Management: An Exercise In Patience

I have been managing people in different work environments for over 15 years.  I don’t think I am a great manager.  I am very good at some aspects of managing but to be truthful, I realize that I lack some of the personal interest in my employees that I see from other people that I feel are very good managers.  I do feel that I am extremely fair manager and that I allow people the room to experiment and make mistakes.  Some managers simply have no room for mistakes or inefficiencies.  For some, this is just their personality and for others this has more to do with the environemnt.  I am in a position where I can live with mistakes and I will if it helps promote the growth of the individual and makes them a better employee.  The downside to this is that some people feel that my management style is too detached.  I just don’t see it that way.  For me it is similar to how I interact with my kids.   Sometimes you have to stand by and let them learn through experiencing something, even if it is bad.  And even if I have already learned that same lesson.  Sometimes telling them the answer is just not the same as letting them learn through the experience.

I think at the end of the day this is all  about patience.  Patience to allow people to learn and patience (and understanding) for those that don’t understand why I manage the way I do.