10 Key Gears Inside the Head of a Good Manager

1) They spend very little time with recurring problems.

They probably have as many problems as anyone else, however they do something about them, so they don’t have to go back and deal with them again and again. Good managers fix what is broken, one way or another, so it doesn’t come back to haunt them and they don’t have to come back to it.

2) They know the difference between running a tight ship and a slave ship.

They know the difference between demanding and expecting and inspiring people to get the chores done or to obey the rules.

3) They know when to stop and take the rock out of their shoe, and when not to break stride (and just tolerate the hurt until later.

We have a goal and a direction and are going for it, and then along comes a snag. An interruption, a pebble in our boot, a cut finger, a bit of bad news, a change or cancellation that’s going to make things a lot tougher than they were. Poor managers will immediately yield to the distraction, focus on it, and stop to relieve the pressure and the hurt. But now they’ve lost not just time but momentum. Hurts can heal, but times and positions and opportunities don’t always come around again.

4) They don’t worry about failure.

Good managers rarely think about failure. They go for what has to be done and let the chips fall (and then gather and sell the chips afterward).

5) They never get lost in the daily chores and duties.

Good managers work constantly to do the regular, the set, the routine, and the inescapable more efficiently, and squeeze it down to an ever smaller part of our schedule, so we have more time to do new and more forward-looking things. Chores are great for discipline, but freshness and risk are what keep us alive.

6) They avoid the unnecessary; period.

Life is full of unnecessary things, things that take time and money and space and spirit and really give us back very little. Such as status symbols or luxurious items, for example.

7) They’re always in the middle of what’s going on.

When and where there’s lots going on, you need to be in the middle of it. You need to be able to mow better and faster than anyone you hire to do it, and do it yourself once in a while to keep the scent of grass in your sensitivities.

8) They stay in the game.

They stick with a project or idea, bad or good, until it works or they discard it, but they don’t just start something and leave it. You just can’t win in the game of life if you don’t stay at the table and keep playing your hand. You leave when you’ve made a real decision to do so, not because you’re uncomfortable for a minute or two, or something is briefly unpleasant.

9) They’re not afraid of “overload.”

They work with both hands at once, and will almost always take on more than others do, more than they’re asked to do, more even than they at first believe they can do. And most of the time, they’ll not only do it, but only be stronger and more respected as a result.

10) They live by the rule: “Because you’re doing 40 things now, it doesn’t mean you can’t do 50 more.”

Accomplishment has no limits, limits are established by you only, not the opinions of others, the weather, or the norm.