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About David Stephensen
Expertise
I can answer questions about all aspects of designing and producing procedures manuals for small and medium sized businesses, including managing the documentation project, the analysis that leads to the design of the manual, business writing, publishing the business manual, educating the staff about continuous improvement and using ISO 9001.

Experience
I am a professional technical writer of 20 years experience, combining this with business analysis over the last 10 years. I have produced procedures manuals for businesses and software user manuals that reflect business processes. I also provide internal quality auditing services. I have created a template for small and medium business operations manuals.

Awards and Honors
Merit Award in the Society for Technical Communication Australia Chapter On-line Communications Competition, 2006, for the CPA Australia Event Scheduling Application User Manual
Merit Award in the Society for Technical Communication Australia Chapter On-line Communications Competition, 2005 for the Lensworth Customer Relationship Management User Manual

You are here: Experts > Business > Small Business: Canada > Managing a Business > what makes a good manager

Managing a Business - what makes a good manager

Expert: David Stephensen - 10/24/2009

Question
I am trying to make the move into a management position and would like to ask what makes a good manager (I realize this question may appear generic) but I would be keen to hear your thoughts on it.

Answer
Hi Don

As a manager your primary duty is to create an environment where your staff can do their work and add their own creativity for the best outcome. Most employees just want to get on with their job and do it well. Frustration with this breeds apathy.

You love the people for whom you are responsible.

You regularly acknowledge them for the work that they do and find a reason to celebrate regularly (birthdays, targets achieved, etc)

If there are problems you understand the root cause and help to resolve that.

Your staff feel safe to be open about mistakes. Mistakes are learning opportunities and need to be brought out into the open and examined for the system improvements that they yield. If you ever punished a staff member (and that is not a good word for a workplace) it would be for hiding a mistake and therefore depriving the team of an opportunity to improve.

You don't do their work for them (see next point).

You empower them. There is nothing worse than dealing with someone in a company who can't make decisions. This means that you trust them. You might also monitor their decisions and give them guidance for future cases, but you trust them.

In empowering your staff you make sure that their powers are clearly explained and documented so they know where they stand.

You seek feedback about the system from staff and implement system improvements. If the company is not good on system improvements, you at least do the ones you can do in your area and on behalf of your staff work for the improvements that need wider cooperation.

In fact continual improvement of the business system is one of your responsibilities.

You know the business system back to front and what everyone does. You know how to do their jobs (specialist technicians excepted, perhaps) and have been known to roll up your sleeves in a busy period.

See also my answer "Keeping motivated" from 15 May 09. Contact me if you can't find it.

Cheers

David Stephensen
www.qdt.com.au

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