management

Management is the process of coordinating people, tasks, and information across levels and departments to accomplish specific goals that are important to the organization.

What are qualities of a good manager?

A good manager:

• is the first to offer help when a team member needs it
• provides clear expectations for workers, sets boundaries and is consistent
• empowers people to innovate and take action autonomously
• engages workers and understands that communication is key, even when broaching tough subjects
• helps people grow their skills, mentors them and shows interest in them as individuals
• provides coaching and support when needed
• is realistic, understanding that it is impossible to have an all perfect work team

Note that all of the above requires genuine empathy, time and effort. Good management rarely comes naturally. It is the result of thoughtful leadership and proper time allocation.

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to team structuring and management is to assume that someone who has been around the organization for a while can step up and start managing others off the bat. 

If you don't help that person acquire managerial skills and resize their operational work load, that's a recipe for disaster. Indeed, you can't expect someone who is focusing on operations all day to have the time and resources to support and coach other team members.