Being a manager is not an easy job. You have to juggle several balls in the air and keep everyone happy at the same time. It’s not about creating a stylish environment with your own CEO office furniture and ruling the roost! You also have responsibility for making high profile decisions. These decisions may have a severe impact on the growth, or otherwise, of the business.
One wrong move, and all hell may break loose. 

Yes, management can be a stressful career, but it’s one which is worth it too. The ability to be able to inspire people to success and greatness, watching a business start at the bottom and work its way up the food chain, the rush of excitement when a decision goes the right way and business booms. For every downside of being a manager, there are several upsides too. It’s the give and take side of life, and part and parcel of the modern office environment. 

There is however a very big difference between being a manager and being a good manager. Simply being ‘good enough’ isn’t going to inspire your staff towards greatness, and that means your business is simply going to tick along, not really doing anything impressive in the market. If however you develop yourself as a manager, always willing to learn and listen, you will find the business more than thriving, and growing in the process. 

There are more bad managers out there than good ones. That’s a common truth. For every good manager there are a handful which are doing nothing for their employees, other than sitting at their luxury office desk on a daily basis. Think back to your own experiences working in various organisations; did you ever deal with a bad manager? You probably did. Did that manager make you want to go to work every day? Probably not. As a result, you might have left the business and moved elsewhere. This is a very common theme. 

Studies have shown that half of employees who simply don’t feel like they’re valued by their manager have plans to seek out alternative employment within the short-term. That means that bad managers are costing businesses the expertise of fantastic employees. In addition, from that same study, three employees out of four said that their manager was the most challenging and detrimental part of their working life. That’s not how it’s supposed to be, whether you’re working within a fancy contemporary office design or not! 

Even more worrying is a study conducted by the Stress Research Institute, based in Stockholm. Within this study, 3100 men were studied over a decade, and the outcome was  those who felt disrespected by their manager had a 60% higher risk of developing a cardiac problem or a heart attack. Come on, when your manager starts to affect your mortality you’ve got to take action! 

This guide is going to explore the dos and don’ts of management, help you learn about the traits you need to develop to be an effective manager, and perhaps give you a few pointers along the way. From looking into new office furniture choices to create a supportive and comfortable environment for your employees, to being a mediator in a complicated conflict, management is a challenging yet wonderful career choice! 

Why is Management so Vital For a Successful Business?

Every business needs leadership, and that comes from the manager, whether they’re sitting at a fancy office desk or something simpler! Of course, being a leader isn’t something which comes naturally to a lot of people, but the good news is that there isn’t a one size fits all approach to leadership. It really depends upon the employees within the business, but it also depends upon the personality of the manager. 

Businesses need strong and effective management and leadership for the following reasons:

• To provide employees with someone to look up to and be inspired by
• To provide employees with someone to speak to about problems or issues
• To make decisions which concern the business and those working with it
• To aid business growth and profitability
• To make changes and decisions regarding productivity, which also boosts profits
• To provide accountability
• To lead and guide
• To inspire confidence and help employees to reach their potential
• To read between the lines and find effective answers to difficult problems
• To motivate staff during difficult times
• To make decisions regarding the direction of the business and to help boost growth for the future
• To be on the lookout for changes to the office environment, which could ensure a better working situation for employees,
  e.g. choosing high end office furniture during a revamp

   

Without a strong manager to guide and lead the business the whole thing would falter. A manager is there to hold everything together, but a good manager is far more than just that. A good manager will inspire employees to go above and beyond. A bad manager?
Well, you’re looking at the complete opposite effect. 

What Are The Effects of Bad Management?

A bad manager basically wreaks havoc within the business and causes everyone to feel less than their best.
Here at Calibre Office Furniture we talk a lot about morale, but that is because it is so vitally important for a business’ survival. A high level of morale isn’t just about a business being successful, it’s about it not being overtaken and disappearing completely. That’s how important morale within the workforce is. 

A bad manager simply ticks the business boxes, e.g. they focus entirely on standards and rules, profits and growth, and they don’t consider the human element which drives the entire thing. The ironic side is that without considering the employees, the business fails anyway. 

A poor management style will have the following negative effects: 

• Low morale
• Difficulty in retaining experienced staff members
• An inability to recruit new talent (word gets around!)
• Low productivity levels
• A drop in profits as as result of the low productivity
• An increase in employee sick days
• Lack of effective decision making

All of those effects create one thing – business failure. 

What Are The Effects of Good Management?

On the other hand, good management has the total opposite effect. A good manager will inspire their employees, and whilst there is always that element of respect and distance, they will be likeable simply because employees appreciate their leadership method.
It can be as simple as a member of staff approaching the manager because they feel their desk isn’t up to scratch and it’s hurting their back. They might suggest the possibly of wooden office table designs instead, and a good manager would listen, take it all in, and make a decision based on the pro's and con's. 

If you’ve ever had a bad manager and then moved jobs, only to find a great manager waiting for you, you’ll know just how much of a relief it is. Everything seems brighter, and the business has a far more upbeat, positive feel about it.
The effects of this are far-reaching, including: 

• A high level of morale
• A positive feel to the office space and its overall contemporary office design
• Staff want to go to work, and will happily go the extra mile
• New and interesting solutions to problems by encouraging collaboration and team work. This will usually include a change towards a collaborative look to the office space too, including collaborative office desks and breakout furniture
• A reduction in employee sick days
• Higher productivity, which leads to higher profits
• New ideas could mean the business overtakes competition
• Less mistakes, meaning a happier customer at the end of the day
• No problems retaining experienced, skilled staff
• The business finds it easier to attract and recruit new talent
• Staff are encouraged to reach their potential
• Staff feel listened to, valued, and appreciated

Can you see the drastic difference between the two situations? It’s far more pleasant to go to work when you have a good manager, compared to a bad one!

Do’s And Don’ts of Effective Management

Now we know what good management versus bad management looks like, it’s time to get practical. Perhaps you’re a manager and you’re keen to improve your management style, or maybe you’re working towards being a manager at some point in your career, and you want to know the things you should do, as well as the things you shouldn’t do. 

There is no manager out there who is the finished product; nobody can possibly know it all. A manager is always evolving, learning, changing, and shifting their approach. This is because employee members are always doing the same, and it’s important to change and shift your approach depending upon the people within your team. A good manager leads their employees as a whole, but can also adopt the correct approach with individual team members and their specific personality types. This flexibility is partly what sets them apart. They are also not afraid to make decisions, from choosing the new office storage units, to large-scale changes to working practices. 

Let’s check out the main dos of effective management, and follow it up with those all important dont’s.
By following these lists, you will learn how to be a better manager. 

Do’s of Effective Management 

• Ask For Ideas and Input – Your employees have ideas, and those ideas could drastically change the direction of the business for the better. Ask for ideas, ask for input, ask for opinions and really take on board what your employees say. Some ideas might not work, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them before you get to the point of realising they’re not suitable right now.
  When you ask for input, make sure you listen to everyone equally, and never discriminate based on any level, e.g. ability, perceived intelligence/education, rank, etc. Ideas are ideas! By doing this, you’ll help your employees feel valued and that goes a long way to boosting morale.
• Listen to Your Staff – It’s vital that you actively listen to your staff and not passively. Real listening is something that many people don’t actually know how to do. If you ask for ideas, listen to them and assess each one. If a member of staff comes to you with an issue, make sure you listen to all sides, no matter how busy you are. Again, it’s about being valued, and your employees knowing that they can come to you with any issues, without fear of judgement. For instance, perhaps an employee comes to you because they’re struggling to concentrate on their tasks, because of collaboration going on close to them. They ask for an office screen or acoustic panels to help. A good manager will listen to this suggestion and facilitate it wherever possible.
• Follow Through With Your Promises – Part and parcel of being a leader/manager is about being a role model, and that means following through with any promises. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you sit around the conference table in a meeting and you commit to an action, make sure you do that action in a timely manner. As your employees see you doing this, they will emulate your level of commitment, creating a dynamic, productive environment all around.
• Respond to Calls/Emails – Don’t be that manager who rarely responds to calls, messages, or emails. Again, doing this sets a bad example, because your employees will begin to view you as slap-dash in your approach, and someone who doesn’t respect people enough for a call back. By responding to any type of communication in a timely manner, you’re showing your efficiency.
  This also means you’re up to date with any issues and that you’re not missing any important pieces of information which could impact the day to day running of the office/business.
• Support Your Staff – A good manager supports every single member of their staff in public, and if they need to talk about any issues, they do it behind closed doors. This means you’re not undermining the confidence of any of your employees, you’re not belittling them, and you’re not dragging their confidence levels down. Having the correct level of people skills to know how to deal with such issues is a pillar of good management. Your staff are your team, so always support them in the best way possible, and give them whatever they need. For example, if they ask you for new meeting room seating because they simply can’t cope with what is already there, listen and act as necessary.
• Be Open to Constant Learning And Development – A good manager knows that they are never the finished article. There is always learning to be done, there is always a side of yourself you can develop, and there are always new areas to gather knowledge in.
  By understanding this and making it quite clear that yo'ure happy to continue learning, and that you really don’t know it all, it shows that fantastic role model side of yourself, and it also sets the example for your employees to continue learning too.
• Admit if You Make a Mistake – Working hand in hand with the last point, a good manager admits when they make a mistake, because they are not the finished article. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should go around belittling your own authority, but being mature enough to hold your hands up and say ‘hey, I got that wrong’, shows your human side, and again, shows you’re a great role model to learn from.
• Offer Recognition For Good Work – A people person, i.e. a good manager, is able to easily offer fair recognition for good work. If one of your employees has just completed a very complex task and done a fantastic job, don’t be afraid to publicly congratulate them.
  This boosts them morale and creates an uplifting feel in the office. This can be done in many ways, but a simple ‘well done’ whilst you’re sat around the modern boardroom tables in a team meeting is enough. You should also point out good work when you conduct your annual staff development reviews, to boost the morale of your staff members.
• Show Your Sense of Humour – Whilst there is a fine line between showing your sense of humour in the workplace and trying to be a comedian, it’s important to show your staff members that you’re human, and you do that by being able to laugh at yourself! This will help to create a real team vibe, and also help them to feel more comfortable when approaching you about an issue or problem.
• Care, Genuinely – A good manager cares about their employees, because he or she knows that the success of the business depends upon their wellbeing. Success is so intrinsically linked with morale and productivity that ignoring the basics can lead to serious issues. If a member of staff isn’t feeling so well and it’s obvious, check in on them occasionally. If a member of staff is struggling with a personal issue, let them know that your door is open. You should also make sure that your business health and wellbeing programme for staff members is promoted within the company, so everyone knows how to take advantage of offers.
• Have an Open Door Policy – A good manager lets their employees know that their door is open if they want to talk. They don’t rule with fear, they don’t shut themselves off, and they don’t ignore any issues simply because they seem too troubling to face.
  A good manager is approachable and doesn’t just sit at their office chair completing their own to do list. They are able to deal with a variety of problems easily, by changing their approach depending upon the personality type of the employee who comes their way.
• Adapt Your Approach – Finally, a good manager is someone who knows their employees and the types of personalities they have. This means that they can adopt a different approach for each one, knowing how to get the best out of them, and therefore ensuring the greater good of the business.

Don’ts of Effective Management 

• Show Annoyance or Boredom With Staff – If a staff member comes to you with a problem, never show that you simply don’t have the time to talk to them, or let them feel like they’re troubling you with their issue. It doesn’t matter how small it may seem to you, to your employee this issue could be huge, so make sure you give them the time to get whatever it is off their chest, and then seek out the right route through it together. By doing this, you will strengthen the team bond between you and your employees, and you will boost morale at the same time. For instance, perhaps a staff member comes to you because they feel you don’t currently have the best office furniture set up and they have some ideas. A good manager would listen and weigh up the suggestion, but a bad manager would roll their eyes and suggest they put their thoughts to better use.
• Shout or Use Bullying Tactics – Never raise your voice, shout, or use any intimidation tactics with any of your employees. Your staff are not children, and it could very well be that some of them are considerably older than you. If you need to discuss an issue and ask for a better level of performance next time, you should do this in an adult, fair, and calm way, and not through shouting, finger wagging, and threats. If you do this, you’re belittling everyone in the office, you’re creating a lower level of confidence and morale, and you’re ruling through fear. This never works and will always backfire.
• Belittle or ‘Put Down’ Any Staff Member – You might think you’re showing your sense of humour, but you should never do that at the expense of another person. Belittling someone or putting them down, even if you don’t mean it personally, creates that very same bullying sense, and it will cause extreme unhappiness within your office environment. Additionally, if a member of staff makes a mistake, never point it out in front of everyone else, and never treat the issue as though you are a school teacher telling a child not to do something again. Everyone makes mistakes, but the key to good management is helping someone see why the mistake happened, encouraging them to seek out a better way next time, and doing all of it in a way which doesn’t damage self-esteem.
• Create a Blame or Fear Culture – By creating a culture within the office which is ruled by fear or blame, you’re dragging morale down to the gutter. Staff will be terrified of making mistakes, and won’t feel free to come to you with new ideas and creative solutions, because they will expect you to belittle their idea, or shout and tell them to get back to their office desks.
• Use Discriminatory Behaviour – As a manager you are expected to be a role model, as we have mentioned before, and that means showing other members of staff the way forward. Never treat anyone within your office differently to someone else, based on the colour of their skin, their race, their gender, their age, their sexual orientation, a disability they might have, or any other factor.
  Staff should all be treated equally, and given equal opportunities within the workplace. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure this is happening.
• Ignore The Obvious – Never ignore issues which you can clearly see, but you just don’t want to deal with. For instance, if you can tell there is a conflict occurring within the office, but you just don’t want to have to face it, you’re proving yourself to be a bad manager. On the other hand, if you can sensitively approach the parties involved and try and nip the issue in the bud, you’re helping the situation come to an end, before it impacts on morale. Ignoring obvious signs is a fast track towards disharmony, and it is a manager’s job to be aware of what is going on within the space they’re supposed to be managing.
• Be a Constant Delegator – A good manager is not someone who simply delegates all their tasks to someone else, because they deem themselves far too busy or important – that is the sign of a bad manager. Of course, delegation of tasks is part and parcel of management, but there are certain ways to do this, and certain unspoken rules to abide by.

To give you a bit more information on delegates and how not to do it, check out this infographic by Strategic Coach

Source: https://resources.strategiccoach.com/the-multiplier-mindset-blog/delegation-do-s-and-don-ts

Aside from knowing what to do and what not to do, there are certain traits which a good manager should have. These are: 

• Approachable
• Kind and genuinely caring
• Eager to learn
• A good listener
• A good communicator
• Sympathetic, but not easily fooled
• Motivated
• A good role model
• A ‘people person’, i.e. someone who can read people well and understands different personalities
• A good mediator during conflicts
• Organised

By following these dos and don’ts, you’ll find it easier to guide yourself towards the positive end of the spectrum when it comes to being a better manager. The realisation that management requires constant learning and development is something which often passes new managers by, but if you can commit to a career of new skills and knowledge on a regular basis, you’ll notice your own personal management style evolve year upon year. 

Different Management Styles

There are countless different management styles, and it’s likely that yours will be a mish-mash of various different types, creating your own bespoke style which suits you best. There are however specific types of managers which have both plus points and downsides attached to them. Before we get a little deeper into that subject, check out this video which talks about the different leadership styles that managers can adopt. It’s important to realise that part of management is being a leader, and there are different ways you can go about this too. 

As you can see, good leadership is about being able to inspire a team towards the best possible performance, but that also means changing your leadership/management style to suit different working situations, and different personalities. 

Hopefully there will be some useful tips you can use from that video!

Now, let’s look at a few of the most common styles of management; see if you can recognise your predominant type. 

Authoritarian Styles 

There are pros and cons to being an authoritarian type of manager. Whilst you will certainly get the job done, it depends on how authoritarian you are in terms of whether your staff find you approachable and supportive. It’s a fine line that requires careful treading. This type of management style, combined with the best business office furniture for the job will create an office space which is productive and ticks boxes, but it may not be optimal in terms of morale. 

Authoritarian managers tend to be less trusting of their employees, but they are honest, open, and very hard-working. They inspire their staff to be the same. However, the downside is that success is rarely celebrated, and failure or disobedience is often held up as an example, and sometimes punished. In this case, morale is unlikely to flourish. Structure is very important in this type of management style. 

Micromanagers fall into this category, i.e. managers who try to control every single part of the day to day workings of the office, often undermining their employees in the process. 

Forward Thinking Styles

This type of management style usually involves an extroverted manager, someone who is charismatic, inspiring, and usually quite loud or frenetic. This type of manager can be extremely motivating to work for, but it’s important to stay on the right side of the line, and not step towards being too loud, too ‘in your face’. 

A manager who is quite extroverted will prefer collaborative working environments and they’re likely to be quite understanding and approachable. In this situation you will find furniture options which are geared up for team work and brainstorming, such as a boardroom desk with cable management, or breakout spaces. This type of manager is often the ‘go getter’, but in a personable way, being quite understanding to any issues their staff members might be going through. However, an introverted member of staff may find this type of leadership a little overbearing. 

Power Tactic Styles

A manager who uses office politics to create a certain sense within an office environment is using power tactics. This type of manager is often quite manipulative, but they are also very competitive and usually achieve great results for the business. A sub-type of this particular style includes the ‘mushroom’. This type of manager is known to be less approachable, usually staying hidden in their office and regularly ‘throwing work’ over the wall to their staff members, who are expected to get on with it, without any fuss. 

This type of office environment can be extremely competitive, and can often the ‘cut throat’ vibe that we hear about so much on TV drama shows. For some, this is motivating, for others, it is terrifying. 

Orderly Styles

This type of manager tends to do everything by the book, and rarely strays into collaborative of ‘thinking outside of the box’ management techniques. Everything is done in order, focusing on the regulations and the set policies and rules of the business, and there is rarely much in the way of creative thinking. On the flip side, results are usually positive, and everyone knows exactly what they’re doing, because they’re following a set procedure. 

When a staff member strays from the rules, the consequences are usually disciplinary, and in this case there are likely to be many policies and procedures in place, which all staff members are expected to know and abide by. Some employees will thrive under this style, but others will feel ‘penned in’. 

Democracy Styles

This type of management relies upon fairness, and an imaginative approach to work. Again, we’re talking about collaboration and team work, which allows new ideas to come to the fore. A manager who uses this style is likely to be approachable and trusting, but they may not suit everyone, because of a lack of rigid guidance. 

A democratic style of manager is open to ideas, and they’re quite good at listening to feedback, happy to try new things. 

Can you spot yourself in any of those management styles? It’s possible that you see a few traits from each, but you could be leaning more towards one particular type. It’s impossible to list every managerial style, because every manager is different, but most have a certain vision and way they deal with problems at hand. All have pros and cons too. 

A good manager is able to adopt their approach to the specific individual they’re dealing with, and that is something which you should work towards achieving if you want to get the best out of your employees. 

How to Deal With Stress as a Manager

Throughout all this talking about what makes a good manager and what makes a bad one, we’ve failed to mention one thing – being a manager is hard! It’s a challenging role which has ups and downs throughout every working day. The responsibilities which you have on your shoulders can be overwhelming from time to time, and the stress associated with the role can be something which forces an otherwise good manager towards bad manager traits from time to time. Learning how to deal with the stress of being a manager is vital, and part of that comes down to being able to manage your time effectively. If you can do that, you’ll feel more able to cope with the challenges you will face on a daily basis. 

One thing which many managers feel is that the buck stops with them. That isn’t the case, and there is always someone you can bounce ideas off of, check something out with, or talk to when you feel things are getting to be too much. You are not an island!

Ensuring that you have a good balance between your working life and your home life is also vital. Never be tempted to stay in the office simply because you’re the manager – you have set working hours too!

Remember, stress isn’t something you should invite into your life, whether you have a demanding job or not. 

Conclusion

Management is a challenge, but it is something which can inspire others to greatness when done correctly. Knowing your particular managerial style and also understanding that there is never a set point where you know it all is vital. By understanding this point, you can continue to learn and evolve, helping your employees to reach their full potential along the way. 

A manager who focuses on the needs of their employees is a good manager, whether that is making decisions on good office furniture for a new office space, or dealing with a huge conflict issue between staff members. 

Thank you for reading!