WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD MANAGER?

10. January 2008 by Ranger.

This is a list, and brief discussion of the attributes, mannerisms, and methods that I have observed in the best managers I have been privileged to know, work with, and work for during my career with the National Park Service (NPS) from 1967-1994. While they were gleaned from a number of very fine mentors within the NPS; I contend they are relevant to all potential or practicing managers world wide in any profession.

Years ago as a fledgling management trainee the government spent a lot of the taxpayer’s money on a small number of selected rangers to put us through an intensive experience where we were intently observed for our organization and cooperation skills, writing skills, human interaction skills, media management skills, listening skills and problem solving skills. We were observed closely and individually rated by a large number of retired private industry CEO’s and senior government managers. After which, we were individually counseled on our strengths and weaknesses, and given a year to enhance those strengths or improve our weaknesses. The next year we went through a similar experience a second time. It was money well spent.

During that training most of those retired senior managers believed that outstanding management skills meant that person could successfully manage any business whether that was in auto manufacturing, a metropolitan police department, clothing manufacturing, a national park or any other corporation or government agency. In spite of the exceptional training I believe this learning experience was, I disagreed with that premise that a good manager can manage anything very well. While I do not discount the fact that an outstanding manager could do reasonably well in any business or government agency, I believe that same good manager will have greater success if they have experience and education that grounded them in the specific business or government agency they are responsible to manage. Have you noticed how many CEO’s without specific experience and intimate knowledge gleaned from the “trenches” of the business for which they are managing have been failures and relieved of their management responsibilities over the years? Perhaps, my contention is more statistically correct.

Excellent managers are trainable. If you aspire to management success, practice the following recommendations. They are not in any particular order or priority.

• A good personality goes a long way in any organization.
• Be honest.
• Be kind and considerate.
• Encourage independent thinking and discussion. Make sure your employees feel free to make any suggestion or comment, but they also understand that the final decision is yours alone.
• Criticism received is yours alone. You are the responsible official making the management decisions.
• Problems are solution driven.
• Give clear directions.
• Manage through trust rather than authority.
• Review progress.
• Hire the best personnel you can find and let them use their expertise.
• Provide authority with the responsibility.
• Let employees achieve and credit good ideas to the contributor.
• All praise should be in earshot of other employees or in public.
• Praise received should be focused to those employees responsible for the success.
• Correct or counsel in private.
• Be firm and assertive when it is necessary.
• Be kind to everyone. You may be working for them some day.
• Progress should be goal oriented.
• Set agreed upon due dates and times.
• Learn to recognize good ideas or comments when heard. Be a good listener.
• Balance the workload.
• Don’t hesitate to change direction when better ideas surface.
• Practice an excellent phone personality.
• Important! Think way ahead. Practice predictability by being knowledgeable.
• Provide training for the weaknesses.

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