What is the best management advice you ever received?

[akw]

Some gems I've been given over the years

- You get what you think about.
- If you want something be insistent about it and don't give up. Put a picture of "it" in a place that you will regularly see it.

- First rule as a manager: Always hire your replacement.
This gives you the flexibility to pursue and take advantage of opportunities as they turn up.

- If you had to start over - who from your current team would you take and who would you not?
This exercise can lead to some very insightful thinking

- When deciding whether or not to terminate an employee think about how you'll feel after it's done
- Will you feel a sigh of relief? or will you feel panicked because you left yourself in a bad position?

My own to offer to others
- If you are a manager - create a team that can run itself.
It's an extension of the "Always hire your replacement" rule. I don't remember if someone said it to me or if it's something I've just
adopted. It's a principle I use very strongly especially now that training people to be managers.

[LoveGolf]

Here are some others from my experience:

1. Let your team speak first in meetings so they don't feel like they are challenging your opinion from the start.

I find poor leaders often think it is best to say their mind first putting everyone else in the position of challenging them if their opinions are different (or appearing to suck up if they have the same opinion). If you speak last, it provides the best way to let the team make good decisions or properly correct ones that perhaps are heading in the wrong direction.

2. Be careful what you say to team members when in social situations -- don't joke about your role on the job

I was in a situation where I joked one evening about getting someone to clean up and was chastised for picking on the person a few days later when it happened i chose them to clean up (i had a restaurant job early on). It is hard to separate work and personal relationships over time but you have to be careful not to mix the two if it undermines your ability to be an authority or lead.

LoveGolf