Page 213 - Becoming a Successful Manager

204 BUILDING ON YOUR FOUNDATION

pay, plans to complete, trips to take, dreams to ponder. How you

treat them at work influences all of these acts. Do your job—that’s
what you get paid for—but do it with sensitivity and humanity.
Being sensitive doesn’t make you a weak manager who is eas-
ily infl uenced. On the contrary, sensitivity requires strength of
character, which is needed on the many days when you must do
what is unpopular. Your challenge is to do it in ways that are not
personally hurtful and ideally even helpful. Even bad news can
be delivered in a manner that is not harsh or vicious. A thorough
explanation can often avert future problems.
Some managers enjoy seeing themselves as tough as nails, and
in some companies, that behavior might be rewarded. However,
the art of successful management is seen when you make tough
decisions without a rough demeanor. Be thoughtful, not emotional.
When you have to say no, think through your options for deliver-
ing the message and the impact it will have. Instead of a simple
“No,” will your employees hear “Absolutely not!” or a regretful
“Unfortunately not”? You have dozens of ways to communicate
the same information while sending vastly different messages.
Take care to send the exact messages you intend, and anticipate
the consequences of your messages. Managing excellence requires
open and constant, ideally positive communication. Think about
not only the substance of your communications but also how you
package it. Where, when, and how you deliver information can be

more significant than the words.
This book has repeatedly highlighted the stature of honor and
respect. Everything you do as a manager you do with and through
other people. You now are better equipped with skills, techniques,
strategies, and plans that will help you effectively interact with a
disparate collection of individuals. In addition, your job requires
that you eye the hard realities of profi ts, schedules, regulations,
distribution, production, and a host of other demands. All of