What I Learned Trying Different Management
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Dealing with Conflict, Time Management, and Time for Self are Key Components for Being a Good Manager
Being a manager is not always easy. People are always vying for your time. I sometimes say that my job feels like I’m directing traffic or being a psychiatrist. As someone who arrives first thing in the morning to an immediate influx of questions that don’t stop until the very last minute I leave the office it can be challenging to manage my time. Aside from knowing what style of management to try and use for different situations, there are also a few key elements that I adhere to.
If I need time to myself to focus on a few things, I close my door for privacy. It’s OK to give yourself a few minutes to get your things done. I think that one of the downsides of being a manager is you yourself not feeling as though you’ve completed some of your own tasks.
You will always need to deal with conflict. There will always be opposing sides to a situation and it is important to immediately deal with the issues and personalities involved. Stay calm and composed. I deal with sales, design, and our accounts—there is always a lot of conflict. I make sure to separate the drama from the actual conflict.
Go through the situation and look at it from the perspective of what business it brings to your company, what is a priority to handle, and how can we accomplish something that looks like it can’t get done. There is usually a way to get it done.
Lastly, manage your own time wisely. If you don’t set some time to yourself, it makes it very hard for you to be a good manager. You need to be able to step away for a while in order to come back refreshed and with a new perspective because you are continuously going to be challenged in today’s world of business! And that’s what keeps it interesting.
Related articles:
Part 1: Determining Management Styles…and When Best To Utilize Them
