Three Common Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Every business is reliant on managers to organize employees and maintain daily work. Good management is a fundamental foundation to any successful company. Since this is such an important position, every manager should be aware of the most common management mistakes and how to avoid them to ensure the company runs as smoothly as possible.
The first mistake is over management. A good manager should show employees what needs to be accomplished, but not how to accomplish it. It does not help anyone if they are told how to finish a job and it does not create a better employee if they do not have the chance to think on their own. A manager should present a problem for an employee and provide them the encouragement and support to devise their own solution and figure out how to implement it. The best way to avoid over management is by identifying the basic information that the employees need and then provide any extra help they need as they ask for it.
The second mistake that managers can make is under management. It is just as bad for a manager to dictate everything their employee should do as it is for a manager to neglect their employees. Never assume that employees automatically know what to do; everyone needs support and encouragement no matter how prepared or intelligent they may be. A good manager wants their team to succeed and will provide them the tools to complete their project. This means that managers should pay attention to their employees and what they need; being in tune to how the project is progressing and aware of where others are struggling with it, is the best way to ensure that the manager gives their employees the direction they need to be successful!
The third mistake that every manager should avoid is trying to be a friend instead of a manager. It is imperative to treat employees and team members well, but do not mistake common courtesy with friendship. Remember at the end of the day, the manager might have to fire an employee; a manager’s duty is to the company and not to the people. A great example of this mistake is Michael Scott from the popular show The Office. Scott is the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin paper company and a great deal of the humor from the show comes from the friendships and interactions between him and his coworkers. Scott has great difficulty separating himself from the employees and often runs into issues when he needs to fire them or discipline them; he has always portrayed himself as their friend and as a result they do not take anything he says seriously. Managers keep the company running and the employees on task, and they cannot do that if no one takes their directions seriously. Managers can avoid this mistake by keeping a fine line between their personal and professional lives. This may seem cliché but by being friendly and keeping a professional relationship with employees, managers can successfully run their team.
Every manager should recognize these three mistakes and avoid them in order to be a productive and efficient leader.