Be a Better Manager Immediately
Take the Right Actions Now and Improve Management Performance
Feb 14, 2009
Managers can improve results by taking action to improve performance. These actions can be implemented immediately and will yield long-term improvements.
Action: Know the Team
The first step to achieving more as a manager is to really understand the team members, as it’s the team members who deliver the results. A manager’s job is to know the team members' individual strengths and work out how to maximise performance.
Managers who find out what team members really want, and then work out how to help them achieve it whilst still achieving organisational objectives, will be rewarded with an increase in motivation and a subsequent increase in performance.
Action: Manage Expectations
The best managers know what has to be delivered and also, who expects what from the team. Sometimes expectations can be intangible, for example, displaying the right attitude, and these must be met too.
It is important to consider all the people who expect results from the team and also to think about what the team expects of others both within and outside the organisation.
Strong management includes:
- Clarifying unclear expectations
- Challenging any expectations that seem unreasonable
- Agreeing performance criteria
- Planning how the team will achieve and exceed expectations
Action: Be Clear about Goals
Making sure that the strategy and direction are understood and that expectations are agreed means that performance can be measured much more easily and accurately. This means that individuals can take responsibility for achieving their own objectives. The best managers are clear about team direction and goals.
Action: Be a Great Delegator
Great managers have to be great delegators. Learning to delegate well leads to a high-performing team and frees up time for managers to manage rather than do.
One job of management is to ensure that only work which has to be done (work which is required to meet expectations) is actually completed. This means making sure that all delegated tasks really do need doing. Sometimes the best approach is to agree that the work doesn’t need doing at all and removing such work is a management job.
All work can be delegated and the best managers decide to delegate more work than poor managers.
Action: Manage Senior Management
Good managers make time to know their own managers well and understand how best to work with them.
Investing time to understand what senior management wants to achieve helps managers to manage their own teams better and delegate well, which leads to improved performance. Discovering ways to work better with senior management will improve performance at all levels.
Managing and improving performance is a major concern for managers. Taking immediate action will improve performance more quickly and yield longer-term results.
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