SMPS Domains of Practice: Domain 6 - Management
Posted by Communications2 on May. 29, 2021 / Member Resource / Subscribe 0
Written by Cali Centurion, CRSA
Management of people can be challenging because, well, we are people! We all change over time, have personal challenges, differing opinions, etc. As I have watched, read, and practiced in this role, I've noticed that paying attention, trusting, and participating in feedback are central to managing people well.
Pay Attention. This involves taking notice when something comes up, which is important, but perhaps more important, it requires thinking ahead.
- Clearly define roles from the start. Type them up, advertise them to your company management, and make them easily accessible for review and modification over time. Not in charge? Ask for your roles and responsibilities to be clearly laid out—or you can type up your current roles and ask your manager to review it.
- Be transparent whenever possible. Bring up subjects in need of tackling during group sessions instead of one-on-one (meetings, chat, email). Use task-tracking systems to show what everyone is working on (whiteboards, software systems like MS Teams’ To Do List, Click-Up, or Monday.com).
- Express yourself clearly. Don't beat around the bush. If you're still thinking something through, just say so, setup a review meeting, and specify how to proceed until further decisions are made.
Gain and Earn Trust. We often think that as managers, we should automatically be trusted, and that those we manage must earn our trust. The truth is, trust must be earned over time no matter where you are on the totem pole of management. To earn trust as a manager, consider these suggestions:
- Always say “thank you,” even for responsibilities that a person completes every day—not just for new or additional tasks.
- Acknowledge those you manage when you are outside of your immediate group. If you run a company meeting, put your staff on the agenda and give them an opportunity to give the updates on their projects. Call on them during meetings when you know they have made good progress, then thank them for their work or otherwise compliment their progress in front of everyone.
- Follow through. Managers learn to trust those we supervise by their ability to follow through. As a manager, we are held to the same standard. If you cannot complete what you promised as a manager, you should have a good reason and a good plan for moving forward. “Just because” is never an acceptable reason.
Give and Ask for Feedback. Feedback is underrated and underused when it comes to management relationships.
- Be open to feedback. While some personalities are frequently free with their feedback, the predominant impression among staff is that supervisors don’t welcome feedback on their own management. If this area is new for you, take baby steps. Show your team that you are approachable.
- Encourage open dialogue. Want an even more communicative and efficient team? Take it up a notch by asking for feedback. If you have something to say, say it—the sooner the better. If you’re not the manager? The same applies: Ask. Tell.
When it comes to management, we need to remember that we are all learning and growing. We still have work to do, so we can’t simply change expectations, but if we talk things through, we may find solutions and processes that work even better. We are all learning different things at different times, and we are rarely aware of everything on another’s plate. No matter where we are in the hierarchy, we should always remember to pay attention, trust, and give and ask for feedback.
Cali Centurion, CPSM, is an Associate and the Marketing Manager at CRSA. Her background includes social work, bookkeeping, human resources, and 18 years marketing in the A/E/C industry. Seeing the human side of work makes any job more fulfilling for her. She has been a member of SMPS for 8 years and currently serves as SMPS Utah’s treasurer.
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