What makes a good manager?

Question

What do you think makes a good manager? I am currently an Assistant Manager for a retail store and am looking to improve myself and my performance!

Answer 1

What makes a good manager.

Good Communicator:
Are your employees informed? Is your boss informed?
Do you listen actively to your boss, employees, and customers??

Professional:
Do the employees respect you or do act like "one of the guys"

Mission-Driven:
Is the goals of your company your goals?

Honesty:
Do you tell the truth to your boss, customers, and employees?

Detail Orientated:
Do you do your work "by the book" or cut corners?

Friendly:
Do you come in positive for your employees and customers or you act like a grump?

Positive:
Do you tell employees: "This is new policy that will help you and the store" OR do you say "Here is ANOTHER dumb policy change we HAVE to do"?

Creative:
Do have creative ideas and do you share them?

Decisive:
Can you tell when it is a decision to made by you or a decision that you need to have your boss involved with?
Can you make good decisions and stand behind them. Can you make bad decisions, lean from them, and not make them again?

Answer 2

I have been a Manager of both a retail store and a Property Manager of over 500 apartments. I belive the thing that makes you a good Manager is being fair and respectful of your employees. Don't ask them to do anything you would not do your self, show up on time, be a good role model and lead by example. Also really spend the time to understand your duites & don't complain about the position to your employees who might very likely want if for them selves. Be honest and accept your faults being able to admit when you are wrong will go along why to earning the respect of your employees. The hardest part of being a Manager is not to manage the work but to manage the staff & if you have a good team that works hard for you the work is much easier to get done.

Answer 3

A good manager is there when you need them. They give you the freedom to do your job without looking over your shoulder. They remove obsticles that get in the way of getting the job done. They shield their employees from corporate politics. They are focussed on the getting the job done and not necessarily how the employees do that. They coach and mentor their subordinates and help develop them and encourage them to be the best they can be...even if this means losing them to other positions within the organization. A good manager is resourceful and well respected throughout the organization. Has great communication skills. An ineffective manager plays political games. They micromanage their employees and how their employees do their jobs. An ineffective manager doesn't get along with their peers and senior management. An ineffective manager would rather hold onto a subordinate than let them progress in their careers. Ineffective managers lack communication and people skills.

Answer 4

not confusing management with leadership.
Systems need managed, people need leadership. Therefore, you need a good system in place to manage and promote leadership.
Read Deming and the 14 points.

Answer 5

The ability to establish connections with people is probably the most critical skill. You have to be able to lead your workers and at the same time not generate resentment by being bossy. Try to build closer connections with those you supervise: talk to them about their work, observe them performing their tasks and give helpful suggestions, check in once in a way to see if they have questions, etc. Be accessible.
Hope this helps. =)

Answer 6

A good Manager is someone who is a good listener, proactive in dealing with issues and not afraid to get in the trenches with his/her coworkers.

Answer 7

tried to organize my dept in a way that if I were out.sick, vacation,whatever, I would not be missed.
i did not want to return to come in to a mess.
I detested calling someone and hearing "Mr J is out sick ( or vacation) and we;re behind,could I call back,etc etc... excuses, excuses.
I had my departments structured so that if I were out and someone called, it's going to be "Mr J is out today, but I can help you."
Look around, who there is capable of showing some leadership and is capable of accepting responsibility without being asked..Cultivate him, he could sure take a lot of BS off your hands.

Answer 8

A manager is judged by what he can provide not by what he can withhold