There are a great number of us who have horror stories about managers or supervisors who were horrible and we can give you a ton of bad manager quotes. Maybe it was a  manager who yelled, was repulsive, or downright rude and disrespectful. Whether it was at one of your first jobs or maybe later on in your career, it’s likely that you could tell a few comical anecdotes about what you and your co-workers dealt with.

Now, what if you’re actually the star of one those stories?

bad manager quotes
Being a good supervisor isn’t an easy job. Everyone is different and has their own strengths and weaknesses. Not only does a supervisor have to learn what his or her own strengths and weaknesses are, but also the skills of those whom they manage. Entrepreneur writer Mark Graban writes that his career experience has taught him that “bad managers tell employees what to do, good managers explain why they need to do it, but great managers involve people in decision making and improvement.”

It’s true that a great deal of people don’t respond to people ordering them around non-stop with no explanation. It takes a great manager to involve people in the process. This ultimately helps improve your employees’ skill sets and promotes employee engagement.

Let’s say that a company encounters some problems and needs to make some changes. A bad manager would just tell their employees to adjust with no explanation. A great manager would explain the problem to their employees and attempt to come up with solutions together. Managers don’t always have the answers, which isn’t always easy to accept. ” Great managers engage people in designing their work and they continue to engage them in ongoing improvement,” states Graban.

bad manager quotes
Take a moment to consider how you manage your employees. As said before, it’s key for you to know your own strengths and weaknesses before you can become a successful manager. Sometimes, a brutally honest self-evaluation is what is needed.

The first and foremost question that needs to be asked is are you setting the example that you want your employees to follow. “You’re the role model for your team, so demonstrate behavior you want to see in your employees,” states INC writer Dianne Gottsman. “From how you speak, listen and illustrate respect, your actions will set the expectation for those you supervise.” If you’re not following your own rules, your employees will notice.

Also, consider the kind of environment you are creating in the work place. As we’ve talked about before, company culture is a major contributor to employee engagement, happiness, and overall productivity.  Every day try to get better as a Manager so you don’t contribute to more bad manager quotes.

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