A manager’s job isn’t easy; it’s full of ups and downs, but if you take the time to reflect on your behavior every once in a while, you’ll likely become a better boss. Managing is hard work, and you may be doing your best with the best of intentions, but no manager is perfect, and sometimes stress can bring out the worst. Here’s a list of some poor management behaviors you may not know you’re committing. Instead of stressing yourself out by eliminating all of these behaviors at once, think of this as a place to start increasing your self-awareness.
Being hands-on with your employees is excellent, but being too involved can make them feel like they’re being micromanaged. This can create a significantly more stressful working environment for your employees where they don’t feel trusted. Micromanaging them can make them feel stifled, anxious and stunt their professional growth.
When it’s time to make a decision, do you seek input from your employees? If you’re not seeking input, or worse, disregarding the input you receive, you can come across as uncaring or authoritarian. As a manager, it’s crucial to let your team know that you care about them, their input, and the work that they do. Being insensitive towards them and their workload can immensely hinder your relationship with them.
As a manager, you’re often busier than the rest, but don’t let that keep you from being responsive to the employees that need you. Set some time aside in your busy schedule to attend to your employees. You don’t have to answer any inquiry directly to be responsive, but make sure that you’re aligned with your team, up to date on the work they’re doing, and available to answer any questions they may have.
Employees want to look up to their managers for direction and reassurance. However, if you can’t make a decision on your own or take forever to provide an answer because you’re worried about making a mistake or stepping on someone’s toes, you might not be doing the best leading. As a leader, you should be able to pick a course of action without doubting yourself or constantly changing your mind.
It’s essential to be careful about treating certain employees in a way that could be seen as preferential. You might not be favoring certain employees intentionally, but you must be aware of unconscious favoritism that may take place. This can lead to a sense of unfairness among your team, and employees can feel like their accomplishments are not recognized.
One of the worst behaviors you can have, as a manager, is saying or doing one thing, then contradicting yourself. Inconsistency with your words and actions can come across as insincere and even hypocritical. This can lead people to believe that they can’t rely on you to be consistent and that they won’t be able to trust your leadership when it really matters.