Page 29 - Becoming a Successful Manager

20 KNOWING THE TERRITORY

seriously, your actions must conform to its dictates. It is demor-
alizing to people to be managed by someone who is seen as a
hypocrite—a person who talks a better game than he or she plays.
How can such a person be trusted? How can such a person be
respected? To be trusted and respected, you must live your mis-
sion statement and strongly encourage your staff to do the same.
The following creed, which you might also want to frame and
put on your wall, can guide you in backing up your words with
actions. (See the Appendix for reproducible text.) Throughout
this book, we elaborate on the 11 essentials it contains.

Essentials for Managerial Excellence
Be sensitive to people’s feelings, and be kind to them.
Take time to make people feel special.
Listen to people’s emotions as well as words.
View people’s needs and wants as valid.
Choose your battles wisely.
Respect people’s differences.
Avoid being defensive and placing people on the defensive.
Give people the benefit of the doubt.

Resolve interpersonal problems as quickly as possible,
preferably before parting for any signifi cant time.
In short, treat people the way you would like to be treated: as
a valued friend.
Finally, never take people for granted—never.

Can you think of other, personal essentials for managerial
excellence?
Genuine caring attitudes are key requirements for creating
a fertile culture. The nature of attitudes, why they’re important,
and how you can develop attitudes that influence others to cooper-

ate with you are the subjects of the next chapter.