Me, a Manager?

As I was perusing Twitter this morning, I came across an article that talked about the differences between being a manager and a good manager. It really stresses the idea of creating a positive work environment. I don't have the word manager in my title and no one reports to me. But I think we’re all managers to an extent. Let me explain.

As a buyer, on a daily basis, I talk to internal and external logistics personnel, internal and external accounting personnel, internal and external shipping/receiving personnel, and the list continues. Part of my job is to “manage” these people. It’s up to me to make sure that the materials I buy ship in a timely manner, are delivered and received in and then are paid for. That means I sometimes need to firmly encourage other people to get their job done correctly and I regularly thank other people for doing a great job. It’s important for me to maintain a good relationship with all of my internal and external stakeholders. If I’m not careful I can end up on their bad side and that’s something that I definitely don’t want. We are a team, so I try to think like a team captain. A team captain is part of the team, so understands the strengths and weaknesses of the team and strives to improve the team. A good team captain does this by working with the team, right alongside the other members, encouraging and congratulating while also giving tips on how to improve. They don’t take advantage of their position to make others feel inferior. They don't berate weaker team members, but do offer advice and helpful hints to improve their performance. They build up their team members. As a woman in a male dominated environment, this is sometimes even more challenging. There are still many men out there who don’t want to be told what to do by a woman. It bruises their ego. I try to approach situations with an attitude of humbleness because after all, they do know their job better than I know their job. Instead of coming in immediately with questions such as, “Why didn’t you do what I asked?" or "Why didn't you get this done on time?” I come into the situation asking, “Is there something I’m missing? Can you help me understand what happened? What can I do to help ensure this goes smoother next time?"

Managing others is something we all do on a regular basis. We manage up, down and sideways. Every person is a valuable team member and should be treated as such. Just remember, bad managers run off the best employees, but good managers turn the worst employees into more valuable team members.