A manager's responsibilities include meeting organisational goals;
hiring, training and supervising employees; and resolving problems.
A manager is accountable for the behaviour and performance of the employees.
To take correct decisions, follow these steps:
Explore options.
Evaluate the pros and cons of each option.
Rate options.
Eliminate poor choices to reach the best one.
Before taking a decision, make sure you have sufficient information and facts.
When delegating, choose between complete supervision, partial supervision and complete independence.
Partial supervision is used in most settings, as it provides a balance between the extremes of complete freedom and complete supervision.
Successful delegation is achieved when these two conditions are fulfilled:
The task provides an opportunity for the development of the employee's skills.
The task matches the skills and knowledge of the employee.
Feedback can bring results only if it is delivered correctly.
The three styles of feedback are:
Direct praise or criticism.
The Open-Faced Sandwich.
The 360-Degree Feedback.
In open-faced sandwich, criticism is sandwiched between appreciation
where the opening and the final lines contain appreciation of the employee
while the middle part contains the criticism.
In 360-Degree Feedback, the employee receives feedback from multiple groups such as customers, colleagues and supervisors.
Manage virtual teams by clarifying objectives, setting reliable and mutually convenient communication channels,
clearly stating expectations and being flexible with cultural differences.
In case of virtual teams, results are managed, not activities.
So, keep monitoring results while providing a sense of ownership to the employees.
Supervise others by giving orders, making requests or making suggestions.
Depending upon the importance and urgency of the task, any one of these methods can be used.
Usually, allowing employees a certain freedom in how they do a task and when
(granted that the quality of work is retained and it is completed on time)
can increase job satisfaction and performance.
Managers can manage change by using these methods:
Creating open communication lines.
Educating all parties why a change is occurring.
Training people to handle the change.
Providing all necessary tools to employees to handle the change.
Allowing flexibility to tackle sudden changes in plan.
Involving affected parties in the process of change.
To resolve conflicts, use these steps:
Neutralise emotions and set ground rules for the parties.
Choose a place for the talks that is neutral and where no interruptions will occur.
Have the parties define what they want.
Establish common ground and create mutually beneficial options.
Give each party what they really want.
Provide the parties sufficient time to review options.
Have the parties acknowledge their agreement to the decision made.
Performance management has two main elements - goal setting and performance review.
I. Goal Setting - Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely) when defining goals.
II. Performance Review - When conducting performance reviews, use these tips:
Both employer and employee should be prepared for the review.
Introduce positivity in the process.
There should be clarity of purpose.
Base employee performance review on facts.
Take employee feedback.
Set goals for areas for improvement.
Determine time/method for follow-up.
Conduct recruitment of employees by using any of these types of interviews:
Phone Interview
Traditional Face-to-Face Interview
Situational Interview (where questions are asked on how an employee will behave in specific situations)
Stress Interviews
A combination of these interview types can also be used depending on what job requirements the candidate will be fulfilling.