Great Managers Make Mistakes Too

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." Ralph Waldo Emerson recognized that people, including managers, are judged by their words and their actions. All great managers delegate, communicate and teach. But many good managers, when faced with tough deadlines, make decisions detrimental to the attitude and performance of their key employees.

1. How many times have you rewarded an employee who has a great attitude and is a star performer by assigning him projects that only Superman or Wonder Woman could complete successfully? You trust your "go to" employees to get the job done right. It is unrealistic to think you will stop assigning your key employees the messier projects. However, recognizing and rewarding those hard fought battles is important. In addition to all the difficult projects, give your "go to" employee some clients he enjoys and a few projects with some easy wins. Not everyone wants to fight fires all the time.
2. Have you ever been in a hurry and delegated a project without much instruction or thought? When the employee returned with the project, did you totally change the direction of the project or the manner of the solution? Spend a little time up front communicating the project direction with the employee. The streamlined process will leave the employee feeling good about the job, instead of defeated.
3. Do you reward poor performance? If you have a squeaky wheel, is it easier to give in to his demands while ignoring the same issue with other employees?
4. How are you communicating? Do you ask for opinions and then ignore them? Do you fail to ask for opinions? Take the time to share the big picture with your employees so that they are motivated and learn more from the project. Your actions speak louder than your words. Don't let the pressure of your job undermine your great management style.

Find HR Dallas, LLC at www.hrdallas.com or call LK Greer, President, at 972-490-0570.