What Makes A Good Manager?

Being an office manager is not as easy as some people might expect. It is an extremely important role within an organisation and there are various qualities that a good office manager should possess. So what makes a good and respected office manager?

An office manager should be fair to all members of the office staff. Whether it is a upvc doors company, DVD duplication or one offering cheap calls, to have favourites, perhaps somebody they would also consider to be a friend outside of work, can cause a great deal of resentment within the rest of the work force and this can lead to a reduced productivity as well as having a detrimental affect on the atmosphere within the office. Each worker within the office needs to be assured that they will be treated as an equal.

The office manager should be prepared to “muck in” and work very hard. They should not merely just delegate the work and then sit back, this will lead to a lack of respect within the rest of the work force.

The manager should be a decisive decision maker and a strong leader. They should be pro-active rather than reactive. They should give praise when praise is due and relay messages in a positive manner. We all make mistakes and a manager should be aware of this and therefore not react too harshly when something goes wrong.

An office manager should be a good listener and needs to be flexible. It goes without saying that we all need our own space at certain stages of the year and that we all have problems to deal with – an office manager who is able to understand this is very much welcome.

A top office manager is required to have excellent organisational skills. This is how you gain a form of harmony and understanding within the work place.

A good office manager leads from the front and should be a great motivater. It is amazing how positive an effect the purchasing of bacon sandwiches on a Friday morning, for the office staff, can be on their morale.

Author: Steve Hill runs the How To Stop Stuttering Centre in the UK where he helps people to achieve fluency.