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Jan 16, 2023

Good manager. Bad manager.

31 days of a good manager and a bad manager

  1. Good managers create space for trial and error. Bad managers ensure everyone is doing things in the right way (their way).
  2. Good managers have accumulated experience (e.g. 10 years of experience). Bad managers have only accumulated time (e.g. 1 year of experience but 10 times).
  3. Good managers prioritise their direct reports. Bad managers only prioritise their bosses.
  4. Good managers attract people who are much better than themselves. Bad managers attract people who are less than themselves.
  5. Good managers hire one top talent to outwork five mediocre ones. Bad managers quickly hire five mediocre and keep losing talent.
  6. Good managers leverage diversity. Bad managers force similarity.
  7. Good managers surround themselves with people who challenge their thought processes. Bad managers surround themselves with people who affirm their conclusions.
  8. Good managers leverage the skills of others. Bad managers try to do everything themselves.
  9. Good managers learn from everyone. Bad managers only learn from those who confirm their bias.
  10. Good managers question everything, including their own beliefs. Bad managers only question things they don’t yet believe.
  11. Good managers share their direct experiences. Bad managers recycle secondhand knowledge that they never applied.
  12. Good managers are smarter when leaving the meeting. Bad managers are the smartest when leaving the meeting.
  13. Good managers listen with curiosity. Bad managers hear things with their thought and can’t wait to talk again.
  14. Good managers get straight to the point and then stop talking. Bad managers keep talking until the others are dead or exhausted.
  15. Good managers appreciate doers who are brave talkers. Bad managers appreciate smooth talkers who say things they want to hear.
  16. Good managers want to hear the problems. Bad managers only want to hear the solutions.
  17. Good managers work hard and go home. Bad managers stay late and drag everyone down.
  18. Good managers take other priorities in life as seriously as their work and encourage others to do the same. Bad managers expect others to drop everything for work.
  19. Good managers ensure everyone understands team goals. Bad managers ensure everyone understands the team hierarchy.
  20. Good managers motivate people with a compelling vision. Bad managers motivate people with persuasive compensation.
  21. Good managers create more top-notch leaders. Bad managers create more mediocre followers.
  22. Good managers give you a problem to solve. Bad managers give you a solution to execute.
  23. Good managers give people a tool. Bad managers give people a rule.
  24. Good managers value relationships. Bad managers value the career ladder.
  25. Good managers seek opportunities to praise others. Bad managers seek opportunities to stay in the spotlight.
  26. Good managers are decisive and take responsibility. Bad managers are indecisive and anxious.
  27. Good managers encourage confrontation. Bad managers avoid conflict.
  28. Good managers decentralised control. Bad managers are control freaks.
  29. Good managers eliminate waste by delivering quality. Bad managers waste time by delivering useless quantities.
  30. Good managers use past success as a new standard. Bad managers struck in past successes.
  31. Good managers are punctual to show respect to themselves and others. Bad managers are often late to demonstrate their power.

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