My Management Style

I wrote this up recently.  I have managed people before and enjoy doing it.  I have found my style of managing to be quite effective.  I share this with you because some of you (if you don't already) will manage and oversee other analysts.  Perhaps my style will inspire you to manage better in your given role.

My Management Style, By Kirk Harrington

I like to lead by example
I don’t ask those I work with to do things that I would not be willing to do myself.

I have a collaborative style
I like having regular team meetings to understand where everyone is at.  I use this as a way to get people together, to put minds together, and to create an atmosphere of mutual benefit.

I enjoy having fun
I have been known to have special promotions, offering prizes to associates that want a challenge.  I enjoy taking my associates outside the banking office sometime…to lunch or an outing.  I enjoy rewarding those I work with as I can and as I see it to be appropriate and meaningful to them.

I like to encourage my associates to learn their jobs well
This may involve extra research as necessary to make sure they understand how to do their jobs well.  This activity I would call ‘sharpening the saw’.  This not only benefits the associate, but also the organization.  The better the quality of an associate, the better they can produce for the organization.

I enjoy challenging those I work with…so they can learn and grow in their positions.

If there is a dispute or misunderstanding, I tend to address those personally with whoever the problem is with.  
If there is a matter that can't be solved casually (with non-direct focus) I typically take it to an undisclosed conference room.  I think it’s important to have direct eye contact in those kind of situations…so that motives can be seen more clearly.  I tend to take the approach of listening and trying to understand the concern, and then try to resolve it. 

Sometimes I have noticed that friction can occur because someone feels they can do more but are not being given more opportunities to excel.  These opportunities may not even be offered traditionally by the department.  In these cases, I am creative enough to provide opportunities for the associate to take on more responsibilities.

If there are disputes between 2 (or more) individuals I like to talk to each of them separately…to listen to what each has against the other.  I will then bring them together and act as a neutral party to resolve their dispute.  For example, I might repeat back to each party what the other have said so they can talk it out between themselves.  I might present my own point of view in a matter, but I do not press it.  Typically I have found that taking a side is the wrong thing to do.  After I have taken my approach, people have tended to resolve their own problems and come away happier and more content for doing so.

I try to live by the motto of ‘let him who is greater among you be least’

In other words, I don’t like to think of myself in a management position as ‘better’ than someone that I work with.  I tend to take the approach of ‘serving alongside’ those I work with to help them succeed.  I consider everyone’s opinion just as important as mine, though I do take the liberty to make important business decisions as necessary.  Finally, I have no quams about taking the side of someone I manage in front of a business line, if I feel that their views are valid.   Not to say that I am combative with business lines my group serve…quite the opposite.  I hope that as my associates see me treat the business line, they will treat them the same (establishing with them trust and respect).