Good managers

As per a recent survey in the UAE, many employees are not happy working with their managers. However, some corporations are attempting to change that by training their senior staff. It may or may not work.

How is your experience at the workplace? Is there a lack of communication between staff and management? Or are there best practices in use that make it an excellent work environment? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.

You can only be a good manager if you like your team.

A manager shouldn't discriminate against his team. But managers should try to find a balance because if they were too strict then the employees wouldn't be comfortable working in such an environment. But if they are very friendly, then it might cause the people on the team not to take them seriously and that could have a bad effect in the long run.
Michael Bacaraman
Abu Dhabi

It shouldn't make a difference whether or not a manager likes his team. Managers have to work with different people and so should know how to deal with them. But they should find a way to work with their employees so that they are motivated to do their jobs and so provide good results for the organisation.
Janet Penaranda
Abu Dhabi

To be a good manager, you have to like people and have good communication skills. A good manager treats all his employees with respect and uses the skills and strength of the entire team to the advantage of the organisation. He motivates and creates loyalty amongst the workforce. A manager is only as good as how he treats the people on his team.
Geetam Kapur
Dubai

One can be known as a good manager if he has good people management skills and is able to manage his team well. He may not like the team members but he would know how to deal with their strengths and weaknesses. He would also know what motivates them or else know how to say no without letting them affect their performance.
Ritu Chawla Ray
Dubai

Managers fear taking decisions as it increases their chances of being blamed for mistakes.

Many managers don't want to be blamed if they took a risk and it didn't work out. They prefer to be cautious so nothing would happen to jeopardise their position. That way, if someone else took a risk and it backfired, it wouldn't be his or her responsibility. But if it seemed that something might work out, they might consider taking a risk.
Mohammad Talha
Abu Dhabi

Managers are judged according to their performance. So they might be wary of taking a risk if it makes them look bad on their records. But because they are evaluated according to what they had done for the company, some might take risks to see if the outcome would be good. If that happens then they might be rewarded.
Imran Rafique
Abu Dhabi

Decisions, especially at the senior management level are fraught with high risk and responsibilities. Managers often have to walk the tightrope of diplomacy and resort to an option that will appease everyone. So quality suffers and managers refrain from making that bold move, which would've proven beneficial to the organisation. Instead, they ‘play it safe' fearing adverse public opinion.
Shiuli Dutt Dey
Dubai

People generally don't like to take risks. If a manager decides to do something new, he is not only risking his job and the jobs of his colleagues, but the image of the company and its brand. If it fails he might be fired and when he tries to find another job, that failure might stop him from being hired again.
Hina Masand
Dubai

Most managers fail to give employees adequate information, which prevents them from performing well.

Managers have to make sure that they give all the information to their employees so that they would know what to do if he wasn't there to answer their questions. I'm a manager and I make sure that my staff has the appropriate information so they can deal with whatever situation occurs. That way I know they are performing well.
Mohammad Ahmad Nawasany
Abu Dhabi

My manager tells me everything that I should know so I perform to the best of my abilities. It also motivates me to work harder because they trust me with that information. When managers do that, it helps employees tap into their potential and perform better. Because of that, it reflects positively on the manager.
Rommel Chico
Abu Dhabi

If a manager cares about his employees, then he would care about them doing the best job they can. To do that, a manager could be a good example for his staff by making sure that they can handle any pressure because they have the information they need. When he does that, he makes sure that they can work together efficiently.
Anita D'Souza
Umm Al Quwain

All the companies that I've worked for provided me with all the information I needed — and sometimes the information was more than enough for me to do my job. But sometimes there are managers or people from senior management who don't give their employees the information they need because of things like office politics. If they were given more training it might change their attitude.
Paula Cichem
Dubai

A manager is responsible for the positive or negative atmosphere that he/she creates within a team.

Good managers appreciate everyone on the team. Good managers like and listen to their subordinates equally rather than focusing all their attention, good or bad, on a single member. That way the team is motivated to work well instead of the one that was singled out. Vision and imagination are necessary to make knowledgeable decisions, which in turn make for a good manager.
Kumar Val
Dubai

Managers must find a way to energise their teams. One way to do that is to make sure that they understand the strategy of the company. Because he is responsible for the team and the results they produce, he must make sure that everything is done in a collective manner. Once they feel appreciated, they will be motivated to work better.
Hilton Seleke
Abu Dhabi

They are responsible for dealing with the staff of a company so the atmosphere they bring to the team is important. If a manager is moody then it would have a big effect on the way employees might act and that would affect the results of what they were trying to achieve. But a good manager knows how to keep things positive for their team.
Gina Panambo
Abu Dhabi

It depends on the team also. A manager may bring a positive atmosphere to the team but they might have problems with each other. But because managers have influence on their team, they can use that to make sure that their team works together to achieve a target.
Sagal Sulaiman
Ras Al Khaimah

Managers should be supportive to their subordinates at work, while also abiding with the policies. Managers should be the motivating power and free to approach, this will only improve the dedication and morale of staff. I know Managers who simply wants to harass their staff. And the staff working in the company for 20+ years are not happy for this manager's presence in the office any more.
Fathima
Abu Dhabi,India
Posted: June 03, 2008, 14:21

My manager is taking all the assigned work before the deadline, and always tries to show the management that his team is not good and not working.
muhammad
dubai,uae
Posted: June 03, 2008, 14:00

I've experienced some Managers who don?t even say Good Morning, till employee says first. They just walk straight, as if we are going to take some advantage of him.
Edwin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 03, 2008, 11:58