There and Back Again

Listening: Tonight I Wanna Cry (Keith Urban)
Pondering: I don’t think a manager should be judged by whether he wins the pennant, but by whether he gets the most out of the twenty-five men he’s been given. (Chuck Tanner)

One of the traits a good manager should have is the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. In my review of feuding cases between employees and managers, I can’t count how many times a small misunderstanding could have been resolved if the manager had the decency to watch his/her mouth – like a good manager should. If only managers had the decency to review their email before clicking the “send” button, a number of disputes could have been avoided.

But some managers are just not meant to be managers. Never had skills; never will have the skills to become successful in such a crucial position. Some managers only got to where they were because they know the right people. Being Administration’s favorite doesn’t make you a good manager. If anything, it makes you the worse kind because no one will ever believe you got to where you are because of sheer skills. Some managers become managers because they are technically savvy in the area of operation they are assigned to. Technical expertise doesn’t necessarily make you a good manager – it should be balanced out with people skills.

In my ideal world, managers think before they act and are sensitive to the feelings of their subordinates. Not be the first one to say the stupidest thing. A manager should be empathetic to the needs of his/her staff but at the same time, he/she should not let emotion get the best of everything. A manager knows when to lead and when to follow and most importantly, he/she must know how to recognize a problem and address it before it becomes a full-blown pain-in-the-ass.