Learn the five most common examples of management weaknesses.
Management weaknesses No.1 – Who’s the Boss?
The most common among management weaknesses is showing who’s the boss from a position of power. Some of your subordinates will be young and new, eager to follow you. But, the experienced ones might be more resistant to your directives, especially if it comes across as an order, disregarding their experience or suggestions. This is a tricky position as you are the one with the responsibility, you also need to assert your authority, and make sure your employees respect you and follow you.
Your subordinates have a working style of their own, and it will not work well to dictate your ways on them. Stay cool as long as they are committed to the work, compliance is another matter. Set targets and deadlines, but do not interfere in their work, especially if they are long-standing good employees in the company, even though you are the one in the lead position.
Management weaknesses No. 2 – I Want to Be the Cool Guy
While understanding your subordinates’ viewpoint and respecting their opinions is important, it is another thing if you are letting them run the show or take it easy. It is you, after all, who will have to explain things when the performance falls.
Everyone hates to be the bad guy, but you have to find a balance between micromanaging and giving no direction at all. Keep your mind open for suggestions, listen to everyone, but ultimately you have to decide on the final direction your team/company takes. Also, do not excuse any slack behaviour. Tardiness or frequent leaves should not be taken lightly.
Management weaknesses No. 3 – Setting Uniform, Inflexible Rules
If an employee is frequently late or absent, take him/her to a task, but first, do understand the reasons behind this issue. Some of them might be suffering from a health condition, or they might have a sick relative at home. This goes for all other aspects of the job too.
While focusing on performance and target, it is easy to forget that you are dealing with people – not processes or software which are programmed to run in a certain way. Understand that every employee is different and will respond differently to authority or pressure. Rather than take offense it is best to find a way around.
Management weaknesses No. 4 – Unclear Instructions
A few months? What exactly do you mean by few – is it two or six? As the planner, you might have a clear, precise idea of what you want yet you also need to convey this to your staff. Being too vague can leave them confused and they may lose confidence in you.
Make a clear, concise, and precise guideline. Give the employees fixed goals and targets (numbers, not approximate). They need to have a clear idea of how their performance will be measured, this will help them to stay motivated and work efficiently and smartly.
Management weaknesses No. 5 – Overestimating Yourself and Your Team
New managers are often eager and overenthusiastic. Free from the crutches of their B-school or the restrictions of their previous job, they want to prove a lot. Brimming with new ideas, they just can’t wait to implement them and the processes that they have learned. They want to bring about a positive and fast change.
This enthusiasm can be very infectious, affecting the entire team, resulting in a boost in productivity and morale. But, unfortunately, it also means that the goals they set can often be unrealistically high. Other employees may take time adjusting to the sudden changes a new manager and his new processes demand. In addition to that, they will need to be perfected and tweaked in order to get the expected results. It’s important to set realistic goals and accept that the new processes might also result in losses.
Managers have a wide scope or responsibility, they are not only responsible for their own work but also for their team’s results. There are many tools and systems that can support their constant growth, however, being aware of the above management weaknesses secures their effectiveness and positive career progression.
