On Being a Better Manager

Other Side of the Door, I think, will become a bit of journal of mistakes and missteps I see executives, directors, managers, and supervisors making as they walk the halls of their organizations.  These are the things that affect employee morale, employee production, employee satisfaction - which impact your bottom line!

I was an executive director, a director, a manager and a supervisor at different points in the my life.  I spent a large chunk of my professional life climbing that ladder in libraries. I worked for a state library, a community college library and even a K-12 school library. I was the supervisor for an Intermediate School District in their Educational Technology department.  I was, also, the Executive Director for a non-profit educational association.

In taking a hiatus from that work - where I thought it would be great to "just" do the work that needed to be done - to be that cog in the wheel, I am surprised by how much I expect of those managing me.  Even worse is how disappointed I am in them!

The fact is, I look back and realize how little knew what it looked like from the other side of the door (in my case, it is the proverbial door -  I never had a door in any of those jobs).

So, I want to begin today's post by addressing the people who worked with me over the years!  I am so sorry!  I know that as a young supervisor as well as a more seasoned director, I made so many mistakes - many of which I am certain I will address here. When I offended (as I am certain, I did) you and your abilities to do your job, when I stepped on your toes in my ever clumsy manner, when I did not share information you needed to do your work, and for every time I assumed too much, I apologize from the bottom of my heart. There is not one of you I regret knowing (although, I suspect there are few of you who regret ever having met me!).  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do for your organizations.

Managers - Listen more than you talk

 

When I left college, my first job was (and, yes, this will date me) helping a library convert their "card catalog" to electronic format.  My desk was in the part of the library office where all the support staff were located. I have a very vivid memory of one of the secretaries (this was before the phrase administrative assistant was coined) who had applied for a job that would have been a promotion for her.  When she came back after the interview, she was asked how the interview went.  I wish I had understood importance of her response 30 years ago. "I really like [the library director's name]. I always leave her office feeling like she really heard me and understood my point of view. Whether she hires me or not, I felt like she really listened to me."

It is so easy, as the 'manager' to think you must have all the answers all the time.  While I would like to say young managers make that mistake more often experienced ones, I know better.  I know I thought having all the answers was expected of me.  I was supposed to have all the answers, all the time - that's why I was hired, right?   Putting that expectation on yourself is unreasonable and unhealthy. And, no one - no one - has all the answers.  Period.

A sign of self-confidence is a willingness to listen to how other people see an issue, how they do their work, to ask questions about process or procedure (please notice that I did not say, "to question a process or procedure) to learn about how things are done and to listen more than you talk.  You will be amazed at what you learn - and how much good-will you will be developing.  There will be another post, soon, about thinking you can know everything.

For  now, embrace that you were hired, most likely, because of a skill set your employer felt you had - not that you would have all of the answers all of the time.  You will build a better team and have more engaged and productive employees by learning from them rather than dictating to them.

Cheers!

Maggie