How To Say Goodbye To Bad Management

Do you work alongside a bunch of bad managers who only care about their ambitions? These are selfish individuals who constantly backstab colleagues and exploit employees as a resource.

Bad managers work with the fear that someone would sabotage their progress and always feeling the need to protect their positions.  They spend most of their time yelling, prodding and subjecting their staff to patronizing motivational exhortations.  They still demand respect but don’t know how to return it to their teams.   

How to Be a Good Manager

1. Lead from the Front 

It is never easy to be a manager, especially when you manage personalities with diverse expectations and ambitions.  Management isn’t for everyone, but if you have accepted the challenge, then you must embrace it and be the best manager you can.  The key is to lead from the front.

Make sure you talk and learn quickly about your team to avoid any behavioural surprises. It is unimaginable the number of managers who go day in and day out without talking to their people.

One of the tricks to being a good manager is to talk to your people.  It all starts with dialogue.  Make time each day to talk to your people – and it does not matter about what.  Just talk to them.

2. Manage by Facts

Bad managers do not want to hear bad news or to act on facts.  Also, they don’t want to listen to anybody, admit that they do not know something, or learn from others.  So, always manage by facts, from the best information available to you. 

3. Stop and Think 

When things are not moving as planned, please stop and think. In your daily management activities, there are events and happenings, that become your experiences after you have reflected upon them.

Also read: The Best 9 Ways of Dealing with Angry Managers and Win

So, look back at the everyday history of all little actions that make your teamwork effectively. Regain the focus and move forward with a clear picture of what you want from your team.  

4. Building Trust in a Team

Put a lot of unconditional trust in your team. As a manager, you must own the bad.  But ensure that you praise the achievements of your employees.  

Always give credit to your staff with the knowledge that their achievements reflect well on you as well. 

5. Promote the Right People 

Do not promote individuals just because their faces fit the position.  I believe one of the reasons why many of us fail as managers, is because we are too afraid to promote people who are smarter than us.

Incompetent people should not move into positions way above their abilities. Promotions should only depend on the ability to do the job, not favouritism.

Individuals with a lot of potentials must not get passed over for promotions. They will not be happy to see a lazy coworker gets promoted, and that will alienate your team.

6. Manage Poor Performance

Being a good manager does not necessarily mean you have to be everyone’s friend.  It is important you set clear, credible expectations and hold people accountable.  

Fail to hold lazy individuals accountable for their feeble contribution not only demoralizes your best performers but undermines the overall team performance.

If any of your staff is underperforming, talk to the person, but with a performance improvement plan in mind.  Make sure you do it face-to-face and ensure that the person understands your concerns.

It is also essential that you grant your staff freedom to say why they are not performing to your expectations.  So, give the individuals plenty of time to say something, and then move on together with the improvement plan.

7. Demand but with Fairness

You can be demanding, but not a manager who screams, yells, and dictates orders to the team.  Being a demanding manager means to be specific of what you want or expect from your team members.  

Spell out your demands to them very clearly, so they can deliver what you want.  Be fair and inspire your team members through respect because all that you want is for them to keep improving and producing excellent results consistently.

Remember that it is your job to create the right work environment that makes team members become accountable for their work.

Read more: Everyone is Failing to Do About High Performers at Work

8. Respect your Employees 

The workplace is not supposed to be a hotbed of repression and bullying.  So, one thing you must avoid is to bully your staff.

Yelling and prodding are the hallmarks of bad managers, who think that people cannot work without micromanaging them.  Good employees can analyze issues and make decisions without a manager.  So, avoid thinking that your staff cannot think for themselves because they can.

Don’t fall into the temptation of becoming authoritarian.  Being dictatorial is one of the lousy manager traits.  You cannot shout at your employees and expect them to become passionate, creative or instinctively proactive.

If you have to deal with a member of your staff who misbehaves.  It is unnecessary to shout at or fire some in front of everyone.

9. Let it go 

Letting go of “I’m in charge, I make the call” mentality is a big challenge for many of us, primarily when we have worked for too long building up that part of our ego.

Please, let it go. Allow your employees to be in greater control of their work. It is a simple thing to do and will make your management life much more comfortable.

All needed is for you to set the direction, give them the tools, get out of their way – but be available when they need you.

A good team will always jump into action whenever they see an opportunity. They don’t want to wait for orders and are not going to be stopped by their job description.    

10. Give Feedback Constructively 

Avoid those feedback rituals that turn many mangers to look better than professional actors. Your feedback doesn’t need to be fanciful. It just has to be effective.  Don’t fluff your feedback with artificial praise, to suit an individual’s personality. That will help nobody to get better.

11. Always Say Thank you

Anyone who works hard deserves recognition. Therefore, always say thank you to your staff for a job well done, and even when things have not gone their way.

Let your team members know that you appreciate their work and effort.  By doing so, you are boosting their confidence and encouraging them to try even harder.

12. Remain Professional,

Stay professional and focus on the job, making sure at least you get the best out of your contribution.  Don’t be disheartened when your employees don’t recognize some of your contributions to their development and success.  

Understand that developing, nurturing, and mentoring people are thankless tasks.  So, remain delighted for the opportunity to be a supporting tool in their journey.   

What do you think about people with bad management skills? Please feel free to leave your thought in the comment box below