John Peters. I knew him…everyone knew him. He was the ideal manager. He got quality results, his staff loved him, and his department was recognized as the top department every month for 3 years. So, naturally, the way he managed was the right way to manage, right? WRONG. As others began to imitate his every move, they realized that they were nothing like John. They didn’t get the quality results he got, their staff’s didn’t love them, and their departments were far from being recognized, unless your recognize the losing departments. What happened? What went wrong? Were these people not management material? What was missing in the management equation? These managers didn’t fail because they weren’t management material. They failed because they tried to be John Peters. No matter how many plastic surgeries they underwent, they could never be John Peters. They were themselves and they didn’t understand that. Take for instance a racecar, like a Ferrari. A Ferrari would be the worst car on the road if it were in a towing competition. A Ferrari was made to race, not tow. Often as managers, we see a Tow Truck who does an amazing job and we feel like we need to be a Tow Truck in order to be a great manager. That is not true. A Ferrari needs to be a racecar and you need to be the type of manager that you are. So what types of managers are there? There are 4 types of managers: Daring Manager, Declaring Manager, Caring Manager, and Preparing Manager. All four types of people manage differently. The Daring manager is a crisis manager. They attain goals, drive change, and fix departments. In fact, if they are not in a department that needs change or is a challenge, they may end up tearing the department down in order to build it back up. A famous Daring manager was Rudy Giuliani. He was an ordinary mayor in New York, but when a crisis (9/11) occurred, he dared to take charge, become very decisive, derive change, and make a difference. If you are a daring manager, then you do the following things: 1. Meet milestones 2. Delegate very well 3. Challenge the status quo 4. Drive change Daring Managers will be effective when they understand the goals that need to be accomplished. They will need to communicate these goals, delegate tasks and most importantly, celebrate a goal that has been accomplished. Your staff will work hard for you because you have a strong work ethic and your ability to attain goals. The Declaring Manager is an inspirational manager. They motivate and energize their staff. They have vibrant personalities and are natural communicators. A famous Declaring Manager is Bill Clinton. It is said that he could walk into a room where everyone hated his guts, and walk out with everyone wanting to shake his hand. They influence their staff members towards department goals. If you are a Declaring Manager, than you: 1. Are very optimistic 2. Are a great encourager 3. Verbalize articulately 4. Create an atmosphere of well being Declaring Managers will be effective when they understand the difference their staff members make in the world and then become the voice of inspiration and encouragement to their staff members to keep making that difference. Monthly or quarterly department meetings are great platforms for you to communicate and motivate. Your staff will work hard for you because of your positive sense of humor and your ability to motivate and inspire them. The Caring Manager is a relationship manager. They develop personal relationships with their staff and then motivate them because of the friendships they have built. It takes them a little longer to start moving things in the right direction, but once those relationships are built, their department will face low turnover, as well as being very productive. Mother Teresa is an example of a Caring Manager. It is said that she had morphed feet because when the shipment of shoes came in for her and her workers, she was the first to sort through the shoes to find the worst pair for herself. She was very caring and compassionate. If you are a Caring Manager, then you: 1. Are a logical “How-to” person 2. Are patient and empathetic 3. Highly team oriented 4. Build loyal, long-term relationships Caring Managers will be effective when they are given time to acquaint themselves with their staff and build solid relationships. Once they build those relationships, they attain goals much quicker and effectively than other managers. They live by the saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Your staff will work hard for you because you care about them as a person and are willing to put their needs in front of your own. The Preparing Manager is a do-it-yourself manager. They create systems for their staff, so that their staff can knows what they need to do, how they need to do it, when they need to do it, and so on. They are very organized and are very detailed oriented…perfectionists. Bill Gates is an example of a Preparing Manager. After the completion of major tasks, his staff would undergo what was called a BillG review where Gates would review the task for accuracy. If you are a Preparing Manager, then you are: 1. Very accurate 2. By the book 3. Diplomatic 4. Objective Thinker Preparing Managers will be effective when they fully understand the goals that their department has, and has time to create a system for their staff to do the tasks efficiently. Developing this system takes some time, but once developed, their department acts like a well oiled-machine. If you are a Preparing Manager, then your staff will work hard for you because you are very organized, prepared for anything that can go wrong, and have created a system that helps them accomplish their tasks. Don’t be a tow truck if you were not meant to be one. Don’t be John Peters, be yourself. When you understand your management style, you will get quality results, your staff will love you, and your department will get recognized!