Please note the following article is based on personal reflections and experience – not a generic rule.
How many of us can say they truly LOVE their job? When you look at the stats, you realize most of us “like” it to a certain extent, as there will always be some imperfections when it comes to our work life. Sometimes, it is because of the work itself, other times it can be associated to the people you work with or the person you report to. This year, with some departmental changes at Big Bang ERP, I realized your manager makes a huge difference in your overall productivity and motivation at work.
In order to understand how a manager affects your happiness at work, it is crucial to define what a good manager is first. In my opinion, there are four factors that should be taken into consideration when evaluating a manager’s skills: organization, feedback, setting an example and consistency.
Get Organized
Organization is crucial in being a good manager. There is no way your employees will understand what you mean if you do not clearly set it up in your mind, or using a tool, first. An organized manager gives more than the impression of being in control – they are on top of any task they give and if needed, they can step in and do the work themselves. Your employees will feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you are confident with your choices and you follow a certain process. Structure is extremely important in order to promote growth.
Give Constructive Feedback
Feedback is the most important part of a job. After all, we are constantly looking to expand our knowledge and learning is a big part in reaching our full potential, otherwise wouldn’t we just sit at home doing contract work in our sweatpants? However, the delivery is just as important as the comment itself. We are all human, which means we have a certain sensitivity when it comes to criticism. It is very important to remember that when giving your employee a remark. Nobody’s perfect, but there is always a way to get the message across. Your employee will respect you a lot more if you present your feedback constructively, and they will feel motivated to change. Do not forget to state the positive points as well. It will make your employee more likely to accept your criticism.
Lead by Example
I have noticed that employees tend to repeat their managers’ behavior (i.e. “follow the leader). Most of the time, your employees will look up to you and will thrive to be able to have the same position someday as they advance in their career. This means you need to make sure to set a good example and be a good role model to your employees. There are endless things you can do to ensure this, as long as you keep in mind that your employees are likely to imitate your behavior eventually. If there is a certain thing you do not want your employees to do, try to set the tone from the top down. No one is expecting to have a perfect manager, but your team will have a lot more respect for you and you will establish a long term trusting relationship if they see you are leading the way by example.
Be Consistent
Whatever managing style you use, make sure you stick to it and you stay consistent but leave room to adapt to the team reporting to you – each person is unique in how they are best communicated to. It is very confusing for an employee to put up with mood swings, and it is important you avoid them as much as possible. Consistency has allowed people to maintain long professional relationships and it should definitely be respected in order to maximize happiness and synergy at work.
How do all these factors impact the overall efficiency? It should be pretty obvious at this point. A good manager inspires. He or she ensures the employee is comfortable where he or she is and offers advice and feedback when necessary. A good manager teaches but knows they are not above learning something new themselves . It is important to adapt to different situations and to empower your employees because you know they might know better as they have fresher minds and varying experience. By giving your employee the guidance they need and checking in often with them, without having to jeopardize your own management style and values, you are creating a recipe for success.
At the end of the day, your employees are a reflection of your management style and decisions and it is important you give them the treatment they deserve in order to get positive results. By contributing to the work life happiness of your employee, you are indirectly contributing to the overall success of your company because they will have the motivation to do a great job and impress you – which will increase productivity and revenue, by association. We say at Big Bang, it is not what you do but who you work with and for. Have you found your place? Consider visiting our Career section of the website to see if you can join our team.
