Chapter 1 deals with exceptional managers and the qualities they possess. Talk about a manager you have had whom you would describe as exceptional.
What made him/her exceptional? What qualities did he/she have that other managers you've experienced not have?
If you have never been fortunate enough to have had an exceptional manager, talk about a very poor manager (they're usually easier to find). Again, what made him/her a poor manager? What qualities did he/she lack that better managers have?
I have a example that some classmate did :
Management; something that I talk about almost weekly with one of my co-workers. I will touch on both exceptional qualities and poor qualities that occur.
I have been with my company for fifteen years and I have seen managers come, go and promote within our company. Currently in my office there are eleven officer workers and two managers for the eleven of us. The highest manager in our office has one exceptional management skill which is important to a staff and that would be checking in and acknowledging his staff and following up on issues at hand. The book refers to this skill as human skills which consist of the ability to work well in cooperation with other people to get things done.
He backs up his staff and is always looking for solutions to get the task done. As a staff we trust him and can communicated with him through phone, text or e-mail; he may take a few hours or even a day to respond but he is contact with us and he also encourages us and challenges our own solutions which makes our team strong.
Our second manager is not as exceptional and lacks the ability to perform his job. The book uses the term technical skills which consist of the job-specific knowledge need to perform well in a specialized field. This manager also lacks conceptual skills which consists of the ability to think analytically, to visualize an organization and understand how the parts work together.
Often, I will ask this manager a simple question in regard to contracts or legalities and the answer if often I am not sure, or I do not know with no follow up of let me find out or I will get back to you. Just a straight I do not know which can be very frustrating for a staff of 10 people who are relying on your feedback.
We often have issues with another department and unfortunately our department is not backed up by him; he will often side with the other department and the problems do not get fixed. The types of issues that arise in human resources that do not get fixe can have major consequences later. As a staff we constantly have to be on top of it and follow up for things to get done but I also feel it is his lack of knowledge in the position and the tasks that are assigned.
I feel that our highest manager could mentor our second manager and help him obtain better managerial skills. Our first manager has been in management for over 20 years and the second one has less than 10 years. There is a big difference in knowledge and experience but because our higher manager has more responsibilities we rely on the lower manager more.
I imagine that it is not easy to manage a team of people but our main manager is always looking for ways to improve through management retreats, management textbooks, management seminars and more. He does want to do his best and it shows and reflects in his work, staff and overall performance as a leader.