This week we are going to discuss 5 Things Great Managers Do.
Remember, management is the practice of overseeing work, people, process, technology and other resources to maximize effectiveness and get results in an efficient way.
So here are the 5 Things Great Managers Do:
Plan
The big picture for the manager is planning, strategizing and forecasting. What are your goals and objectives? Your team’s goals and objectives? What are your milestones? How will you measure success? How are you going to achieve this? What is your strategy? What makes you different than your competition? In the daily battlefield of business, how do you define winning and how are you going to win?
Organize
You have to build a team, organize them and communicate your plan to your troops. Building your team includes evaluating your personnel’s strengths, weaknesses, desires and personal goals, and identifying what skill gaps your organization has and what type of people you want to recruit. One of the most difficult jobs for a manager is making sure the right people are in the right positions, for the organization and for themselves. Then organizing the team means you have to get them all on the same page, moving in the same direction and open to the new challenges that are part of your plan.
Train
Along the way you have to make sure your team, existing members and new hires, are prepared to handle their daily challenges and responsibilities. This is accomplished through training, to improve their knowledge & skills, help them understand how to do their job and even prepare them for their next role in the company. Training is not a one-shot deal and then they are done, the best training is continuous, helps your team grow & learn new skills so they can increase their value, make better decisions and have a bigger impact on the company in the future.
Direct
Then, as the commander, you have the power to oversee, guide and direct your people. This means you point them in the right direction, with the appropriate guidance, to help your team accomplish the planned goals and objectives by using your available resources efficiently and effectively.
Deliver
Finally, you have to monitor the progress and make sure you are meeting your goals and delivering the desired results, because you have to get things done using the resources you have available, including your people. And, while you don’t have to do all of the work yourself, the responsibility for your team’s success falls on your shoulders.
As a general manager, after you create the plan, organize your team, train them on what needs to be done, point them in the right direction and monitor their progress, you can use systems and processes to run the business without you having to be on top of every decision, minimizing the potential for a bottleneck in the operation.
