There are two sides to a successful manager: business acumen and leadership. A good manager is knowledgeable and proficient at whatever product decoration processes they have experience with, but they must also be a good leader. Often, that is the more difficult part of a manager’s job. Equipment, computers, and products are known quantities with relatively few variables. People, however, are uniquely complex and exceptionally diverse. No two people are exactly the same, and a manager is likely to encounter vastly different types of people of a daily basis. Being able to confidently and competently manage such a wide variety of people is no easy task, but it is essential to the success of any business.
The ability to handle the differences in attitudes, abilities, personalities, and motivations of employees is what makes a good leader. It starts with understanding the abilities of your employees. If employees are not placed in a position to succeed, then they are far more likely to falter. It is up to management to utilize employees in a logical fashion that takes advantage of their unique skill sets. If you have hired an employee to screen print t-shirts, then would you ask him to balance the business’s books? That may be an extreme example, but the point stands. A good manager knows how his employees are best utilized. When an employee is doing the job they are trained to do, they will be happier and their work will show it.
Effective leadership goes beyond managing utility, however. If a manager does not understand what truly motivates an employee, then how is it possible to get the best out of him or her? Some employees are simply there for a paycheck, some enjoy their field, and some are there to support their family. There are many reasons why employees perform their roles, and those reasons affect their performance. Since employees can have such varying motivations, managers must be able to find different ways to motivate employees. Establishing performance standards is critical, especially for employees who may not be as invested in their work as others. Giving employees achievable goals is an excellent motivational tool. Unrealistic expectations can hinder their work, but achievement is a powerful positive motivator.
Recognizing employees when they reach goals or standards is important. Not all employees work solely for a sense of accomplishment, and so rewards or incentivization are excellent motivational tools. People like to feel appreciated, it is in our nature. So, showing appreciation for a job well done can go a long way towards improving both morale and future performance. This concept is called “positive reinforcement.” The opposite, negative reinforcement, motivates one to perform in order to avoid a negative consequence, rather than to achieve a reward. Negative reinforcement is a riskier strategy, as it can often have the unintended effect of overwhelming the employee or undermining the work itself as it becomes associated with negativity. Positive motivational tools will almost always outperform the negative.
This is not to say that one should avoid all negative communication with employees. In fact, negative feedback is often necessary to correct counterproductivity, unsafe workplace behavior, or to establish a necessary performance standard. Feedback, both positive and negative, is essential to the employee-manager relationship. The employee must have a clear understanding of what is expected of them in order to perform to that level. If performance drops below or raises above expectation, then that information must be shared with the employee. Positive feedback is an excellent motivational factor, and negative feedback is necessary to improve poor performance.
Communicating negative feedback can be tricky. It can be all too easy to be condescending or demeaning, even without the intent to do so. Negative feedback is not a personal vendetta, though it can be perceived as such. This is why the manager must be able to clearly communicate with the employee and establish that the employee truly understands what is being communicated. Leaving any room for interpretation may result in disharmony between management and the employee. Business communication can take many forms, but a good leader must be an effective all-around communicator.
Now, there is a reason communication is its own field of study. There is far too much information available to delve fully into the subject. However, for business purposes there are a few aspects of communication that are important to understand. First, there is a vast difference between business (or formal) communication and common (or informal) communication. When conversing with anyone in a business setting, it is important to stay on task and maintain a formal atmosphere. Being a good leader does not mean that one is friends with their employees. Communication in a business setting should not deviate from the business at hand and should maintain a certain level of decorum. This is especially important in electronic communication. From text messages to emails, one must maintain a formal tone and adhere to the standards of the specific type of communication. Email is inherently more formal than text-messaging, but one should still avoid shorthand, foul language, and irrelevant topics as much as possible in both forms of communication.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is nonverbal communication. Body language and facial expressions can have as much meaning as anything that a manager says to an employee. As an authority figure, a manager enters into any conversation with an employee in a position of power. Strong body language can reinforce this perception, and weak body language can undermine a manager’s authority. What type of manager is most likely to command respect? A manager with slouched shoulders and a worn expression, or a manager with good posture and a positive demeanor?
Finally, it is important for a leader to be able to listen. Many employee-manager interactions are one-sided, but truly effective communication is a two-way street. It is not only important for a manager to be an active listener, but to encourage the employee to be an active listener as well. Active listening means that the speaker is not merely heard, but that the listener is able to confirm an understanding of what is being communicated. This encourages the employee to take ownership of their role and to feel that they are a part of the team, which should be the goal of a good leader. As a manager, it is critical to master all forms of communication with employees and whomever else you may encounter in a business setting.
Being a leader is a multifaceted responsibility. The ability to work and communicate with the wide variety of people one will encounter is paramount to a manager’s success. A quality manager, and leader, can effectively communicate with individuals on every level of the business and understand how to get the most out of every interaction. A true leader is not an authoritarian, but a diplomat. One must understand that everyone has their own personal motivations that are tied directly to their performance. A leader must respect these motivations and find appropriate ways to use them to create greater accountability. All these qualities make up a good manager, and a good leader as well.
