I’ve been meaning to point people to Erika Andersen’s ChangeThis manifesto, “Growing Great New Managers”, since I first read it at the beginning of this month. She uses a gardening metaphor to provide some of the the most sensible and practical advice for new managers and those responsible for them that I’ve come across in a while. Here’s a little taster, but don’t take my word for it, download it and see for yourself:
“I believe that listening is the management analog of soil preparation, the foundation for all future success. This flies in the face of common wisdom: most of us assume that once we become managers, we’re supposed to stop listening. We think manager = answer person. I suggest that the single most useful thing you can learn to do as a manager is stop talking and start listening.”