Hola amigos, it’s your pal AJ!
Wait, what?!
Juan’s grandmother back in Mexico passed away on December 28th, so Juan has taken an extended trip south of the border and isn’t back yet.
I told Juan he might as well stay in Mexico, because he’s fucking fired from AJnet Magazine. This bum already skipped an article back in November because of his uncle, and that wasn’t the first time he did it. I’m tired of the excuses, it’s always something with your family Juan. Sucks for you, but I’ve got a publication to run and don’t have time for your bullshit anymore. I need a Mexican, not a Mexican’t.
Nah I’m just fucking around, Juan isn’t fired. I extended my condolences to him and his family and told him take as much time as he needed. He should be back in time to do a “Dear Juan” article later in the month.
This time around though, I’ve decided that, rather than not have a “Dear Juan” article for the beginning of the month, I’m going to try my hand at this advice thing. With Juan’s permission, I’ve went into his inbox and found a question to answer.
I can’t promise that my advice will be any good. In fact, it’s probably going to be downright terrible. But I’m going to try, because that’s just how we roll here at AJnet.
Here’s a question from a guy who just got a promotion at work and wants to know how to be an effective leader.
Dear Juan AJ,
I just got promoted at work to a management position, and I’m now in charge of 25 people. I’ve never managed anything before and I have no idea what I’m doing. I want to be a good boss. Got any advice on how to be a leader?
Wes F.
Being a leader is easy, Wes. Being a good leader is the hard part.
I’m not sure what industry you work in, but at the end of the day the traits of being a good leader are pretty much universal. Any idiot who does a job every day can tell people beneath them what to do, and can reprimand them if they don’t do it correctly. But that doesn’t make them a good leader. A good leader doesn’t “tell” their employees what to do, a good leader will be right there alongside their employees guiding them as needed. A good leader will reprimand employees for not doing a job correctly, but don’t confuse “reprimand” with berating and degrading.
Most of my life I’ve found myself ending up in management positions at jobs, but the one that had the most influence on how I am today was my nine year stint as the assistant deli manager at ShopRite. I learned a lot about managing from my bosses there. Namely, how NOT to manage.
When I was just starting out, I was placed in charge of the night shift. The night shift was responsible for cleaning up the department at the end of the day, doing things like power-washing the kitchen and breaking down and cleaning the rotisserie chicken ovens, making sure the morning crew was set up with product, things like that. And of course, we still had to wait on customers, maybe even more than day shift when you consider that many people usually start getting off work after 4.
Cleaning the rotisserie chicken ovens was a dirty job that involved scrubbing grease using the cheapest steel wool in the world, and an industrial cleaner called STRIKE that was so strong its use could qualify as a violation of the Geneva Convention. Unlike my boss (the department head), I wasn’t content with just telling others what they needed to do and believed in doing my share of the work. So I had no problem rolling up my sleeves and submerging my arms in grease and STRIKE to get the ovens cleaned.
One day the store director was working late and saw me cleaning the ovens. He questioned why I was doing it rather than having someone else do it. His exact words were “You’re a manager AJ, that’s beneath you now.” He then told the department head the next day, and the two proceeded to lecture me about how I shouldn’t be doing grunt work. I told them that wasn’t my style, that I wouldn’t ask my crew to do something that I myself wouldn’t do. They didn’t agree, since their management style involved doing things like sitting in the office watching the department on camera like hypercritical voyeurs and calling down to the department to complain that we weren’t clearing the crowd out fast enough (I called them out on this too and almost got sent home).
As a manager, I always made a point to do three things: Do my share of the work, help my crew when they needed it, and have my crew’s back when dealing with my superiors. These are the key traits that separate a good leader from some jagoff barking orders at his subordinates, and I’ve found these traits to be rare in the workforce. Too many bosses are lazy and would rather throw their workers under the bus instead of take accountability themselves.
The key to being a good manager is, ultimately, to respect those you manage. The pillars beneath support what’s above them. You’re essentially being propped up by your crew. If they fail then you fail, so it’s in your best interest to do right by them and give them the guidance and support they need to get the job done. That’s the difference between being a manager and being a leader. A manager simply tells his subordinates what to do, while a leader understands that he’s in charge of a team and will guide them to ensure everyone on that team succeeds.
You should also be receptive and listen to your employees. This is another mistake I’ve seen so many managers make. Don’t be too proud to ask your subordinates for their opinions or suggestions. When I would order product for the deli and I wasn’t sure if I should order a specific product I’d go ask the people working on the deli counter. After all, they were the ones handling the product and interacting with the customers all day. They’d know better than I would how well a product was moving.
I’m assuming you got your promotion based on merit, since a nepo baby probably wouldn’t be too concerned with learning how to be a good manager. Your strengths may have gotten you your promotion, but you almost certainly still have weaknesses. As a manager, it’s important to acknowledge those weaknesses, and consult with a subordinate who might know more than you about something. By taking your employees’ input into consideration you’re not only affording yourself valuable knowledge but you’re also showing your employees that you value their strengths. Many managers wrongly interpret this as showing weakness. Consulting someone who knows more than you about something isn’t weakness, but pretending you know everything is. Being a cocksure idiot only sets yourself up for failure.
Conversely, some managers also make the mistake of constantly consulting their subordinates for most decisions, exposing their own ineptitude. If I have to help my boss make all of their decisions then why shouldn’t I just be the boss?
Leadership is something that you learn over time, Wes. You’re going to make mistakes. In fact, you’re probably going to make a shit ton of them. The best thing you can do is learn from those mistakes and grow from them. I wouldn’t worry about it too much though. The fact that you’re seeking advice on how to be a good manager already puts you above many bosses that I’ve worked for over the years, and with time I think you’ll do just fine.
Best of luck to you.
Do you have a problem and need advice? Email Señor Juan, our regular advice columnist, at [email protected] or leave a comment below.
Señor Juan