forecast correctly.

4.  Not setting clear goals with employees.  This is a biggie.  When people don't know what they're being measured against, the end of the year reviews prove disastrous.  Being able to clearly create SMART goals and hold the employee accountable gives them ownership of their job, and instills happiness.

5.  Forgetting what it's like to be a worker.  Having an office is fabulous, but only if you can remember what it was like in Cubeville.  Being able to relate to all types of employees, and being open and responsive to their needs, helps cultivate an engaging and innovative atmosphere.  

6.  Communicating too little, too late, or not at all.  

7.  Not showing employees you care.  You're dealing with humans who have their own needs and emotional responses.  Everyone has a job to do, but remembering that humans come first endears you to your employees.  Forget that and you'll quickly discover how much others will dislike you.

8.  Getting caught up in politics.  I have worked for companies where politics reigned and to a degree I had to play them.  It would have been career suicide if I didn't.  But I also knew that I could devote a small amount of energy dealing with the politics - and making nice even when I didn't want to - so I could produce.  I shielded my team from the politics so they, too, could perform their jobs.  At the end of the day, we all got our objectives met before every one else.  

9.  Micromanaging.  Unless they're completely incompetent, never micromanage.  People need to own their work to have a vested interest in it.  By listening more than speaking, you can help guide them in the direction you believe the team needs to head, by reinforcing their ideas and then offering up suggestions on how to proceed.  

10.  Making work drudgery instead of fun.  Who wants to work in a dungeon?  You want evangalists, not slaves. 

11.  Not prioritizing your own goals.  It's been said that the most someone can accomplish in a day is 4 or 5 tasks.  By prioritizing each morning, you can ensure you're getting your work done, plus measure it against what your team is working on. Skip the small stuff that you'll never do and take it off your list. You'll discover you can all accomplish much more than you originally thought.

12.  Not hiring a good team.  I have made this mistake before...bad hires.  It happens and the affect on a team can be legendary (new languages are made up, like "He just pulled a Chris-isms"), but common sense aside, hire the best people you can possibly find, even if you have to pay them more. In the end it's worth it.

13.  Spending too much time strategizing, and not enough in the trenches.  I once managed a project with 80 "owners" who got caught up in the strategy of the project, and not once wanted to get involved in the day-to-day mundane tasks.  These mundane tasks are what made the project come to fruition, but nobody wanted to hear about that.  Understanding and spending time in the trenches every now and then ensures you know what's really going on, and how it affects everybody else.  Only then can you fix the things that are wrong.

Posted by Suze Bragg on August 11, 2008 | Comments (1)