What makes a good manager?

[dmsymr]

What makes a good manager? retail specific but also in general.

[Theland]

Somebody who leads from the front rather than pushes from the back.
Not a control freak.

[DONNA1458]

be fiar and approachable, be able to have a laugh with your staff yet they know when its time to be serious. be able to demonstrate that you are able to do what you ask of them shows you are not shy of getting your hands dirty. if you ever have an issue with a member of staff make sure you deal with it one to one. also give praise when due by reward or passing comment.

[spaced]

firm but fair. Good managers are born as good managers, you cannot train someone to be a good manager of people in my opinion

[vehelpfulguy]

I have found that the best managers are those that do it naturally.

Some people "act" at being a manager but that never works.

Good managers just seem "right" in that position.

If we compare Blair and Brown for example (not saying about their policies but as managers).

Blair seemed very at ease at being a manager (of the labour party and country). Generally the labour party got behind him and there were few dissenting voices.

Brown on the other hand seems very ill at ease at being the manager. He does not cope well with the "fame" and copes badly in prime ministers questions time.

His delay in calling the election has given the tories a stick to beat him with, and now some members of his party are starting to turn on him.

So to some it comes naturally (Blair), others have to work at it (Brown), but if you are not good at it you soon get found out.

[vehelpfulguy]

There are also different types of managers, with many different styles.

If we look at football, Ferguson is a gruff, working class Scot who rules to a certain extent by fear. Players would run to the end of the earth for him, because if they dont they will get an ear bending, or maybe get sold.

Wegner at Arsenal is a quiet, educated Frenchman who rarely, if ever, raises his voice. He is totally loyal to his players, never critisizing them in public. But again his players are totally loyal to him.

These two are totally different managers, yet are two of the most successful managers in English football in the last 10 years or so.

Of course many successful football players have gone on to manage in football, but only a few make it to the top. Many try for a few years and then give up.

So there is obviously some "magic" ingredient that each manager needs (in any wak of life) but it can be different piece of "magic" for different people.

[dmsymr]

Great helpful comments guys. I get the whole Blair Brown analogy, very well put vehelpfulguy, but going on from the Feguson v Wegner (bear with me im not into football one bit) Is it better as a manager to Rule by fear however fair...or out of respect?

[Josyjo]

IMHO, a great manager is somebody who can see the whole picture, without getting bogged down by things that are a waste of their time. You can't keep everybody happy all the time, and that isn't what you are employed for. Priorities are those tasks that will make the company more money.
With staff, I don't think a manager ever needs to scold, or shout, or pull rank - in an effective company misconduct will be dealt with by routine procedure.

[Josyjo]

So,,,, neither fear nor respect should be sought by any manager.... If they do a good job, it will be known to all around them - and the respect will follow. And if I'm wrong about any of this, then I ain't a very good manager! :-)

[dolly pond]

a gd manager is someone who leads by example, so if theres a new idea in place, they just do it , never moan about senior managers and have fun too!!

[Josyjo]

I'm with Legend 100%.
If you are not a manager, you want one to be your friend, muck in and have a laugh, and give you a payrise.
That won't make them a good manager!

[EngTeach]

Hopefully dot will see this. I believe she has some expertise in the reatil area. (That's if my feeble memory is working.)