How To Be A Good Manager Or Leader

By Peter Buckingham

Peter Buckingham BSc, GradDip (Market Modelling), CMC, CFE, FFCA, MEdPlus, WFA, ACAVic is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis Australia Pty Ltd, the leading demographic analysis and mapping company for schools in Australia. He was also a Federal Director and Victoria / Tasmania President of the Institute of Management Consultants. Peter is contactable by email at:
peterb@spectrumanalysis.com.au or visit spectrumanalysis.com.au.

Many managers want to do everything. They think it is their job to oversee every part of the business, micromanage everyone, undertake the sales of every product, and handle all of the day-to-day operations.

What they don’t do is what they are actually paid the big money for – Manage the Business!

A former boss of mine used to say, “If you have a dog and have to bark yourself…you may as well shoot the dog!” Whilst he was considered a real autocrat, as I look back now, I can see the value in this statement.

In my view a good manager or leader can:

• be strategic
• confidently manage their direct reports
• let their staff do their designated jobs.

I become very frustrated when I see either young managers trying to do too much, or older managers who have probably been over promoted, trying to do the day-to-day business, not the strategic work that is required of their role.

5 points I recognise in a good manager or leader

1. Contactable – can be located by phone or email and will normally give some response. May not always be what you want to hear, but will give a decision, and not over complicate the simple things. More complex issues are handled in a realistic timeframe – but handled.
2. Firm but fair – will call a spade a spade (old saying). Will address an issue and give a reasonable response and not just avoid it and leave issues unresolved.
3. Delegates – happy to hear the issue being raised and has the ability to pass it on to the person whose job it is to handle the issue. Good managers know where the issue lies and manage the person who has to resolve it.
4. Strategic – Understands their job is about long term strategic issues (as well as the day-to-day stuff). Whether they assign a specific time, or just make it their business to handle, a good manager thinks about the longer term of the business, not the immediate crisis.
5. Plans – has a vision for the company, or the part of the business they are responsible for and is always trying to envisage the big picture.

5 points I recognise in a poor manager

1. Complains – Always saying they are overworked, too busy and how could the business run without them!
2. Uncontactable – Rarely answers the phone (always too busy), and even though you leave a message on their voicemail (which tells you that they will call back) – they never do.
3. Indecisive – cannot make a decision and always telling you how this needs to be referred to other people in their department, other managers or a committee of nobodies. They leave issues unanswered and seem to go around in circles.
4. No forward thinking – as they are too busy moving from one problem to the next, rather than fixing the cause of the problems (often themselves).
5. Boastful – Always trys to impress their boss rather than support their staff, or the people whose lives they affect with their decisions. Normally thinking more about their next promotion than their current position.

Summary

Personally, I feel organisations do not invest enough in training managers, partly due to people changing jobs on a regular basis. We see this in the quality of many managers who are probably over promoted due to their technical ability, and not because of their management skills.

There are good managers and poor managers, and naturally they all think they are doing a great job, irrespective of how others see them.

Maybe more 360 degree feedback analysis and other similar tools could give them a dose of reality!

Please contact me if I can help you further.

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