This article takes a light-hearted look at the common mistakes made by managers that often undermine their ability to do their job effectively.
Bad Management?
While some of our assessments of various management failings target the behaviour of leaders as individuals, it must be appreciated that on some occasion’s managers fail simply due to a lack of training or guidance given to them. At the same time, it would be fair to say that a lot of management failings come down to conduct rather than their competence to do the job, and we took the chance to look at both.
1. Being “One of Them”
Whether it is going for the nauseating “we are like one big family” spiel or having your personal life shared with your team, warts and all, on social media websites, being “one of the team” is often the quickest way for a manager to shoot themselves in the foot. Yes, having a connection with the team is important, them seeing photos of you with friends after a few drinks on Friday evening is unnecessary though.
2. Looking Too Far Ahead
2. Looking Too Far Ahead
As a manager it is a definite strength to be able to look to the future, however it is a common failing of managers who look too far ahead. Many look to the end result, the finished article, without being able to countenance the different steps that need to be taken along the way before getting there.
3. Passing the Buck
3. Passing the Buck
A very wise man once said to me that before you go pointing fingers at people you should consider the three that are pointing to yourself. Now, while that is unquestionably one of the biggest clichés and pieces of management speak you will ever encounter, it does have a meaning. Many managers lose respect and standing through a simple failure to take responsibility
4. Empty Threats
Managers who are new, whether it be to a retail store, office environment or another workplace, often like to make their presence felt early. However, managers often undermine themselves by saying things such as “I will not accept X happening,” but then doing just that and not taking any action. Empty threats and not following up on statements will leave a manager in a precarious place.
5. Lack of Planning and Communication
5. Lack of Planning and Communication
It is not so much a lack of planning that undermines managers, but the failure to communicate plans to people that matter. It is a common mistake of managers to keep things to themselves rather than sharing information and ideas that would make people’s lives a lot easier, including their own!
The author of this article discusses common managerial mistakes. With free point of sale, effective management is not that hard to achieve.
