1. Great Managers —What They Know and Do
A Guide to Greatness

2. Great Managers… Communicate Respect others Know their employees
Make good and ethical decisions
Are responsible
Are flexible
Influence culture
Are willing to learn

3. Great Managers… Communicate
How well does your manager communicate roles, projects, and strategy?
___Very well
___Somewhat well
___Not very well
___Not at all well
What can you learn from your manager about communication?
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4. Great Managers… Communicate
If you are a manager, how well do you communicate to your staff roles, projects, and strategy:
___Very well
___Somewhat well
___Not very well
___Not at all well
What would your employees say?

5. Great Managers… Communicate
What is buy-in, and how do you gain it?
Give enough information
Ask for understanding
Set expectations
Deliver on promises
Ask for input
Communicate results

6. Great Managers Avoid… Dishonesty Inconsistency Emotional responses
Distorting, “spinning”, or otherwise masking the truth is dishonest
Inconsistency
Emotional responses
Communicating only what makes them look good
Communicating what they think their employees want to hear
Communicating what they think as opposed to what they know
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7. Great Managers… Respect Others
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8. Great Managers… Respect Others
Respect: to show regard or consideration for someone
Respect others’ time
Be on time to meetings and don’t miss appointments
Respect differences
Never discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, or anything else

9. Great Managers… Respect Others
Respect others’ space
Don’t take liberties with anyone’s personal space
Maintain confidences
Keep private matters private
Maintain others’ dignity
Watch how you speak to people
Don’t embarrass others; when you have a disagreement, keep it private

10. Great Managers… Know Their Employees
What do you need to know about your employees?
Their strengths and areas for development
The challenges they face in their role
Their work ethic
How will you get to know them?
Talk
Listen
Observe

11. Great Managers… Know Their Employees
What are opportunities you can use to get to know your employees?
_________________________________________________
What will you want to avoid in getting to know your employees?
_________________________________________

12. Great Managers… Make Good and Ethical Decisions
What will be your toughest decisions?
Hiring/firing
Balancing work and personal life
Delivering bad news
_______________________________________

13. Great Managers… Make Good and Ethical Decisions
When making a decision, consider:
Who does this decision affect?
What does this decision affect?
What is the long-range implication?
Who would oppose it – and why?
What is the alternative?
When should the decision be made?
Are you the person to make the decision, or does the responsibility belong to someone else?
Case Study: You have a staff of 10 people, and you’ve been informed by a peer that when you’re away from the office, a couple of your staff take liberties, like coming in late, leaving early, and taking long lunches. You also find out from your manager that you need to eliminate two positions for budget reasons, but these two are actually your highest producers, with the least errors. Without them, it would be next to impossible to get everything done in your department. Your other employees are usually punctual, but none of them are as effective or efficient as the two who aren’t punctual. What should you do, and what are the reasons for your decision?

14. Great Managers…Are Responsible
Great Managers don’t “pass the buck”
They own up to mistakes
They avoid saying, “that’s not my job”
Responsibility also involves knowing when to delegate
What kinds of tasks can be delegated to staff?
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15. Great Managers… Are Responsible
A Great Manager knows when to ask for help
When might a manager need help?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
What resources can a manager access for help?
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16. Great Managers… Are Flexible
Easy
Difficult
Are you easy to work with? What would your peers say?
What are some characteristics of people who work well with others?
What are characteristics of those who are difficult to work with?

17. Great Managers… Are Flexible
When do you think you’ll need to be flexible?
____________________

18. Great Managers… Influence Culture
What’s the culture of the Credit Union?
What do people believe about:
Honesty of Management?
Opportunities for advancement?
Positive recognition?
Fairness, or the lack thereof?
If you were an Executive Manager what would/can you change?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you feel you can influence the culture of the Credit Union in your current role? Why or why not?
Group discussion: Have participants write down what they believe to be “unwritten rules” of the credit union

19. Great Managers… Influence Culture
What’s the culture of your team?
What do people believe about:
Opportunities for advancement?
The manager’s interest in them?
Positive recognition? Do they think they get enough?
Fairness, or the lack thereof?
If you were/are the manager what would/can you change?
_______________________________________________

20. Great Managers… Influence Culture
How are you contributing to your team’s culture today?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How would you enhance the culture of the Credit Union?

21. Great Managers… Influence Culture
How will you shape the culture of your team?
Know what is already influencing your team and the organization
Personalities
Unconfirmed reports (aka gossip)
Perceptions
Communication (or lack thereof)
Your involvement with the team
______________________________________

22. Great Managers… Are Willing to Learn
Take advantage of all opportunities to learn
Sometimes the best learning happens outside of a classroom
Find a mentor or mentor someone else
Look at roles inside and outside of your department and the credit union. Don’t assume that someone at a lower level of authority can’t teach you something
Don’t let errors stop you…let them teach you

23. Great Managers… Are You One?
You will be if you:
Communicate
Respect others
Know your employees
Make good and ethical decisions
Are responsible
Are flexible
Influence culture
Are willing to learn