Seven Rules for Good Management

Let me give you seven rules for good management.  These come from personal experience.  It requires remembering that as a boss you’re in a management role.

First off, you are not your employees’ buddy.  This is the surest way to lose the respect of your employees.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t be a nice guy or gal, but you have to have a distance between you and your employees.

Second, disrespect is like a cancer.  If it shows up in one employee and you put up with it, it will show up in five.  And if you get disrespect; by the way, you invited it, even if unintentional.   Fortunately, it’s easy to get respect back.  Start anew and discipline someone if he or she gets out of line as is required.  You have authority, the employee doesn’t.  Don’t go overboard like you’re making a point though.  You are not seeking a confrontation; you’re now just finally doing your job right.

Three, never lend money to an employee even on a tear jerker of a sob story.  Kids are expensive enough without having your pockets fleeced by here today, gone tomorrow employees. You want to be especially wary in this because you don’t always know the real character of other people on a personal level.  Good to know too is that there’s no moral code anywhere which requires you to loan money.  It’s also funny how every broke person can afford candy and cigarettes.  I once loaned money to an employee with a story that would have floated a boat on the tears.  Later, I found out that his wife had just quit her new job because though she was being paid wages above minimum wage, she thought she should have been paid more.  And he needed my money!

Fourth, remain a mystery to your employees.  You have no knifed in the back stories, your marriage is great and your dog never barks.  Now this doesn’t mean you’re a kill joy with no sense of humor or a funny life story.  But it also means you don’t have personal problems to employees.

Five, if your employee has a medical problem that precludes certain kinds of work, get a doctor’s excuse from him or her.  Employees lie just like everyone else.  There is a saying, if you can’t spot the sucker, it’s you.  And believe me, employees can spot a sucker.

Six, don’t break company rules.  The truth is it isn’t you being fired for three write ups.  However, if you don’t fire that employee, you may be fired.  And you can’t eat pink slips.

Seven, remember to take into account cultural differences.  People from other countries may come from backgrounds where the general rule for a boss is to behave as a dictator.  Kindness to them may be perceived as weakness. 

Now don’t be mean, but firmness never hurt any career.

Finally, let me add a bonus rule.  Use your commonsense.  Everyone has loaned gas money to a co-worker.  It’s obvious if an employee has a black eye because of an abusive spouse that a medical excuse is not required when that employee comes in late.  Be a decent, kind and a loved boss.  Just remember the commonsense part.