Big Boss Man
Erin Schulte wanted to find out what the secret is to being a good manager, should you find yourself in that position, so she got advice from those in the know:
SUPPORT IN PUBLIC, REBUKE IN PRIVATE
Managers learned from their own higher-ups that dressing down or insulting an employee in front of others is a huge no-no. During a brainstorming meeting, Fry says an editor suggested a potential bit of technology news
that was really less than newsworthy. “It was amazingly off the mark, so I snorted derisively, and my deputy editor joined me. About two minutes later an email arrived [from my manager] that I can still quote by heart: ‘Please don’t scoff when people call out story ideas in the newsroom. For all the obvious reasons.’”
Foster recounted an experience in her early days as a publicist where a high-profile writer wasn’t getting the access she needed for interviews. The reporter first screamed at her and then tracked down Foster’s boss, with whom the reporter was acquainted. “I thought I was getting fired,” Foster says. “My boss looked at [the reporter] and said, if my publicist made a decision, her decision stands.” Publicly, always have your employee’s back. Privately, Foster notes, her boss asked her not to put him in a situation like that again. Lesson learned. “I have junior publicists who make decisions all the time and I say, I always support you, but next time, let’s talk about that a little more,” says Foster. “No one wants to be belittled, and it doesn’t make you feel good about you, your job, or your boss.”
And while praise showers down, criticism moves uphill. Fry says one big surprise about being a manager was that he was no longer responsible only for his own mistakes. “When people who reported to me did doltish things, it was somehow my problem,” he says. But learning how to appropriately deal with that reality –- and it is a reality – will endear you to your charges and make them work harder for you. “Always give maximum credit where it’s due, and redirect it if it’s going to you instead of your folks; when good folks mess something up, go out of your way to absorb as much of the blame as possible,” Fry says.
Devore concurs, adding that the good vibes should be spread around. Bad juju, meanwhile, should not. “If a project is a success, it’s the team who should get credit. If the project flops, it’s the manager’s fault.
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