Team Building Tips

Michael Scott from The Office, Mr. Spacely from The Jetsons, Larry Tate from Bewitched. These are just a few of the "make-believe" bad bosses from pop culture. In reality, though, we've all known our share of bad bosses as well. In fact I think I've known more than my share. But from most of my previous supervisors, I've been able to find some positive managerial traits in each of them in order to "construct" the quintessential manager.

From my personal experience and observations, and in no particular order, I've compiled my list of top 5 ways that managers can avoid common pitfalls and be exceptional and effective leaders.

 1. Consistent Communication. Giving feedback to employees should not be reserved only for performance appraisal time. Constructive feedback, whether positive or negative, is most valuable when given on a consistent basis throughout the year. This not only speaks to a manager's leadership ability, but even more importantly  helps employees stay informed, plan ahead and make any necessary adjustments. It's all about setting up employees for success, not failure.

2. Forget the micro-management. One of my best bosses told her employees, "I'll give you enough rope to either climb up or hang yourself." In other words, she believed in a hands-off approach and essentially left it up to the employees to make many of their own decisions regarding their careers. When I ask clients what kind of boss they want, they invariably say one that gives them autonomy and decision-making power, but at the same time offers guidance, leadership and direction.

3. Implement employee ideas. It's important to not only ask employees for ideas, but also to implement them too (assuming they're good ideas of course.) Giving workers a sense of involvement and ownership in the process (vs. just being told what to do) helps to increase job satisfaction  as well as employee engagement and retention, and in turn encourage higher productivity.

4. A little goes a long way. OK, so one of the biggest oversights from managers is the lack of positive reinforcement given to employees. Many managers are focused only on pointing out when something isn't done right. But simply acknowledging their employees' good work goes a long way in making them feel appreciated and valued, and is a great source of motivation to do more good work in the future.

5. Encourage education. Being a valuable employee can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Some managers have been known to actually withhold resources and opportunities from valuable employees in order to try to prevent them from moving into a new department or new organization altogether. Again, managers should give their employees every chance to succeed. And providing the necessary resources and encouraging them to grow and advance their careers through further training and education is a perfect way to accomplish this.

These are just a few of the ways that managers can help ensure not only their own success as effective and exceptional leaders, but also the success of their employees.

Joe Rosenlicht, MBA is a certified coach and founder of InMotion Career & Wellness, a coaching practice specializing in career, small business and wellness issues. Through a systematic and proven approach, he's able to help clients in all stages of their careers, from entry-level to mid-level to executive level, reach their professional goals and live exceptional lives. Joe also works with clients to help them design a personal wellness program via The Wellness Inventory, a unique self-assessment and life-balance program that addresses a person's state of wellness in 12 different areas. Visit Joe at http://www.inmotioncoach.com to get his free monthly bonus report containing valuable insights, tips and resources for your career and health and to arrange a complimentary consultation. To learn more about Joe, go to http://www.linkedin.com/in/joerosenlicht