L
ike everyone else, managers
also make a lot of mistakes.
Making mistakes is every-
one’s right. However, learning
from one’s own mistakes and
learning from others’ mistakes is
essential. Here is a list of the top 5
management mistakes that man-
agers need to avoid.
- FAILURE TOPRIORITISE.
Making every task a priority is a big
mistake. Prioritising effectively and focus-
ing on a few tasks allows the manager to
create more impact for the time spent.
Research has shown that most managers
focus on easy-to-do things first to avoid
pressure and stress. But it is vital to have a
laser-like focus on the issues that matter
the most and sort these out first.
- APPLYINGINFLEXIBLE
POLICIES.
There is no such thing as a companypolicy that can serve all situations all the
time. Company policy should be seen as a
guide, not the last word on the matter. It is
best to be flexible and apply common
sense when it comes to dealing with staff
and particularly when dealing with cus-
tomers. No customer wants to hear the
supplier telling them “oh sorry I can’t help
you; it’s company policy”.- HESITATING TO SHARE
INFORMATION.
No one is advocating sharing sensitive
or confidential information as that would
be tantamount to stupidity. But many man-
agers think that sharing information
should be restricted to as little information
as possible. This is dead wrong. Managers
need to err on the side of communicating
and sharing information as much as possi-
ble. This builds trust and credibility. It is
always better to over-communicate than to
under-communicate.
Another way to think about this is to be
more “direct” and upfront rather thanbeing “cagey” in the way one communi-
cates. I have always found - with few
exceptions - that being direct is much bet-
ter than all those “sandwich” approaches
where you say something positive, some-
thing quite the opposite and then positive
again.- MICRO-MANAGING.
Micro-managing is a sure-fire way of
discouraging employees. Giving the team
members a significant degree of latitude in
the way they work and the decisions they
make is empowering and motivating.
Delegating without constant oversight
whenever possible is also good for overall
productivity of the team.- NOTACCEPTINGOVERALL
RESPONSIBILITY.
The reality is that most managers when
confronted by their own bosses on lack of
team performance will allocate blame to
their subordinates. It is part of the territory
when one is a manager to accept overall
responsibility for failure. It is this ability to
accept responsibility that creates trust and
respect.Please visit the site entitled
Management Development Insights at
http://mdi.com.pk/management. This
contains hundreds of concise articles and
insights for busy executives. You can
subscribe to these by entering your email
in the text box on the top right.Top 5
Management
Mistakes
by Asad Zaidi40 • Australian Opportunities Magazine • M/J/J 2017 • http://www.workfromhomemagazine.com.au
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