X Managing a Team - What Kind of Manager Are You?

How can I mange my team?
No one ever says when they are little they want to be a manager. Most of us have bigger aspirations . However, being a great manager or moving up to manage people is a rite of passage in the world of business. You get to choose the how you what to lead your team and what they walk away with at the end of the day. Here are a few different management styles you can chose from; the fixer, teacher and coach. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice is yours!

The fixer is a manager that has the knowledge and solutions to get the job done when things start to go wrong, no one but him has the skills to "fix" the problem. Sometimes his actions are band aids to a bigger problem, but they work to temporarily.

The teacher is a manager that trains his employees. He gives them the skills needed to start and complete any given task. Both the manager and employee benefit from this type of management style since once an employee learns how to do something next time he will be able to do it with little or no assistance from the manager.

The coach is a manager that empowers the employee to think on his own and use their skills and resources to complete t projects given to them. The manager encourages thinking out of the box and only offers assistance in a way that allows the employee to feel are making the decisions and are being recognized for their ability and commitment to the project.

Advantages and Disadvantages:
Being a "Fixer" may get the job done more quickly, but it doesn't teach the employee anything except to go to you for solutions to situations. No one really wins with this kind of manager since his time will be taken up micro-managing. The employee will never gain the needed confidence to make the decision on his own.

A good manager is a combination of teacher and coach that incorporates giving your employee skills that they may not have acquired yet. Coaching helps promote a positive "attitude" in your department that allows the employees to feel they are contributing, learning new skill, and excelling in their job.

By coaching and teaching your employees you will no longer need to micro-manage your team. You will be able to give them projects with the confidence they will be able to handles them on their own. Although you are still accountable for your team you, will be able to start focusing on what you can do to move up and showing that your team is capable and excelling. You will be recognized for leadership abilities which are always big asset to any company.

Changing your teams' attitudes is coaching and giving them skills and resources is teaching. Give to others what you look for in your manager and you will be envied by all the others and move up the ladder along with your employees.

Joe Becwar focuses on coaching executives and individual in evaluating and achieving both personal and professional goals, assisting them to transform their businesses and lives into what they want. He is the founder and Managing Director of Coaching and Consulting Group, LLC, and http://www.joebecwar.com

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X Managing a Team - What Kind of Manager Are You?