During the course of my life, I have been employed in several jobs in several different fields. Except for my job as a gas jockey when I was a teen, I have always been employed at places where I was able to work through the ranks into a management position. By the way, you may find out that managing is not all it is cracked up to be. While employed as managers and in supervisory positions I learned a few things, a few rules, that helped me out immensely. I hope sharing my experience helps you to become a better manager or supervisor, too.

One of the first things I learned was to never expect more out of an employee than you would be willing to do yourself. So many managers and supervisors, particularly when they are new, try to push their employees too hard. You deserve a good day of work out of your employees; but if you have worked up through the ranks, you know what is reasonable to expect and what is unreasonable. Simply, stated don't ask the unreasonable out of your employees.

The second thing you need to understand is that you are the boss and the employees are the employees. Management is a lonely position sometimes. It is crucial to keep a distance from your employees private lives. You are a manager first and a friend, to a certain point, second. It is important for you to remain objective when you are dealing with your employees. If you become too close to any employee it will become difficult to discipline him or her if it becomes necessary. How are you going to be able to fire a close friend if need be? Your loyalty needs to be to your company making a profit. You can not allow your friendships to come in the way of running your business the best it can be run.

Thirdly, you need to be loyal to both your boss and to your employees. You need to be fair to your employees. If you have good employees they are worth keeping for years to come. It is your obligation to evaluate the jobs your employees are doing and to evaluate your employees. If you have an employee that needs a reprimand, reprimand him; but likewise, if you have a good employee, it is your job to fight management, if need be, in order to get a raise or other benefit for him. Normally, you are the liaison between management and employees. You work for both the management and the employees under you. Again, your goal is to help your company to be profitable and to be profitable you need content employees.

Next, if you are going to manage you need a backbone. Management may try to make you drive your employees too hard, and some of your employees may try to use you, by cozying up to you, brown nosing you. If management is being unreasonable, lay out a well thought out plan and show them with facts and figures why you believe they are being unreasonable. If you can't stand up to the management over you, you should not be in management or a supervisory position. Never allow an employee to have an upper hand on you through them brown nosing you. Keep objective, you are the boss, and they are the employees.

Lastly, remember not to discipline your employees in front of customers or in front of other employees. This is totally unacceptable.
If you want to lose an employee's respect for you, disciplining him in front of others will do it. I once had a manager who ran one of my stores in a convenience store chain. I had found out that he had been hiring young girls and forcing them to have sex in order for them to get the hours they needed. I was irate. I drove to the store and immediately exploded at the manager in front of customers and in front of other employees. I had lost respect for the manager before I got to the store; but worse yet, the manager and employees lost respect for me. At least yelling at him felt good.

To sum things up today, don't ask the unreasonable of your employees. Don't let friendships come in the way of running your business to the best of your ability. You need to be loyal to the management above you and to your employees. Grow a backbone if needed and lastly, never discipline in front of other employees or customers. For now this is all I have on the subject watch for follow up articles so you can learn the rules of managing people. Go out and be a good supervisor.

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