As a current business management student, I often wonder if I will become an effective manager once I graduate. The question isn’t so much as if I will feel ready to manage, but whether or not employees will find my managing style motivational and respectable. Will employees think they can walk all over me if I am too nice? Will they think I’m too cold-hearted if I am overly strict?
Having worked in customer service for the last five years, I would like to think having traits such as: relatability, positivity, and having a sense of follow-through, will allow me to become the manager I hope to one day be. I personally admire managers that would rather “show” an employee how to do something, rather than just “tell” them. I believe having these qualities in “showing” an employee how to accomplish something, is a trait of being a leader, versus just” telling” them how to, would be considered being a boss. In knowing the difference between the two, I will do my best at becoming a leader. I will begin to look into how employees view management, which training tools work, how arguments should be settled, and also how different personalities and attitudes effect the workplace.
In my ongoing education, it is hard to get my foot in the door to put my new knowledge to the test; however, I am looking forward to shaping many employee’s perceptions of going to work as a chore; rather, it is a place where one can grow, accomplish and be proud of the hard work they do.
Do you have any comments regarding what characteristics display an effective leader?
Kendra Slate 