To be an outstanding manager

"Often the judgement is based on how well the people is performing in the currently assigned task. The best performer doesn't always make the best manager, although many companies still make the choice on that basis.

The theory is that successful past performance is the best indicator of future success. So the fact that an employee is a good performer doesn't necesarily mean the person will be a successfull manager.

Manager need to focus on people, not just tasks. They need to rely on others, not just be self-reliant. Managers are also team oriented and big picture oriented whereas nonmanagers succeed by being individually oriented and detail oriented.

Management is not for everyone. 

Far too many organizations still use the "swim or sing" method of management training. All employees who move into supervisory positions must figure it out on their own. This method assumes that everyone intuitively knows how to manage. They don't. Managing people is crucial to the success of any organization, but in too many cases, it is left to chance.

Managing your mood

If an outside problem is gnawing at you and you need to deal with an employee in a critical situation there is nothing wrong saying to the employee, "Look I'm really not in the greatest mood today. if I seem a little irritated, I hope you'll forgive me." This kind od candor is refreshing to a subordinate.

Managing your feelings

To be an outstanding manager of people, you must care about people. That doesn't mean taking a missionary or social worker approach toward them, but if you enjoy their company and respect their feelings, you'll be more effective in your job than the supervisor who is mostly "thing oriented".

It's not a good idea to be the kind of manager who is never bothered by anything- a person who never seems to feel great joy, great sorrow, or great anything. people will not identify with you if they believe you disguise all your feelings. 

Building trust and confidence (not an easy task)

Building confidence is a gradual process. One of your main goals is to develop the trust and confidence of your employees both in their own abilities and in their opinion of you. They must have confidence that you are competent at your job and that you are fair.

Confidence is built on success, so give your people horses they can ride.

Occasionally a team member will perform a task incorrectly. How you handle these situations has a great impact of the confidence of employees. Never correct them in front of others. According to the old credo, "Praise in public, criticize in private." The adage still has a lot of management truth in it.

You can also build confidence by involving your people in some of the decision-making processes. Without delegating any of your supervisory responsabilities to them, allow them to have some major input into matters that affect them.

The Evils of perfectionism

Some employees will become so self-conscious about making a mistake that they slow their performance down to a crawl to make absolutely certain they don't screw up. As a result, production goes way down and employees lose confidence.