The Secret to Good Management in 1 Slide

I recently spent some time thinking about what it means to be a good manager for me personally. This is a values exercise that every manager should go through at least once and probably periodically. In my management staircase I noticed a pretty clear break point in the middle. Below this point were the table stakes. You had to have these qualities to simply be doing a satisfactory job. Above the break point were true differentiators; qualities that start to separate you from the pack. I won't argue that this is the definitive model that everyone should follow but after nearly 20 some years in technical leadership of some kind it does capture my experience in a single slide.

Here are the simple talking points to the graphic, read from the bottom up.

1. Managers that are too busy to meet with their employees are not managing
2. Minimize drama
3. Keep track of the details
4. If you said you are going to do something, then you have to do it
5. Ask questions
6. Sadly, in my experience, people communicate up way better than down. If you communicate down poorly, your people will resent it. If you communicate up poorly you will lose your job.  
7. Sacrifice. Doing something you really don’t want to do because it needs to be done. 
8. Don’t just tell people what is expected and answer questions. Volunteer your point of view and tell your folks how you see the future evolving.
9. Know the tools and process of management. 
10. Know some of the nitty gritty technical details (challenges, nuances) of the area you’re managing in. This gets very tough the longer you are in management
11. Make people want to be engaged at work 
12. Make people obsessed with the vision. Companies that have truly inspired employees are hard to differentiate from a cult. Could you be a cult leader?
13. Tell truth to power. Don't nod your head at everything the boss says if you don't agree. The hardest thing to do because its the thing that’s most likely to get you fired or moved to the basement.