On Managers: the good and the not so good

It's an overcast day, humid and hot, and promising rain. It's a good day for reflection which is what I'm doing instead of bringing in the washing from the line.

I'm reflecting on managers I've had in the past. Those I've loved best trusted me, and in letting me shine, they shone. Those I didn't love at all tried to bully or or victimize or stifle me...they couldn't or wouldn't let me shine and tarnished themselves as a result.

What distinguishes a good manager from a bad? Here's my admittedly simplistic take on it:

A good manager is, simply put: a good human being. She or he...

• communicates the goal, and the work needed to achieve the goal
• trusts you and your abilities to get the job done
• is not threatened by you or your abilities but uses these in a positive way to achieve the organization's goals
• advises or guides but does not to do the work assigned to you
• is constructively critical (but not mean) when necessary to help you redirect or improve your efforts
• recognizes your limitations and encourages ongoing development or change
• appreciates and recognizes your efforts
• has a healthy approach to life in general which in turn is reflected in healthy relationships with others be they above or below him or her in the hierarchy
• has the betterment of the organization at heart
• has a sense of humour to make fun a part of working life and workplace "fun"damentals.

People who work for good managers themselves improve as human beings. They become successful people in their own right, often as well-liked leaders and achievers. They develop others who continue to contribute to the health (and wealth) of the organization or to the world at large.

On the other hand, a bad manager is usually a human being still developing or needing to develop their own self to become a better human being. She or he might...

• not communicate or does communicate but on inappropriate matters, not work-related
• mistrust staff, double-check their work or re-assign work without explanation
• take steps to discredit or remove employees by whom he or she feels threatened
• take credit rightly due to staff
• bullies or victimizes staff due to own feelings of inferiority, vulnerability or importance
• gossips about staff or asks employee's opinions about other co-workers
• offers employees affection (favouritism) or gifts to compensate for his or her own destructive behaviour
• is obviously dysfunctional and lacks a healthy approach to life overall. In other words, is no fun
• creates a noxious or toxic work environment
• has his or her own goals at heart, not the organization's

People who work for bad managers (BMs) can

• experience ill health or setbacks or achieve nil to slow advancement in the workplace as their efforts focus on attending to the stress and negativity of the "bad manager experience" OR
• they become bad managers themselves, not having experienced or learned any better thus continuing to populate the world with BM's OR
• they improve as human beings in resolving not to emulate the bad manager. They too can be successful people in their own right, often as well-liked leaders and achievers, by choosing the good manager profile and rejecting the bad.

As I write this, while I've used the term "manager", I can't help but see this good/bad parallel exists everywhere: parents/children, relatives, coaches, friends, neighbours. How are YOU doing in this good manager/bad manager scenario?