Linda Ferguson asked:
You have finally done it. You have left the front lines and been given your first job in management. Now what? The world - and your workplace - can look quite different from the other side of the desk. Whether you are working with a team you already know or you have landed in a brand new workplace, here are five practical tips for making the transition like a pro.
1. Listen. Managers are more likely to be judged by how well they listen than by how well they communicate. Great leaders are great listeners. You probably remember that one of the key frustrations of being on the front lines was the difficulty you had in finding a manager who would listen to you. Now you are on the other side, begin by listening actively to all the people around you. Listening means encouraging people to talk to you by engaging them non-verbally, allowing them to speak uninterrupted, and then repeating back some of their words to show that you have heard them. Offering back their own words also has the advantage of showing you were listening without committing you to agreeing with them or to acting on what they have said.
2. Find common ground. Your role as a manager is to discover the common ground between what you are hearing around you (from your peers), what you are hearing from your staff, and what you are hearing from senior managers. On any given day, lots of people may be eager to explain differences to you - they will tell you why there is no common ground. They will be wrong. There is always common ground and it is your job to identify it so that you can build on it.
3. Check in with yourself periodically. It is great to begin the day by setting objectives and to take time out at regular intervals to notice how well you are meeting larger objectives and longer-range plans. More than this, however, it is important to stop for a few seconds and notice your own instinctive reactions and understanding within a given situation. As a new manager, you will regularly be pulled into situations you do not fully understand and you will regularly be asked to make decisions based on information that you do not yet have or have not yet understood. Check in with yourself and notice that sometimes you can make a good decision without more thought, and sometimes you need to get more information even if it makes someone else unhappy.
4. Appreciate strengths in yourself and the people around you. To appreciate a strength means that you notice it, you evaluate it, and you express appreciation for it. When you appreciate a particular strength in a member of your team, you will offer thanks or praise in the best way possible. You will let someone know that you have noticed something they do well and that you have noticed how that particular strength is useful in accomplishing your team’s objectives. This kind of precisely-targeted appreciation allows your team to replicate strengths (because they understand exactly what is valued), provides motivation, and provides appropriate limits to your praise.
5. Find a role model and notice what works for that person. A model is not the same as a mentor: you do not need to find someone willing to dedicate time and effort to making you better and you do not have to commit yourself to following direction before you know whether the directions given will work for you. When you identify a role model, you observe that person at work and appreciate the behaviors and attitudes that allow that person to get the results s/he gets. You look, listen, and imagine what it would be like to act in the same way. Observing a role model will help you notice what you already know about being a good manager, what strengths you already have, and where change is likely to make you more effective.
Your first months and years in management are bound to be confusing: information and demands will be made on you from many different directions and you will get used to not being able to fully anticipate everything you need to handle. If you practice these tips once in a while, you will feel that you are making progress in developing the new skill set you need. If you cycle through these tips several times every day, you will find that you step so naturally into the role of manager that you are already on your way to your next promotion.
Akhil Shahani asked:
Leaders say “… this is where we are going”. Managers say “… this is how we are going to get there.”
So are you a manager or a leader? Although the terms are used interchangeably, they are two different faces of the same coin. Knowing whether you are more of a leader or a manager will help build self-confidence. This will result in a greater impact when dealing with others and running your business in general. Let us now understand the difference between managers and leaders.
a) Contrasting personalities:
Managers emphasize wisdom and power; they are problem-solvers focusing on organizational goals, resources, people etc. They have foresight and are capable of resolving issues. They are hard working, analytical, tolerant, persistent and kind towards others. Yawn!
Leaders are alleged as brilliant, but are often lonely animals. They believe in achieving self-control before they try controlling others. Leaders can envision a purpose and inspire others to work towards it. They are passionate and imaginative and are natural risk takers. Somewhat like the king of the jungle.
b) Differing attitudes:
A key difference between managers and leaders is in their attitude towards organizational goals. Managers adopt a passive attitude toward goals, since they are usually not the ones that set them. A manager views goals more as a necessity to be dealt with, rather than a desire to be fulfilled. Managers occupy themselves with existing and current issues. Hence, they are usually found reacting to new situations as they happen, rather than anticipating them.
Leaders, on the other hand, are proactive since they are far more focused on the future. They generate new ideas and have a personal commitment towards realizing them. Leaders are change agents, and can transform existing attitudes and beliefs.
c) Varying work orientation:
Managers view work as a process to get things done. They are clever at plotting strategies and making efficient decisions. Managers will rarely upset the applecart, and will therefore play a balancing role as far as possible. That means that they can reconcile opposing views, and empathize with most people.
Leaders tend to view work as a bit of a bore. Their dislike for the mundane drives them to develop new approaches to long-standing problems. Quite often, they’ll set the cat among the pigeons by throwing open debate on issues that people feel strongly about. Leader can bind others towards common ideals and raise expectations all round. The biggest difference between managers and leaders lies in their risk taking ability. No prizes for guessing who can take how much.
d) Divergent interpersonal skills:
Managers are a collaborative breed, preferring to work with others. However, they maintain a low level of emotional involvement in their work relationships. Again, the manager’s affinity for stability is reflected in the fact that he will attempt to resolve differences, make compromises, and establish a power equation.
The difference between managers and leaders is once again underscored in the way they deal with others. Leaders, if they work at all, are more likely to do it alone. At the same time they are sensitive, intuitive people concerned about the impact their decisions could have on employees. Despite that, a leader will usually elicit strong feelings from followers - both favorable and otherwise. This is fine by them, since they do like to maintain a healthy dose of turbulence in their relationships.
e) Opposing sense of self:
Managers are at peace with the world. They identify closely with their environment and believe that their role is to ensure a continuation of the way things are. Their sense of self is derived strongly from the values they cherish - fulfillment of duties and responsibilities and promoting harmony in their surroundings are central to it. Managers are comfortable acting as conservators of the existing order of affairs.
In marked contrast, leaders view themselves as quite separate from their environment. Their lives are all about trying to find a sense of order, in what they perceive to be a chaotic world. Despite being part of social groups, they never really have a sense of belonging. Their need for change is again reflected in their perception of their role in society - which is to act as a change-agent or reformer.
While it is terribly obvious that there is a difference between managers and leaders in virtually every aspect of their personality, what is not, is the fact that both are equally necessary for the overall development of an organization. Any team composition must have a healthy mix of leaders and managers, which will ensure that their complementary strengths work in the greater interest of the organization. It’s also a fact that both managers and leaders can be built, or at least improved, and that’s what training resources from walkthetalk.com, training-games.com and mindtools.com aim to do.
James Gehrke asked:
Kotter argues that leadership and management are complimentary yet different. He believes that organizations that develop and promote leadership skills will out perform those who emphasize management skills since organizations with leaders will be able to adapt to the changing market place.
My multinational business experience in Europe confirms that organizations who emphasize leadership skills are greatly valued. The Turkish organization, while a less developed organization than others in Europe, was known as a breading ground of global leaders. The country manager, like Kotter describes, gave young managers the opportunity to lead teams, then laterally moved them to other departments in order to broaden their exposure and experience in developing strong leadership skills rather than deep departmental skills.
This example demonstrates the value of leadership skills. Still, leadership is only one role that a manager plays and not a completely separate skill set. I disagree that “people cannot manage and lead” (Kotter, 2001). While the leadership role may be growing in importance, the other management roles are also important. Without balance a leader/manager may not fully benefit the organization. For example, long term planning certainly needs the vision of a leader, but management skills must also be used to organize the teams in ways to meet that vision. Furthermore, a leader/manager must have the communication and motivation skills to align and motivate, as well as the organizational and team building skills to ensure the team is organized and developed in ways to meet future challenges.
Because I see leadership as one of the roles a manager plays, I consider myself a leader/manager and not one or the other. In all the leadership roles I have been given I have needed leadership skills to lead the people as well as skills to manage the business. The two roles are not mutually exclusive.
Kotter, J.P. (2001). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review. 79(11), 85 - 96.
Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations (6th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ Prentice Hall.
Tony Jacowski asked:
There are so many managers out there in positions of authority who make terrible managers and are definitely not the greatest managers in the world. Because of this, truly brilliant managers are always in demand - and if you happen to be a great manager, then expect to earn more than your peers.
Different Types Of Managers
The first type of manager is the bad manager who doesn’t last in any position of authority for too long. They behave erratically and don’t understand how to manage and effectively guide their teams, or know how to produce results. They always mix their ego in with their job functions and have extremely high turnover rates for their team members - and thus, their careers.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few bad managers in top positions today. Perhaps this is the biggest reason why companies make so many operational errors and don’t realize why there is low morale throughout the company.
The second type of manager is the good manager. These are the ‘B’ and ‘C’ students in their professions. These managers are quite knowledgeable and know enough to get the job done properly and produce outstanding results. But, good managers can never do better than this - even if they wanted to. Of course, good managers are a notch above the bad ones and their turnover rate isn’t that drastic, but they certainly never see the overall picture or exceed expectations.
Good managers are often happy to stay in the position they already are in. However, they are honest and reliable and form an essential part of the organization. Everyone loves good managers and they are a precious tool to boost the spirit and morale of their employees.
The Great Manager - Not An Oxymoron
However, the highest-level managers are the great managers. Great managers tend to exceed expectations consistently and have a clear perception of what it is that they want and how to deliver it. These are the company’s heroes who produce over and over again. Since they understand how to motivate, delegate and follow up, they can achieve almost anything - and that too, with much less energy spent.
Without great managers it would be practically impossible to get any work done. And long-term goals would never be accomplished. They are the captains of the ship, sailing their beloved ships into uncharted waters but still knowing where they are headed. Great managers know exactly how to get the job done and to be a success. Since they are born winners, they feel that any misjudgment or mistake can be overcome with the right plan of action.
Great managers are rare and precious assets that most organizations cherish, as they are the ones who generate revenue for the organization. They have the ability to think outside the box and are unafraid of taking new and untested actions. What’s more, they aren’t afraid of ruffling a couple of feathers in order to get work done. Without great managers there wouldn’t be any economy or successful businesses to speak of.
Brendan O'Brien asked:
Finding a good property manager is like any other vendor search - it’s worth your time up front to make the best possible choice. That’s because a bad manager can cost you a lot of money, up to the entire value of your rental property investment. Consider:
o Your property manager will be receiving rent and fees on your behalf. A crooked manager could steal you blind.
o Your manager will be in charge of finding new tenants. A na?ve or slipshod manager could bring in bad tenants who trash your building.
o Your manager will handle maintenance. A greedy manager could charge a fortune for simple repair jobs.
Here’s a thirty-question checklist for interviewing prospective property managers. The answers you get will provide a very solid understanding of each manager’s qualifications. You can also get an impression of a prospective manager from other cues - I’ll explain those at the end.
Finally, remember that you have to compare managers to others within an area. It’s possible that none of the prospective managers in one city will match the high standard of your terrific manager in another. On the other hand, if you can’t find a good manager in a city where you plan to invest in real estate, maybe you shouldn’t invest there.
The first questions have to do with finding good tenants, which I think is the key to a happy building. A building with good tenants tends to have fewer maintenance and other issues.
o How many vacancies do you have right now? Out of how many total units that you manage?
o What is the average length of time it takes to fill a vacancy?
o Is that average time getting longer or shorter?
o How do you market your rental units?
o Do you require an exclusive arrangement for marketing to new tenants?
o How does your web site look?
o What factors would make you reject a prospect?
o Would you accept a tenant who met your qualifications in some areas, but not others?
o Which qualifications are most important to you?
o What screening methods do you use?
You want a manager who finds good tenants reasonably quickly. He should use a variety of methods to find prospective tenants, such as a web site, Craigslist postings, newspaper ads, signs, flyers and more. Your manager should follow an extensive screening process, but be willing to accept a “maybe” tenant if the situation is right. You want a look at the web site to make sure that is inviting to prospective tenants, and constantly updated.
As for the exclusive arrangement, property managers never mind when you or somebody else finds prospects for them. However, in almost all cases, they will still want a rental fee for moving the prospect into your rental unit. Make sure you have a clause that if the unit hasn’t been rented for some time, and you or someone else you find brings in a new tenant, the rental fee is cut in half. You don’t want it cut to $0 because the manager will still have to screen prospects.
The next questions relate to tenant management. It’s just as important to keep good tenants as it is to find them.
o What does your lease look like?
o What is your late rent policy?
o What other rules do you set for tenants?
o What percentage of tenants do you have to evict?
o How does the eviction process work here?
o How do your tenants contact you?
I recommend sticking with the manager’s preferred lease, late rent policy, and rules unless you have a really major objection. If the manager is really experienced, chances are they’ve developed smart rules and policies over time. Tenants should be able to contact the manager through a variety of ways during the day, and have an emergency number for off hours. If the manager is always evicting tenants, he’s bringing in bad tenants.
The next questions relate to maintenance.
o Which kinds of maintenance jobs are handled in-house?
o Which ones do you use an outside handyman for?
o Which ones do you use professional contractors for?
o How many quotes do you get for jobs?
o How expensive does a job have to be for you to contact me before doing it?
o What are your rules for contractors being inside occupied rental units?
o Who are your preferred contractors?
Managers should have a well-thought-out system for assigning jobs to different parties - in-house employees, handyman and professional contractors. Almost any plumbing, heating, or electrical job should be handled by a professional. Other jobs, such as paving a parking lot, require special equipment that usually only professionals have. But most small jobs can be done by handymen who will cost you less.
You want multiple quotes for major jobs - say, anything over $500. You should also have a rule that contractors can never enter an occupied unit -even if the tenant is not home at the time - without a manager’s representative being there. Finally, you want the names of preferred contractors so you can run a quick check on them.
The last group of questions relates to experience. You want managers to know the local real estate world inside and out.
o How long have you been a property manager?
o How long have you been a manager in this area?
o Can I see some of the other properties you manage?
o Do you personally invest in real estate in this area?
Finally, you need to understand your arrangement with the property manager.
o What is your fee structure?
o How will I get reports?
o Do you require an exclusive arrangement to broker the property?
o How much notice will you give before terminating a contract?
The manager’s fees aren’t really important unless they are much higher than everybody else’s, or are so high that you really can’t afford them. Reports are very important because they are your only window into how your investments are performing. The best way is to get them on your own computer, on your time - as may be the case if they use on-line property management software.
You should not accept any exclusive arrangement to broker properties unless they have a limited term. In other words, if the properties don’t sell after a certain time, you can re-list with a different broker for no penalty.
Also, you should require good notice for the contract to be terminated - at least 30 days. That gives you time to find another manager.
Here are some other things to watch out for:
o A manager with a messy office or personal appearance. Chances are he doesn’t much care about the condition of the properties either.
o A manager you have a hard time reaching by phone or email. If he won’t return your messages now when he’s trying to get your business, what are the chances that he’ll do better later?
o A manager whom you sense is trying to intimidate you with knowledge. The “don’t ask stupid questions, I know all about this” approach is often a cover for not really knowing much at all.
Mike D Tucker asked:
If you get harassing or unknown calls and want to find out who has been calling, here are some tips for tracking cell phone calls. Prank callers think they are safe by using a cell phone, but they are wrong.
There is nothing more annoying then getting constant prank calls or hang ups. You get their number and call them back only to get their default voice mail, no answer or they pick up and don’t say anything. Ever have this happen to you? Well there is a way to turn the tables on the unknown caller.
Using a reverse call search service will tell you the identity of any phone number. It will work for any landline, cell, pay phone, business phone and even some pre-paid cells. You can try Google first. Just enter phone: 555-555-5555 and hit search (of course you will want to replace this with the unknown callers number.) If you do not get any info back you will have no other choice than to use a paid phone search service.
There are a lot of so called free services out there but they are pretty worthless. All the free ones use the same data base, so if one does not work the other ones will not either. Or they take you through the whole process then want you to pay for the good info. If you use one of the top paid directories to start with you will be amazed at the info you can get back on any number.
Insert the prank caller’s number and you can find out their name, address, service provider, and in some cases, where they work, relatives, marriage records, court and criminal records, financial records and more. Just imagine the shock on their face when you call them back and start reading off all the info you have on them. I can almost guarantee you will never get a call from them again. This will scare most people off.
If not you have all the info you need to file a report on them or take legal action, no need to change your phone number. Once you are a member of a good paid look up service you will find yourself looking up friends, coworkers, boyfriends, girlfriends. See what they have been hiding.
You used to have to hire a private investigator to get this information but now anyone can get access to the same info. All services are not created equal however, so do your research before joining.
Michael Russell asked:
Very simply, a project manager is the person who takes responsibility for everything. This is not to say “the one who does everything”. It is not too likely that a project manager even has the skill sets that would make her capable of doing everything that need to be done for a project. She’s simply the place where the buck stops. Have you been watching The Apprentice? When a project fails, who is the person most likely to hear “You’re fired!” Unless she is exceptionally good a deflecting blame, it is the Project manager!
So what skill set does a successful project manager really need? One skill or art is the ability to be a good team leader. Among other things, a project manager requires an inquiring mind. You must be able to gather information from the right people and to assimilate this information quickly in order to make projections and wise decisions. All this is needed in order to plan and develop a project. Plan, plan, review and plan. If you are not good at planning and scheduling in detail, you might want to reconsider being a project manager. Often a project manager must also present and sell the plan to her manager and /or customer. Thus good presentation skills are also needed.
Once decisions are made, she must maintain vision while also maintaining an impartial view of progress and making proper adjustments all while keeping the team motivated, updated, focused and within budget and time restraints. Decisiveness does not mean stubbornly proceeding in a direction deemed to be ineffectual. Constant quality assurance and quality control is essential. Quality is a team process and should be part of the project plan and schedule. Good pre-planning with the team should eliminate or nearly eliminate ineffectual actions. The project manager is in charge of maintaining scope of the project, writing the plan and maintaining change forms. Within the plan she must define project objectives and steps for reaching those objectives, describe the deliverables, manage the processes and avoid scope creep. She and the team must identify risks, have a contingency plan and be able to execute the contingency plan if needed. Changes in scope made in conjunction with the client must be agreed upon, priced and documented.
In order to be a good leader, a project manager needs to be able to evaluate a team’s strengths…and weaknesses as well as the individual team member’s and use this information to get the best results out of the team. Diplomacy mixed with well timed assertiveness (not aggressiveness) serves a project manager well. A project manager must develop a clear line of communication with and within the team. Developing and maintaining a schedule is something that, while the responsibility of the manager, should include team members in order to have bought in to maintaining it.
Project Management Institute (PMI) was developed in 1969. Their premise was that a certain set of skills and actions were needed in any industry in order to be a successful project manager. As a result in 1981 the PMI Board of Directors authorized the development of standards and guidelines for project management. This became know as A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This is reviewed often and should be studied if one plans on pursuing project management as a career.
Mark Stockdale asked:
Asset management represents a concept which people are frequently leery of. Though they do desire their tough earned money to bring forth large yields and interests, folks are not always at ease with the thought of others handling their money. But asset management should not embody something which you have to be scared of. As a matter of fact, it could be pretty rewarding financially because you can disperse your income across various investment products. This is more effective than placing your money in banks where the payoff is not even adequate to fight the rates of inflation of the currency plus the increasing costs of living.
When practiced the correct way, your money can suffice you until your retirement.
Below are a few examples about how to begin and endure asset management.
1. Select your mangager wisely
When employing an asset management individual be sure that you know him or her. If you do not know anyone who can do it for you, invite people to recommend managers which are dependable. Don’t just be satisfied with one referral. Acquire a lot then compare each one to the other. That way, you are able to choose the person which you sense represents the best among the best.
2. Make sure you have a say
A frequent mistake of a lot of people who hire asset management people is when they acquire someone, they wash their hands off the whole thing. Don’t. Demonstrate them that you would like to assume an active role in managing your assets. Don’t give complete control to the manager when it concerns making investment determinations. The ultimate say must be yours.
3. Learn the biz
It’s not adequate that you recognize the goings on of asset management, you likewise need to understand it.
Remember that although you’ve worked with the same individual for a long time or a acquaintance of yours know him personally, he or she could still rob you of your income. Asset management comprises a hazardous and unkind business.
Nazir Daud asked:
Managing a business requires a wide range of skills and experience. All managers will have things that they are good at, and things that they are not. In this article I will examine the key skills that you should look to develop as a manager, and, if you’re an employer, the skills you should expect your managers to possess.
Delegation
All good managers should be able to effectively delegate responsibility to appropriately qualified staff within their business. Good management is about ensuring that a project or goal is successfully achieved, however it rarely means a manager should do it on their own. That’s why they have to be good at picking the right people to do the job, and managing their execution. Being good at delegating can also mean being good at understanding someone’s strengths and weaknesses.
Accountability
A manager should be able to hold themselves accountable for things that they are given management responsibility for within their business. Although it will not always be their fault directly, they should be willing to take responsibility when it’s someone they are directly responsible for that’s failed.
Foster Team Spirit
A good manager will be able to foster a good team spirit, and ensure that everyone is comfortable performing their duties within the team. As a manager will generally be overseeing the execution of a project, rather than doing it directly, they should also be good at planning & evaluating a team’s progress towards the goal they have been assigned responsibility for.
Calm & Collected
If a manager is not able to remain calm during difficult times, it will be hard for their staff to do so. That’s why a manager should be able to show strength during difficult times resisting the temptation to lose mental control when the going gets tough.
Loyalty
It’s important for a manager to show that they are loyal to their staff. This can be done through showing appreciation for things that they do well, and also rewarding them too. If a member of staff is having an issue, a manager that is readily available and genuinely helpful will be able to cement their pivotal role as a leader within the business through addressing this issue quickly, before it gets out of hand.
Respect
It’s important that a manager is respected by staff and other members of the management team. This can be affected by a number of factors, such as: whether or not the manager is good at their job; the way the manager acts towards their employees; their commitment to their job; how the employees perceive the managers out-of-work behaviour, and many more factors.
Distance versus Friendship
Some managers believe it is more important to be friendly with their staff, while others prefer to keep a distance - claiming that if you become too close to your employees, they will expect far too much and take more liberties.
Although there is no right answer, both techniques can work better depending on the type of team that you’re dealing with. When you are working with a self-motivated team, it can often work well to develop a close personal bond with them. However, when your team need more day-to-day management in order to do their job, it might be preferable for them to keep their distance. It is a good idea to analyse each situation accordingly, and work out the best approach to take.
James Robbins asked:
In today’s work environment that ability to be an effective manager is crucial. Surveys have shown that a key factor in an employee’s happiness is their relationship with their direct supervisor. It has also been said that people don’t quit jobs they quit managers. As managers we must continually commit to growth both personally and professionally.
Often the problem is not that we don’t know what to do, the problem is that we do not do it. Take for example the concept of recognition. Everyone knows how important recognition is to employees and we also realize it is the easiest and cheapest thing we can do to inspire, motivate and keep our employees. Yet despite this the average manager gets a failing grade in the department of recognizing and rewarding their employees for a job well done. As leaders we are so trained to fix what’s wrong that we often lose sight of all that is good.
If you desire to change this about your management then you need to use goal setting. Goal setting is really about accountability and habit change when you use them properly. When people set goals, most do not use the proper techniques for goal setting and fail to get the desired results. You cannot set a goal to ‘be a better manager’ or ‘Recognize good work at the office.’ Goals written like this are too vague, give us nothing to measure and are not very motivating.
Let’s say you want to become more rewarding as a boss, here are some examples of goals you can set that are specific, measurable and by committing to them will actually begin to be a part of your normal routine.
1. Everyday find someone who is doing something right and reward them.
2. Each Friday find one employee who has been working very hard lately and recognize them publicly.
3. Schedule one lunch a month with an employee who deserves some special attention
4. In every managers meeting always ask for a list of employees who have done something great which can be recognized. Then recognize everyone on the list within two days.
5. Give each of your managers 5 Reward Tokens and tell them they cannot come back to staff meeting the next week unless they have handed them all out.
The list is only limited by your imagination, but if you choose just one or two of these and commit to them for a period of two months, they will start to become part of your daily routine. Once something becomes part of your routine, it becomes automatic and part of your behavior. Once it becomes part of your behavior, it becomes part of who you are. A manager who excels at rewarding and recognizing employees, is a manager who is going to produce some impressive results.