Cameron Robicheaux

Qualities of a Good Manager

Open with pictures of parents and kids, bosses and employees, and teachers and students

We’ve all had a manager at some point in our lives. They come in all shapes, sizes, and qualities.

Parents, bosses, and even teachers each have some managerial aspects in their roles. It is a

virtual certainty that everyone will find themselves in a position where they need to manage an

individual or group. But how do we do it well? How are we to prepare for this role? What does

a manager even do?

Picture of Peter Drucker

To start, lets determine what a manager does. According to Peter Drucker, who was a pioneer

of modern management, a manager has 5 core tasks that they are responsible for:

List of these on screen

 setting objectives

 organizing

 motivating and communicating

 Measuring

 Developing people

“Setting Objectives” on screen, then pic of something that symbolizes giving direction

Setting objectives for a manager means determining what the group is going to do and

identifying what needs to be done to achieve it.

“Organizing” on screen, then pic of something that symbolizes breaking something into bite size

pieces

Organizing for a manager means breaking down what needs to be done into workable portions

and determining which group member will handle what assignments.

“Motivating and Communicating” on screen, then pic of people communicating and possibly

something symbolizing the motivating aspect

Motivating and communicating for a manager means motivating individuals to complete their

assigned portions and communicating with them to provide praise, course correction, guidance,

clarification, or anything else that is needed.

“Measuring” on screen, then pic of a performance review occurring (probably find a better pic)

Measuring for a manager means determining what objectives have been met, providing

feedback, and analyzing group members progress.

“Developing People” on screen, then (try and find a pic for this, but don’t need to force it)

Developing people for a manager means giving group members the opportunity to acquire new

knowledge or skills, improve on the knowledge or skills they currently have, and obtain

experience in the workplace.

“Qualities for a good manager” on screen

You may be asking, “If this is all there is to managing, then how have I had such terrible

managers?” Simply put, these tasks are certainly at the core of being a manger, but how a

manager gets these things done is what will separate a good manager from a great manager.
Being reliable, confident, a good leader, having good time management and communication

skills, and knowing when and what to delegate are all qualities that will greatly benefit your

ability to effectively manage a group.

Take the time to assess yourself and continue to improve and develop your abilities. Try and

think about individuals who have filled a managerial role in your life and analyze what they did

or didn’t do that worked for you and learn from those experiences.

The responsibilities and qualities I have mentioned will hopefully provide a base for you to

utilize while you find your own way and develop your management style.

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