Internet Tech Boston

Today I answered a question on LinkedIn.com’s Q&A section titled “If a employee makes a mistake ,should he be advised in person or reprimanded in front of the complete workforce?” This seemed like a common sense answer, so I didn’t give it too much thought. I quickly posted my simple one-line answer – “Praise in Public, Criticize in Private.” The saying, originally attributed to Vince Lombardi, is one of the many mantra’s that all us managers learn early in their career. I sat back in my chair and happily reflected on the wisdom I had imparted.

After a few minutes of deeper reflection I came to the horrifying realization that I had violated my own common sense mantra at least 3 times within the past 5 business days. Feeling like a complete hypocrite and with my confidence shaken, I forced myself to continue to ponder what this meant, and how I could improve. I came to a conclusion that it’s probably not the mantra’s that are important. After all – they’re just common sense. What’s important is the discipline to keep those mantras at the forefront of your thoughts throughout what has become an increasingly hectic day. When the work is piling up and the demands get greater, all it could take is 1 bit of bad news from an employee to cause you to snap at them in front of their peers. The greatest tools in the world are useless if they are not used properly or at the right time.

A good manager probably knows all the mantras. A great manager is one who can use them at the right moment. If anyone has any ideas on how I could continue to grow as a manager, I would love to hear about them in the comments below.