By: Danny Buck, CEO & President of Lone Star Capital Bank

Effective managers are essential in order for businesses to be successful. Much of the skill involved in management can be attributed to clear communication, planning, execution, and having personnel committed to excellence. The following observations and recommended practices have proven to be foundational for good managers. It is not a complete list, nor is it outlined in any particular order, but it does contain many practices that can be easily understood and readily applied.
You, as the manager, must …

• Establish expectations of your team from the beginning
  • The team should always keep you informed of bad and good news; never get surprised from outside your department
  • The team should never intentionally allow you to go down the wrong path; sometimes your subordinates have better ideas
• Make your boss look good
  • Never make disparaging remarks about him or her
  • Support decisions of upper management
  • If you have a problem with your manager or the direction taken by upper management, respectfully discuss that issue with him or her and not your subordinates or peers
• Be consistent
• Honor your commitments
• Give credit to those that deserve it
• Have fun / be fun / celebrate success
• Create efficiencies and eliminate waste
• When something goes wrong, focus on the fix and what was learned
• Develop your replacement
• Be authentic
• Be responsive to requests – everyone’s time is valuable
• Be honest with your feedback
• Know that people will talk about you behind your back
  • Expect them to say you are not doing something right
  • Some will say you are a great boss; some will complain
  • Many subordinates think that they are smarter than the manager
• Be careful with friendships
  • You will be accused of having favorites
  • You will be accused of improper relationships
  • Never forget you are their boss and not their friend
• Understand what sexual harassment and hostile work environments are and never cross those lines
• Praise by any form of communication, but only counsel in person and face-to-face
• Never reprimand anyone in front of others; do it behind closed doors
• Hold everyone accountable for their performance
• Coach all the time
• Establish goals for your department and each subordinate individually
• Be positive; attitude matters (a lot)
• Be your subordinates advocate when deserved
• Don’t oversell your abilities; under sell-over deliver
• Don’t whine; you are in charge and are responsible for outcomes
• Stay current with industry trends
• Have the right people on your team; smart people and those with an attitude for success are much easier to train

 

Lone Star Capital Bank
Lone Star Capital Bank (LSCB) is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas and takes pride in offering sophisticated products and services that rival those found in any size bank.
Contact: 210-496-6116