Blog Post contributed by Nolan Knight
All managers have a particular style of managing. In order to be effective as a manager you must also understand that you have strengths that relate directly to your management style as well as weaknesses that parallel with this style.
We break management into four different styles. Each of these has a specific “Don’t” that you should be aware of and avoid.
Management Style: Dominant (Results Oriented)
Don’t be tyrannical. Being a tyrant or having the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde syndrome is a very immature, dominant response to having authority. If you have to force someone or shout at them, then either you don’t know what you’re doing or the employee is in the wrong job. This style should enforce the Non-Negotiables while at the same time, allowing your employees to develop.
Management Style: Influential (Highly Inspirational and Motivated)
Don’t expect everyone to be a cheerleader. This leader often thinks everyone is or should be a cheerleader just as they are. You shouldn’t treat everyone like you want to be treated. Treat them like they want to be treated. This style should expect everyone to come to work in a professional mood but not to be a cheerleader.
Management Style: Steady (Laid Back)
Don’t be so laid back. If you are so laid back that you don’t hold meetings and you don’t hold people accountable, then you’ll let the so called inmates run the asylum. This is the “sweep everything under the rug” manager. The opposite side of this is the Tyrant. The “let’s all get along and sing Kumbaya” approach leads to poor performance as well. This style should focus on the daily one-on-one meetings and holding employees accountable in those meetings.
Management Style: Compliant (Highly Technical)
Don’t make robots out of people. This is the manager that makes everything a rule. It’s ok to be technical but it’s not ok to expect everyone around you to be a robot. Don’t be so technical that you have a rule for every possible scenario that comes up in your department. This behavior can also seem very tyrannical to people. If you give employees a checklist of 30 things to do everyday, they will consider it micro-managing. This style should focus on the 9 successes instead of blowing the 1 failure out of proportion, i.e., mountain out of a molehill.
All four of these “Don’ts” is a sign of immaturity as manager. It’s critical to understand the weaknesses that go along with the strengths that you have in order to get a clear picture of “Understanding Your Limits”, which is the number one thing to “get” as far as managing goes.
Great blog Nolan!