The principles of a Manager

Principles are a set of rules that can help guide an individual in creating or building a successful system. As we observed in the first couple pages of Buckingham and Coffman’s “First, Break all the Rules” Michael shares with us that being a manager doesn’t mean you treat everyone with authority, but instead with sympathy and empathy. Being able to understand your employees and what they need from you can help you become a better leader for the organization you are with. It’s about understanding people’s strengths instead of their weaknesses and making sure to fill them in a spot where they can contribute to the team.

After reading and analyzing carefully the Fortune 100 Best Companies to work for 2020, It was easy to see the comparisons between what Michael said in the reading and what employees at companies like Cisco, American Express, and Workday have said about working for these types of organizations. In the interview Michael mentioned that he was understanding of some of his student employees and that he was able to work around their schedules to make things smoother, similar things were mentioned by Cisco employers stating that 98% said that they can take time off from work when they thought it was necessary. I think being able to give your employers flexibility is something that is becoming popular and necessary if you want to retain employees. As I look back and think of the times I’ve been in a leadership role with employees at my father’s restaurant I’ve noticed employees reciprocate those favors back. Moving forward I think the manager I want to be can take out the best in others, and build a team where everyone feels welcomed, trusted, respected, and motivated to work alongside me. But the most challenging aspect of being a manager I think is hiring employees. I think one of the most difficult things of being a manager is being able to pick who is the best hire for the team. You want to make that the person fits in with your team, but also is a person who is willing to be coached. This weeks lecture to the introduction of HR Management is important because it explains to us that HR Management isn’t just in charge of setting up your pay schedule and tax returns, they are also a big part of ensuring that they recruit the perfect employee who will help achieve the organization goals.

Citations

Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt Coffman. First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. Gallup Press, 2016.