adminis the one that meets the challenges you are facing and the needs of the people you are leading.
The Pontificating Manager
These managers will tell you that they do not follow any style of management. They are very good at finding excuses for their behaviours.
They are fond of making unplanned decisions and end up confusing everyone because of their inconsistency.
Their behaviour normally pushes them into situations that they are unprepared for.
One positive trait they have is that they are good listeners – you can approach them at any time and day and they are welcoming- they will listen to you from dawn till dusk.
Be careful of these, the same information that you are divulging to them will be used to benefit their schemes.
The Politician Manager
These managers are very smooth when they talk. They are charismatic and it is always a pleasure being around them.
They always have something to say about everything, no matter which challenges your department is facing.
The issue with them is that they rarely tell the truth.
Most of them have no real competence and most go to where they are by laying the sweetest of tongue on gullible superiors.
Remember these people are heavily dependent on individuals who are competent to make them and easily change like a chameleon when an employee gets tired of being used.
Have you often noticed how people marvel at politicians who are caught by the camera doing something ordinary – even a jogging politician becomes a great deal – it makes a great entertainment story.
Politician managers need someone to make them look good. They have invaluable networks, which you can also tap into.
The perfect manager
These managers are open to change, innovation, training, and personal growth almost to a fault.
Wonderful as it is, it becomes their point of weakness to the point that they become very inconsistent.
They place more emphasis on facts, figures, features, and benefits to the point of overshadowing their abilities.
They are more focused on following an organised, strategic selling system.
They often fall short of developing their interpersonal skills that would make them more human than machine.
The Autocrat Manager
This manager has one objective -his own. This manager does not care for the employees and nothing anyone ever does is good enough for them.
He/she is impossible to get along with and is convinced that they are the only competent person working in the company.
This manager will never admit to making a mistake, they will never tell you that you did a great job and will also never empower you to make appropriate decisions at your level.
If you want to get along with an autocrat manager make sure that you share the same objective as them.
For instance, if their preoccupation is to be promoted to become vice president, leave your petty reasoning behind and do everything in your power to help them to achieve that objective.
Who knows, you might even be promoted along with them.
If not, at least you will have made your life easier while coping with him or her.
If you have insecurities, clean them out before the autocrat managers finds out, they will throw you out of their program.
The Soft Heart Manager
When you first meet this manager, you will be fooled to believe that you have met the sweetest, genuine, helpful boss in the whole world.
Your first interactions with them are very warm and you will start believing you are doing a good job.
Do not be fooled – this person is actually spineless.
They will tell you exactly what you want to hear, then turn around and do the exact opposite.
They will leave you hanging out to dry and will be anything but supportive. There are ways of getting around these.
They are generally sensible people but do not have the internal fortitude to be a manger.
They may have been promoted too quickly and are looking for ways to fit in, give them time to build themselves up as they have to prepare to make tough decisions that might not be liked by employees.
In reality, our managers are some combination of the above types.
Believe me, you can never change who they are, but we can adapt the way we work with them in order to be successful.
In my professional life I have found that working with other people is hard but you need to be able to work around people.
Try to understand your boss and find appropriate ways to complement them.
Till next week may God richly bless you.
Shelter Chieza is an advisor in management issues. She can be contacted at [email protected]
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