What is your management style? What management style do you prefer for your supervisor to have?

Hi Tionna,

When I was a manager, the most important things for me were trust, employee effectiveness, and employee wellbeing. It was very important for me to establish trust with the employees I oversaw because my management style is very hands-off, until they need me to be hands-on. I trust that they were hired based on their qualifications, and I trust that they can navigate their way through difficulties and challenges. I very much dislike micromanaging, so I only step in to occasionally do quality check or when they ask for my help.

Effectiveness was also very important to me. Lots of managers require efficiency, but honestly humans as a whole just aren't very efficient animals. however, we can be effective. If you do something in 30 minutes but with a 50% accuracy, that's not as good as doing something in 60 minutes but with 95% accuracy. That's why I looked for effectiveness, and not efficiency. being fast does not always mean being accurate.

Finally, my employees' happiness and wellbeing were at the top of my priorities. If they felt they were being treated unfairly, if they weren't happy, then they cannot be performing their best at work. I always made sure to check in with them on how they were doing both at work, and outside of work. I valued mental wellbeing a lot too. If someone had to leave a bit early or if they just needed to take a personal day, I was all for it! You must take care of yourself before you can take care of others.

For myself, I also prefer a more hands-off supervisor. I like to be trusted too! I am capable, I have proven that, and I am not afraid to ask for help when I need it.

Always remember that it's a two way street. your manager has expectations for you, but you should also have expectations to how your manager treats you!

I've always preferred -- and strive to be -- a manager that is interested in what his reports do and how they solve problems, but don't micromanage or second-guess them. I had a manager who was very, very smart, and I really appreciated his giving suggestions for approaching problems in new ways. But he didn't "tell" me what to do. He only let me know what the needs of the project were. I've had managers that were very "hands off", but the upshot was that the passion to get things done was never fostered in the team by him. It was generally in spite of him, and folks were happier when he just stayed away. For that sort of management, you don't need a person but just a report of some kind.

I also very much appreciated a manager that gave you the impression that you were as important as the project itself, and that the other product of the project was a more seasoned and capable and happy employee. The knowledge that your project might end, but you'll still end up working with the same people means that a relationship with those people is an integral part of success.

As a manager I care most about making sure my employees are supported and have a way to meet their career goals in a way that serves them and our employer. I want to make sure I'm always there for them to provide support, but not micro manage their work. Everyone processes information differently and takes a different path to solve problems, this means the way I tackle a work scenario will not be the same as my employee. I do not expect them to do things my way. This is how people learn from each other, whether they are and employee or a manager.

I look for managers that push me out of my comfort zone. That trust me to take on new challenges and give me room to try, fail, and try again. I prefer that my manager has a growth mindset and helps me look for opportunities for success where they may not be obvious.

This is a really good question. I believe in building strong relationships with my team members. Getting to know them on a personal level helps me to know their “why”. Building trust and sharing similarities in our lives helps build those. I am the manager who sets stretch goals for the team, higher than the company goal and encourage my team to exceed those by instilling in them the belief that they can. I encourage innovation and thoughts on new and better ways of doing the “we’ve always done it this way” processes.

I appreciate a manager that takes the time to get to know me. Sets the expectations and then leaves me alone to produce the results.

Its good that you are taking the time to research different ideas. Continue to grow and keep an open mind.

Hi Tionna!

This is a great question!My role is to build a best in class team by helping the members on my team be the best contributor they can be. I give my team overarching goals and directives and allow the team to be autonomous in the way they want to achieve those goals. It is important to stay connected with members through regular check-ins and ensure members are accountable for the work that they need to achieve. Depending on the individual, I will also adjust my management style to mold into how I feel they can be most successful.

My management style is to be there for my team when they raise the need for help. I don't like to micromanage (no one likes that) but I want to make sure they are comfortable asking for help. I also ask each team member how they would like to be managed, as each person is different and I want to be able to adapt to their needs.

I'm very self-motivated so I prefer to have a manager that gives me the tools and help I need to get started on a project and then just let me handle it. In my opinion, having a manager that micromanages is really inefficient and wastes a lot of everyone's time.

As a manager, the most important part of your job is making sure you are there for your team. To ensure your team is performing to their fullest potential, it falls on the manager to create an environment that is safe for employees to bring forth issues or challenges they are facing. There is an old saying that a happy employee is a product employee. To have a happy employee means that the manager need to both trust and empower their employees to their job, instead of micromanage their daily tasks. I prefer to have a manager who is there to guide instead of telling me what I need to do.

Hi Tionna! This is a great question. Based on personal experience, I've learned to tailor my management style based on the needs the of the employees. Every employee is different which requires a different approach at management. The first step is to listen to the employee in order to gain an understanding of their needs, how they learn best and the direction they would like to take their career. I generally take the information i've learned and tailor my management style in a way that's most effective for the employee. I also love to develop and mentor my employees to ensure they and successful in their roles.