7 Great Ways to be an Effective Manager

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. ~Stephen Covey 

You can be an effective manager in seven great ways:

1.      Be a leader:  A manager is a technically competent person. He may not need to work, but he must be able to provide solutions to problems when he is referred to. He coaches and inspires confidence among workers. He develops people. They are given resources and are encouraged to work independently. They are enthusiastic and motivated because of the trust placed on them. A leader anticipates events and takes proactive action to prevent emergency situations.  A leader has many followers because he is knowledgeable and competent.

2.      Be a master communicator: An effective manager is patient and listens attentively. He listens first to seek understanding before speaking. He is able to know the hidden messages by observing the other person’s body language. An effective manager is also able to write concisely, precisely, clearly, and fully.    

3.      Personal effectiveness: An effective manager plans, organizes, prioritizes, and maintains a balanced life. He is keeping in good shape so that he is energetic, alert, attentive, and responsive. He keeps promises and meets deadlines without fail.

4.      Creative to sustain long-term survival: To be effective, a manager has to follow closely the market trend and understand the changing needs of customers. He is innovative and constantly developing new products to cater to the varied taste of smart shoppers.

5.      An open mind: He is continuously updating his knowledge and learning new things to stay ahead.  As an adaptable and flexible person, he initiates changes to seek progress.  

6.      Take action: There is a sense of urgency. When it is time to act, prompt action is taken. An effective manager does not hesitate. 

If I had to say in one word what makes a good manager, I’d say decisiveness. You can use the fanciest computers to gather the numbers, but in the end, you have to set a timetable and act. ~Lee Iacocca

7.      Productive: An effective manager focuses on the few important things to do that produce the desired results. To be productive is to do the right thing at the right time. The right time is always now.

An effective manager is creative and he inspires, motivates and supports the team to achieve greatness.  

10 Positive Signs that You Are a Valued Executive

Are you working successfully? Are you getting along with your boss amicably? There are ten assuring signs that you are valued and appreciated at work:

1.      Favorable comments about you to others: If you have heard from the grapevine that your boss talks to other people about you positively, you know it is an indirect approval and acceptance of your performance.  

2.      Always ask for your opinion: What is your opinion? What do you think? If your boss consults you most of the time before doing anything, your words carry weight and your boss thinks highly of you. 

3.      You play an effective role at work: You are not bypassed. Your boss wants you to go through an item first before execution. It is an indication that you are competent at work.

4.      Ask and get your pay raise every time: As an executive, you do not get automatic annual increments like unionized employees. In a small outfit, more likely than not, you have to ask for it. Every time when you ask and you get a reasonable amount of increment, it is an indication that you deserve a pay adjustment. 

5.      You are not being disturbed: You are left alone to do your work. It is because you have taken the initiative to update your boss on a regular basis. If every now and then your boss comes around and bug you, you are in trouble.

6.      Get you an assistant without asking for it: Your boss wants you to work productively.  When one assistant of yours left, he or she quickly get you a replacement.

7.      Confide in yourself: Your boss thinks you can be trusted and it is all right to talk to you about his or her inner feelings and ambitions.  

8.      There is no negative comment from your boss: Bosses do not usually come around and pat you on your back and say that you have done a good job. On the other hand, you are doing OK when you receive no negative feedback or comment.

9.      Your boss cares about you in a subtle way: This is my story. I have a lady boss. One day she gave me a handwritten note through another person. In her note she said, “Your nose is dirty, please trim the hair so that you look more handsome.” At the end of the note, there is a small image of a smiling face.  

10.  Your working style fits in with your boss: You and your boss are able to see each other eye to eye. The way you work and the way you present yourself to match the style of your boss.

Are you a valued executive? Did you notice the telltale signs?  

10 E’s of a Highly Successful Executive

What do you find in a successful executive? The following 10 E’s identify the common traits of successful executives:


1. Engaged: She is enthusiastic about her work. She works with full concentration and she is loyal to the company which she is attached to. Her outstanding performance is making her a prime candidate for further advancement in the company.

2. Experienced: Her ability to get things done is well illustrated by her performance. Her talents are admired and her capability is accepted without reservation.

3. Expertise: She has gained extensive knowledge in her field of knowledge and she is able to apply what she has learned. She is a believer in continuous learning to stay up-to-date.

4. Expressive: She is a great communicator. She is able to express herself clearly, fully, and precisely in spoken words as well as in writing. She is able to convey and convince her thoughts to a higher authority

5. Energetic: She is bursting with energy and will jump right into action mood. Procrastination is not a word in her dictionary. She believes in just doing it.

6. Emotionally intelligent: A person with high E.Q. will bring him or her success in their career to the next level. She is fully aware of her own emotions and she is able to control the outburst of negative emotions. She is also able to pinpoint the feelings of others and act accordingly. She knows when to move forward and when to back off.

7. Example: She is the role model of the company. Her ability in her field of expertise is demonstrated by her track record. She is punctual and she delivers as promised. She is good at people skills and she is able to communicate effectively.

8. Efficient: She is creative and resourceful and she believes in making changes to get things done more efficiently but no less thoroughly

9. Effective: To know the right thing to do at the right time is her trademark. Her ability to distinguish what is important and what does not make her an effective person.

10. Exercise: She is fully aware of keeping herself healthy and fit so that she is able to perform in the long-haul. Exercise is her daily routine. Her calm, clear, and uncluttered mind is the result of doing aerobic exercise regularly.


You can learn and develop yourself to be a successful executive. It takes time, effort, and patient but with conviction, passion, and determination, you, too, can be one eventually.

How to be a Better Executive

Executive

As an effective executive, you are able to manage yourself, manage others, manage your work, and chart your future.


Personal management

• Self-development: What you have learned is not enough to cope with your work. You need to be on the lookout for new ideas to do things more efficiently and effectively. The only way to survive in the corporate world is to adopt an attitude of continuous learning.

• Emotions: Are you able to manage your emotions? Know your mood and act accordingly. Generate more positive emotions such as cheerfulness, appreciation, and confidence at work.

• Grooming: Dress appropriately and smartly, you will feel good about yourself. Others will perceive you as a meticulous person.

• Self-care: Self-care means looking after your well-being. Be physically active and follow a balanced diet. Get sufficient sleep and know how to manage stress,

• Personal traits: Develop yourself into a trusted brand by acquiring such traits as honesty, punctuality, promptness, alertness, and attention to detail.


Manage others

• Manage your boss: Treat your boss with respect. Support him or her as much as he or she has supported you. Don’t go to your boss with just problems, go with solutions as well. Complete and deliver assignments in a timely fashion. When you are not sure, do not assume, clarify with your boss before getting things done.

• Manage your co-workers: Work as a team, cooperate with other department heads to achieve the goals of the company.

• Manage your subordinates: The best thing that you can do is to set good examples. They are watching to see you really do what you have preached. Be direct and honest with them. Catch them doing something right and praise them. Show your appreciation for jobs done well. Be impartial with all staff, and do not show favoritism. Communicate clearly, precisely, and fully and get feedback from the staff. Know how to get things done through delegation. You must be able to offer constructive criticism without demoralizing the staff.


Manage your work

• Getting organized: Always carry with you a to-do list for the day. Get the most important things done when your energy is at your peak. Listen to your body rhythm; are you a morning person or an afternoon person? Avoid clutter at your workstation. Maintain proper filing for easy retrieval of documents

• Time management: Time management actually works management. Learn to do less but achieve more within a limited time

• Deadlines: Aim to complete an assignment earlier than expected. In case changes are required you will not fall into an emergency situation.

• Creativity: Look at problems as challenges. Be resourceful to come up with solutions. Problem-solving will eventually become a useful habit. at work


Manage your future

• Set goals: Do you know where you are going in 10 years down the road? Without direction, you will waste valuable time and effort in the long-term.

• Aim high: Reach for the moon; even if you don’t get there you are among the stars.

• Put in writing: Are you serious about your ambition? Written goals are powerful motivator because it inspires you to focus on your objectives every day

• Daily effort: Your goals are achieved on a daily basis and accumulate over time. Make it a daily habit to work on them.

Executive effectiveness is about looking after oneself, getting along with others, getting things done with limited available time, and working towards one’s future diligently.

5 Learning Ways to Be a Better Executive

Leaning

‘Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.’ –Benjamin Franklin

Like a growing baby, it takes time for you to gain experience and learn to work better and smarter. Here are the top five ways to learn and improve at the workplace: 

 1. Learn from your past performance: Review and evaluate your performance. What can you learn from it? Have you been doing the right thing at the right time? Have you been effective and efficient? Have you been getting along well with others at the workplace? 

 2. Learn from mistakes: Learn from not only your own mistakes but also learn from the mistakes of others at the workplace. As an example, in an office, if it is working fine, it is a quiet place. When you notice people rushing about and behave in a panicky way you know something is not right. Observe and learn. What mistakes have you committed? What can you learn from it? Making mistakes along the way and learning from these mistakes is a way to grow and work better. Dare to try means dare to make progress.

 3. Learn from others: Seek out those smart people in the office and be humble to learn from them. They have worked longer in the office and they have accumulated vast knowledge and experience to be at their present positions. 

 4. Learn from learning: One of the most important things in your career is doing continuous learning. Change is the byword because of new knowledge and new ways of doing things keep appearing every now and then. Keeping yourself updated is the only way to survive in the corporate world. 

 5. Learn from the success of others and yourself: Do not just notice your shortfalls, find out what you have done right previously. Learn from it and improve upon it and do even better the next time. Observe and learn from those who are successful in the workplace. What are their secrets? What have you learned and how you can apply it to your advantage. Be curious and be alert to the happenings around you. 

Always be interested to learn something new in life. The thirst to learn and know more and the lifelong quest for knowledge will stand you in good stead in the long run.

10 Tips to be a Top Executive

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”  - 

Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

Success is about what you can contribute to the company and what you can do for your fellow workers. Here are the top 10 things that you must do in order for you to move up and stay at the top: 

 1. Getting a job done: Each and every assignment is to de completed on time, completely, and in the way as required by your boss. Effectiveness and efficiency are important factors to get things done. 

 2. Your commitment: Are you committed to the job? When you are interested in doing what you are doing, a job is no longer a job; it’s a fun thing to do. When it is your passion you will do your job wholeheartedly. Commitment means concentration and focuses on the job. 

 3. Self-improvement: Do you stop learning after you have left school or are you updating yourself in the field of your expertise? The thirst for knowledge is an essential quality in the competitive world. Never stop learning.

 4. A team member or a lone ranger: In every organization, one department is linked to another and they form a cohesive unit. The cooperation of every department head is vital to allow the day-to-day operation to run smoothly. There is no place for a hero or a lone ranger. Be a team player and be sensitive to the requirements of other department heads as well as your own. 

 5. Time management: How do you manage your time? Actually, time management is life management. The most important thing is the fill your time with the most important tasks and get them done. You can ignore the rest and do it only when you have the time. This is an effective use of time. 

 6. Punctuality: To be on time is to respect others who are also time-sensitive. As a top executive, it is a virtue and a very good habit. It is a sign that you are able to organize yourself very well and you can be on time the first time and every time. 

 7. Positive mental attitude: In essence, you will find solutions to every problem encountered. An attitude of never-say-die will augurs well for your career. Self-confidence will inspire others to look upon you. 

 8. Support your immediate superior: The only way to work in any place is to give your fullest support to your boss. Just remember he is the one who hires you and he thinks you will make a good assistant. It is two-way traffic. You support your boss and your boss will support you to move up the ladder. 

 9. Loyal to the company: If you speak ill of your company why are you still working there? You are one of the spokespeople of the company even though you are not in the PR department. When you look upon the company highly it reflects well on you. Always remember to keep confidential issues to yourself. 

 10. Supportive of co-workers: You need to get things done through others. Naturally, your care and concern of your co-workers will ensure that things get done in a timely fashion. It shows that you are an effective leader. Don’t ever complain to your boss that your subordinates let you down by not doing their part. Blame yourself for it. 

 The more you do for the company and the more support that you give to your co-workers, the more you are valued and appreciated by your boss and your co-workers, and the easier it is for you to move up.