Lessons From Parenting To Managing

As a parent I learned a very valuable lesson which I was able to use years later when I moved into a management position.  That lesson was that what worked with one child such as discipline, motivation, and teaching does not mean it will work with the next child.

All three of my children were and still are very different and I had to find out what would work with each one.  The same holds true with managing staff personnel. There are different management styles depending on what type of persons you are  managing, what their skills and knowledge are .

There is the “Director” style which works well when you have certain tasks that need to be completed.  Keys to this style are being able to clearly tell your employee what exactly needs to be done.  How they are going to do it, when it needs to be finished, what the goals, standards and outcome must be.   You are the ”Director”.

There is also the “participatory” style of management, in this style you would not only train your employees for the tasks they need to complete, but you also let them know how what they do fits into the big picture, how it effects the office or project as a whole.  Knowing how they effect the outcome is the motivation for doing their part well.

Then there is the “team work” approach, which is my favorite, because with this style everyone involved is able to bring their strengths to the tasks at hand.  We all work together to complete the goal with each person on the team supporting and assisting one another.  In order for this to happen there needs to be good communication skills, coordination of tasks and being able to work independently but together.

All styles can be effective it is just knowing which one works the best for the job you need to get done, who is doing it and then implementing it with all parties on-board knowing the goals that needed to be accomplished.

Parenting has been a great precursor to becoming a manager for me.  Do you have any lessons that you’ve learned as a parent that have come in handy for your job?

08/19/14