"Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could." ~ Steve Jobs
When I was first starting out in my career, I had ideas about what I would and would not do as a manager if I rose to that position. One of my first influences was an article about a hospital CEO who spent a week every quarter working in a different area of the hospital. Maintenance, housekeeping, dietary, supervising, CNA, laundry - it didn't matter, he spent a week wearing the uniform, doing the work, and seeing how that department affected the hospital as a whole. Another influence was the movie "9 to 5" with Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin. While it seems dated to watch it now, the ideals behind working WITH employees to get great performance which leads to better productivity has stuck with me. Both of these influences were seen by myself when I was a teenager - barely working myself, but they stuck with me.
I've had good managers, bad managers, managers that I wouldn't even wish on my ex-husband or worst enemy, managers that were barely there and I'm not sure how they maintained their job, and managers that were awesome. I have taken notes on what I liked, what I didn't like, what I swore I would never do, and what I appreciated in a manager as an employee.
Here are just a few things that I do as a "manager":
- I show up un-announced on the night shift. Historically, night shift workers have low-to-no access to their manager. They either have to come in waaaaay before their shift or stay late past their shift. This is inherently unfair to those workers. Two or three times a month, I come in for about 3 hours to work on staffing issues, discuss concerns or ideas with the nightshift staff and give them a chance to ask me questions. I assured them that I'm not there to "catch" them doing something they shouldn't, rather I'm there to "catch" them doing all the right things.
- Every month, I have a drawing and everyone is able to play. I post a photograph and anyone who chooses to participate can message me with the location of where the photo was taken. Ten days later, I take all the names of those who have guessed correctly and put it in a computer-generated pool that selects the winner and they are given a $20 gift card to that specific location.
- I allow flexible scheduling. Some employees have children and need to leave an hour early to get them off to school, some can only work eight hours of a twelve-hour shift. One of our staff has had some unexpected medical issues and had to decrease her hours. We've been able to split shifts with her and another employee or have her come in for specific hours as needed.
- I am accessible by phone, text or email. If it's urgent or emergent, they are able to call me 24/7/365 - if it can wait, then text or email. No question is too frivolous - we have employees with all levels of experience and there is no such thing as a dumb question.
- I am willing to come in and work to cover shifts for sick employees or those with sick children when needed.
- I do not tolerate BS excuses for not showing up for work - the schedule comes out ahead of time by group text as well as being posted. Because I am accessible, there is no reason for having a "no call, no show". I do not make excuses, I take responsibility for my team and I lay things on the line in a transparent manner.
- I am willing to work with employees who have extenuating circumstances, but I expect them to not take advantage of it.
- I will go toe-to-toe with administration or other managers in defense of my team. We do our jobs, we do them well and I know it.
I had an employee come to me after failing her first exam in school towards her degree. I explained that this "failure" may not have been a passing grade, but she could use the experience to "fail forward to success." This failed test gave her the opportunity to see what future tests would be like, how she needs to study in the future, and not to overthink the things she KNOWS. A failed test is a stepping stone to the future.
If it hadn't been for the encouragement of some of my instructors, leaders, managers and co-workers, I would not be where I am today. I want to take all the beneficial lessons I learned from them and pass them on to my employees for the time I have the pleasure of being their leader.
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