POSITIVE VS NEGATIVE MANAGERS

(Source: Positive Thoughts Images)

According to Mary Parker Follet, management is the "art of getting things done through people". A manager's role is to supervise, direct and motivate the people (his/her team) that perform the job. To ensure productivity, managers must motivate his/her team. Motivating people to do the job is one of the most difficult tasks for managers. As people have unique characteristics, the manager must find the motivator factor for each member of his/her team. Easier said than done!

Before a manager can motivate his/her team, he/she must first and foremost maintain a positive attitude. Susan M. Heathfield in her article in About.com, "What Makes a Bad Boss Bad" lists a number of traits of a negative manager which includes failure to communicate, use disciplinary measures inappropriately, may not have concrete goals and expectations, take credit for successes, fail to provide rewards or recognition, does not accept constructive criticism or feedback and continually searches for fault in employees, among others. In my opinion, a negative manager is also an unmotivated manager. If so, how can they then motivate their team?

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, indicated that a good manager is a manager that creates a productive environment for his/her team, sets achievable and relevant goals, likes people and is a good communicator, build morale by telling their employees that they matter, and also a “hands on” manager that is a manager who takes up a task/project that is less desirable. Good managers often have a positive attitude and they normally are self-motivated.

In summary, managers with a positive attitude will be able to lead their team efficiently and effectively to achieve goals.  What type of manager do you want to be?