Companies need leaders to rule over the business, organize the company, and manage their employees. These leaders come in the form of company managers. But what is a manager and how should they function? In simple terms, a manager is someone responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or any other similar organization. Despite this simple explanation as to what a manager is, a lot of things are being overlooked – not all managers are exactly the same.
If you are an employee and have been exposed to several companies already, you will agree that there are different types of managers. You might have realized that they have different management styles and techniques. You might have noticed that they have different personalities and traits. You might have felt that they all have different approaches in terms of dealing with employees.
Read through the article to see if you have met and dealt with these types of managers already – or if this is the manager you have now.
- AUTHORITARIAN. This type of manager favors enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of an employee’s freedom. Whatever an employee does, either remarkable or effective, this manager is never satisfied. At some point, this manager is difficult to get along with and he has the mentality that the only competent person working in the company is himself. Authoritarian managers are tough, this is true, but they have been through a lot to be able to stand where they are now and have overcome difficulties in order to reach their positions. If you are an employee dealing with this type of manager, it is important to know their objectives and that both of yours are equally aligned. This is because you want their objective to be your objective too. This type of manager are always clear with what they want, and as an employee, you will need to support that. By doing so, you are able to contribute and assist this type of manager in accomplishing a specific objective. Authoritarian managers are after employees who are team players and competent workers.
- PERFECTIONIST. This type of manager is someone who wants to be updated always and is always in need of constant information. He wants to know everything that is happening and if it is being followed accordingly. Perfectionist managers want to be consulted if there are any critical decisions to be made. They always have this urge to be kept in the loop. They are very keen and detail-oriented and they study and analyze every information, regardless of it being big or small. This is someone who will call you at any time for an update or ask the status of the task. If you are an employee dealing with this type of manager, it is important that you always inform him of what is happening. The only way to deal with a perfectionist manager is to accept that you cannot change your manager and that you will need to understand why he acts this way. Simply because he wants to know if a job is done or if there is any progress. Or if there is any conflict or problems that he can easily address. As an employee, delivering what they want and gaining their confidence is very critical for your success with working with this manager. One way is to give him the updates he wants daily – or at least create an agreement or a timetable for sending updates and information.
- EGOTISTICAL. This type of manager is conceited and excessively self-centered. What is important to him is that he looks good, even if that means that he needs to take credit for something that he didn’t do. Egotistical managers will not accept full responsibility for mistakes and errors that may happen. Rather, it will put the blame on an employee and will let the employee fix the problem – alone. This manager loves to point out what needs to be done and should be accomplished but he does not even know how to get things started. This type of manager loves to go around and point out peoples’ mistakes and shortcomings just to give everyone the impression that he has none and that he is above and better than anyone else. When a problem arises, he is quick to delegate it to someone else and let the employee handle it. And when something good comes from the deed – he then will take full credit as if it was him who handled the problem. Employees need to deal with this type of manager by having proper documentation and details of every conversation, e-mail trails, or anything that the manager has to say. Through this, if the manager screws up and does not accomplish anything, you are able to avoid accountability and will reflect who it is that should be blamed.
- KIND-HEARTED. When an employee meets this type of manager, he will think that this person is the sweetest and most wonderful boss in the world. This type of manager is more focused on what he wants to say rather than what he is supposed to say. He will tell you positive and nice things even when you are doing a bad job at your task. Kind-hearted managers will tell you what you want to hear. This type of managers want their employees to like them and that they are avoiding conflict or having the need to explain any difficult situation. Employees who have this type of manager want to hear honest and direct feedback but kind-hearted managers fail to do so. Kind-hearted managers should also be sincere but straightforward. They should consistently aligning their words and action and should be able to speak up if there are problems and concerns. Employees can deal with this type of manager by understanding why he sees the world is fine and beautiful. When asking for feedback, I also request to point out points of improvement and development opportunities.
- THE CAPABLE. Capable managers are the type of managers who employees want to work for. They possess wonderful qualities that make them fit for a manager. Capable managers have the perfect leadership strategy and equipped with the right character and motivation. These are managers who are open to change and to hearing suggestions from employees. They teach employees what should be done and let the employees learn at their own pace as well. They also resolve employee concerns and are very professional, they will tell you when you need to improve on something but will also acknowledge your accomplishments. Capable managers know how to build a team and can decide on their own. Employees will learn a lot working under capable managers that will help them add value to themselves. When capable managers make tough decisions, they can do it in a way the employees will respect it and everyone involved will be professional about it.
You might have met at least one of these types already – or maybe you have managers who are a combination of those mentioned above. As employees, we have to realize that we can never change who they are as a manager, but we can always adapt to how they are. We can adjust so we can properly work with them and become successful.
Working with people is never easy but it does not mean that you will have to compromise the objective to be successful. Also, it depends on how we view our managers whether we put them in a negative or positive light. If you think that you are not a match for your manager or you doubt the style your manager implements then maybe you will not achieve success and are both being a burden to one another. Managers are different from each other – but that does not mean that it will hinder you from finishing a task or accomplishing a goal.
Harper & Hill Executive Search have assessed and employed a lot of managers to several clients. We make sure that these managers are equipped with the right attitude and character. We aim that our clients have the best managers not just to keep the business running but to also handle employees.
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The Author
Angelo is the Managing Director of Harper & Hill Executive Search Inc, specializing in Senior Management positions in executive search in Emerging Market in Asia. He managed a full spectrum of senior-level placements and worked with multinational clients in Asia, Africa and Europe. He travels across Asia pacific region for his assignments.
Feel free to connect with him or follow him on LinkedIn. Angelo Cenon Valdez
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