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Management mistakes can seem like an endless cycle to some people, fixing them can, however, be a difficult task, ADEMOLA ALAWIYE writes

 

Many managers lack fundamental training in managing people. More importantly, managers lack the values, sensitivity and awareness needed to interact effectively all day long with people. After years of hard work, you are now the boss; you call the shots. And every day, you are on the lookout to ensure that everything is running smoothly and that no one makes a mistake. In doing this, management experts say you are likely to forget to check yourself for mistakes; and your mistakes are likely to have a bigger impact on the success of your organisation or unit. Though they admit that it is impossible to completely avoid mistakes, they stress that by understanding the common mistakes, managers will be in a better position to avoid them, and when they make any of the mistakes, they will be able to learn great lessons from them.

Some of the common mistakes listed by experts include:

 

Shunning additional training

According to experts, many people fail as managers because of inadequate training. They explain that when an individual rises through the ranks to become a manager, it is important that such a person receives some form of management training.

The Managing Director, Silex Limited, Mr. Steve Obong, says getting basic management training may not be enough in today’s world. This, he explains, is because ‘managers will excel only where the environment is stable.’

He says, “What obtained yesterday would most likely not obtain today. At that point, it becomes imperative that we focus more on strategic leadership and less on management because it takes a strategic leader to navigate the environment.”

 Being too distant

Some managers, in their quest to give their workers the freedom to be creative, end up being too distant from them. Experts say such a move can lead to a lot of problems for the organisation and for such managers because by handing off, they leave their workers without supervision. Yes, they are people who can work with little supervision, but many others require supervision.

 Failing to provide feedback

Many companies have periodic evaluations and many managers chose to wait for such periods to point out the mistakes or weaknesses of their employees. According to experts, by doing that, some managers may be missing a great opportunity, and putting the company at risk. This, they say, is because the attitude or flaws of such workers may affect productivity, which in turn may cost the company clients. They explain that it is possible that some workers have no clue that one of their habits is unsuited for the office or that a task they have just completed was wrongly done; and all they may require to improve is a prompt feedback from their boss. By providing regular feedbacks to employees, managers can keep them in check and prevent them from creating divisions among the workers or causing the company to lose customers.

 Being inaccessible

Some managers are just ‘too busy’ for their workers; they have no time. All the time they have is for meetings with associates and clients. According to experts, this is a huge mistake because when you are done holding meetings with your clients, it is your employees that will provide the service, produce the product needed or execute the project that was discussed. When you cut them off, they may fail to do what is expected of them. This is because they need to make a clarification and when they have challenges, they will need you to guide them or provide a solution. Management experts advise that managers should always create time for their workers because without them, you will have no products or service to deliver. Ensure you keep an open door policy, because it will help you to keep your workers on the same page with you. According to them, a manager is unlikely to succeed if he or she does not have time for the employees.

 Being too close or friendly

Yes, experts say managers should not be too distant. Yes, they say managers should not be inaccessible. Now, they say managers should not be too friendly with employees. How is that possible? Experts say it is possible once you learn to strike a balance, and always remember that you are the boss. They say while you are supposed to be approachable, becoming friends or too friendly with employees may make it difficult for you to function effectively. This is because you have to take tough decisions about your workers every now and then.

 Getting motivation all wrong

Experts say many managers make the mistake of thinking that money is all that motivates their staff members. They say while money is a factor, it is not the only thing, stressing that other things such as the nature of the work schedule, commendation, respect and working hours, among other things, play a role. Once you have failed to motivate your workers, you will be unable to get the best out of them, which is enough to make you fail as a manager. To avoid this, experts say you must bear in mind that it is not all about the money.

 Trying to do it all yourself

Another big mistake managers make is that they hardly delegate responsibilities because they believe that they are the only ones who can get the task done properly. Some managers don’t delegate, because they feel that no one apart from themselves can do key jobs properly. Experts say this is not only a source of de-motivation for workers; it can get the managers frustrated and stressed. To succeed, they say managers must learn to trust employees and delegate responsibilities because they just can’t do it all themselves.

Source: The punch