The large majority of people think they would be good at managing other people. A large majority of those people are wrong.
I manage other people for a living. I happen to do that in a restaurant, but the setting doesn't matter. Your people are the most important aspect of your business or organization no matter what service or product you are pushing.
I have had bosses that I have hated, and I have had bosses that I have loved. The one thing that sets them apart from each other is the way they treated their employees.
I have learned a lot since I took on the responsibility. Here are 6 quotes you should live by if you're in a leadership position and you want to be an effective manager.
1. "Hire Character. Train Skill." - Peter Schutz You can teach anyone how to do the job. Even the greatest leader cannot teach someone to care.
2. "Work like you own the business, even if you don't." - Tracy Phank The worst boss I ever had was one who sat around and delegated without contributing anything themselves. Hard work earns you respect from your team.
3. "Give them something great to imitate." - Anonymous Be an example. You can't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
4. "None of us [are] as smart as all of us." - Ken Blanchard Two heads are better than one. Asking your team for their input makes them feel wanted and needed.
5. "A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected." - Anonymous There is nothing more true. Consistent, positive recognition will take you so much further with your team than any pay raise wilI.
6. "True leaders don't create followers. They create more leaders." - Anonymous Pass on your wealth of information. Keeping it all to yourself doesn't make you any better.
I am coming up on the one-year mark in my current position. I have heard stories about the "leaders" that preceded me. Some are shocking; some I can understand after we've had a challenging week. The greatest compliment I have received as a leader is a team member bringing a close friend to work for me. They're saying, "I love working for this person and I want to share that experience with you."
The simple truth about being a great leader is this: If you're watching your team succeed from the sidelines, you're doing it wrong. Dive in.
