(OT) What was your first management

[ajzepp]

A couple weeks ago I was offered a job with a company called Laurel Baye Healthcare as an RN supervisor at one of the long term care facilities. Essentially I'll be managing the nursing staff, supervising patient care, and dealing with family concerns. A large part of my degree was centered on management theory, but I was hoping to get some practical advice from those of you who have experience managing others. I start my orientation/training tomorrow, so I thought this would be a good time to hear about others' experiences.

[col_forbin]

Just tell them if you mess with bull you get the horns. Everything should fall into place after that statement.

[BillnutinHouston]

I've been a manager for about 8 years - here's a few tips:

 

Start out being fair but tough. You can always loosen up a bit later on but it's harder to get tougher if you start out soft.

 

Forget about making everyone happy - it can't be done. Be fair.

 

Be yourself - follow your own style with people.

 

Know that you are on stage all the time as a boss. People watch who you talk & joke with and who you don't. Don't get too close to some people (the suck-ups) & too distant from others.

 

Be willing to LISTEN to your employees.

 

Your employees can't be your friends. Maintain some distance. You can be friendly withour being their friend. If you socialize with them, it compromises your ability to crack the whip when needed.

 

Good luck.

[dundy249]

First piece of advice, take just about everything you learned in school about management and throw it out the window.

 

You can not learn how to manage people through text books. You are born with the ability to manage.

 

Be your self. Do not be friends with the staff but be friendly. Always have confidence in your decisions and let your people have input in what you do.

 

Treat your folks as you want to be treated and as I stated before do not second guess your decisions. If you show confidence and respect to your staff they will follow and perform for you.

 

I started my career managing a Bennigans and did this for 7 years. I know am A VP for a large company and have been at it for 6 years. Its a lot of work to be responsible for others but i love every day of it!

[ajzepp]

Thanks, guys......your advice is very much appreciated!

[Fan in San Diego]

I've been a manager for about 8 years - here's a few tips:

 

Start out being fair but tough.  You can always loosen up a bit later on but it's harder to get tougher if you start out soft.

 

Forget about making everyone happy - it can't be done.  Be fair.

 

Be yourself - follow your own style with people.

 

Know that you are on stage all the time as a boss.  People watch who you talk & joke with and who you don't.  Don't get too close to some people (the suck-ups) & too distant from others.

 

Be willing to LISTEN to your employees.

 

Your employees can't be your friends.  Maintain some distance.  You can be friendly withour being their friend.  If you socialize with them, it compromises your ability to crack the whip when needed.

 

Good luck.

288782[/snapback]

 

All good advice here ! I have run my own company for about 8 or 9 years now and this is all the straight stuff.

People look to their supervisor to be knowledable, fair, resasonable and firm.

[IDBillzFan]

I'll throw a few more things to consider, in addition to the excellent advice you've gotten so far.

 

(1) You say you were offered the job, which leads me to believe you're coming in from the outside. There's a chance that amongst the people who will work directly for you, there will be one or two who thought they should have gotten your job. Be mindful of that. Don't DO anything about it. Just be mindful and respectful of it because some people are petty, and jealousy makes people do stupid things.

 

(2) You're a manager now. You're not allowed to gossip, chit-chat or dish the dirt around the water cooler. That's for people who will never be managers and will always be doing what they're doing. Do NOT get involved in any of it.

 

(3) Greatest rule you'll ever learn, as it comes from Stephen Covey: Seek first to understand, THEN to be understood. Before you start trying to make everyone see things your way, make an effort to see things their way. And do it sincerely...not just for the sake of doing it. Really listen to your staff. Treat them with respect, and as humans. At least until they prove to you they don't deserve it anymore.

 

(4) Find ways to be generous in terms of awarding a good job by offering what you can get away with offering. Can you let someone go home early one Friday simply because they went out of their way to get a project done? Can you let them take their spouse out to dinner, and then reimburse the receipt out of petty cash and say it was for a client? People don't need big things to feel appreciated. They just need to know you notice.

 

I could do this all day...but can't. Good luck. Trust your instincts. Treat people as you would be treated, and above all else, remember every crappy thing any boss has ever done to your or your friends, and vow never to do them.

[ajzepp]

I'll throw a few more things to consider, in addition to the excellent advice you've gotten so far.

 

(1) You say you were offered the job, which leads me to believe you're coming in from the outside. There's a chance that amongst the people who will work directly for you, there will be one or two who thought they should have gotten your job. Be mindful of that. Don't DO anything about it. Just be mindful and respectful of it because some people are petty, and jealousy makes people do stupid things.

 

(2) You're a manager now. You're not allowed to gossip, chit-chat or dish the dirt around the water cooler. That's for people who will never be managers and will always be doing what they're doing. Do NOT get involved in any of it.

 

(3) Greatest rule you'll ever learn, as it comes from Stephen Covey: Seek first to understand, THEN to be understood. Before you start trying to make everyone see things your way, make an effort to see things their way. And do it sincerely...not just for the sake of doing it. Really listen to your staff. Treat them with respect, and as humans. At least until they prove to you they don't deserve it anymore.

 

(4) Find ways to be generous in terms of awarding a good job by offering what you can get away with offering. Can you let someone go home early one Friday simply because they went out of their way to get a project done? Can you let them take their spouse out to dinner, and then reimburse the receipt out of petty cash and say it was for a client? People don't need big things to feel appreciated. They just need to know you notice.

 

I could do this all day...but can't. Good luck. Trust your instincts. Treat people as you would be treated, and above all else, remember every crappy thing any boss has ever done to your or your friends, and vow never to do them.

288940[/snapback]

Thanks, man.....appreciate it! You guys are the best

[Alaska Darin]

Biggest piece of advice: Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. It won't take long for you to figure out who your stars/slugs are.

 

Keep your employees at arms length - they ain't your friends.

[ajzepp]

Biggest piece of advice:  Keep your mouth shut and your ears open.  It won't take long for you to figure out who your stars/slugs are. 

 

Keep your employees at arms length - they ain't your friends.

289001[/snapback]

lol......I wrote a mock AD response in my head in anticipation of this post......I was close......not quite there, but close

[Alaska Darin]

lol......I wrote a mock AD response in my head in anticipation of this post......I was close......not quite there, but close 

289008[/snapback]

I guess that means you have the ability to listen.

[John from Riverside]

Here is another piece of advice......although I feel pretty stupid for saying it

 

Beware of sexual harrassment accusations....

 

Thats right...I one time was accused of a sexual harrassment action...want to know why?

 

Here at the university I had a student employee (and I aint gonna lie...this chick was SMOKIN hot) accuse me of touching her inappropriately because she had been struggling with the job....handled a particularly difficult task better then usual....and as I was walking by I patted her on the shoulder and said good job.

 

She fricken lost and told me to keep my hands off of her and stormed off.....I immediately took the situation to my boss and the following day she did in fact say that I touched her.

 

What proceeded from that point on will remind me to triple check references on any employee I have an input in hiring.....this girl was continusely late.....a lousy worker who now didn't feel she had to do anything or take any instruction from anyone......and I was not ALLOWED to fire this worker because MY BOSS was afraid of a lawsuit......

 

I went into her employment records and followed up more deeply with some old jobs and it had happened in the past......KEEP YOUR WORKERS AT ARMS LENGTH.........and keep your doors open when talking to people individually....

[ajzepp]

Here is another piece of advice......although I feel pretty stupid for saying it

 

Beware of sexual harrassment accusations....

 

Thats right...I one time was accused of a sexual harrassment action...want to know why?

 

Here at the university I had a student employee (and I aint gonna lie...this chick was SMOKIN hot) accuse me of touching her inappropriately because she had been struggling with the job....handled a particularly difficult task better then usual....and as I was walking by I patted her on the shoulder and said good job.

 

She fricken lost and told me to keep my hands off of her and stormed off.....I immediately took the situation to my boss and the following day she did in fact say that I touched her.

 

What proceeded from that point on will remind me to triple check references on any employee I have an input in hiring.....this girl was continusely late.....a lousy worker who now didn't feel she had to do anything or take any instruction from anyone......and I was not ALLOWED to fire this worker because MY BOSS was afraid of a lawsuit......

 

I went into her employment records and followed up more deeply with some old jobs and it had happened in the past......KEEP YOUR WORKERS AT ARMS LENGTH.........and keep your doors open when talking to people individually....

289042[/snapback]

 

Ugh, what a mess.......I'll definitely keep those aspects in mind, thanks

[Where the Buffalo Roam]

One of the most important things I believe is that you need to be a leader and to lead by example.

 

I have been a manager for a large corporation and now own my own business.

 

And as a manager, I have been able to do any task or responsibility as well as or better than my employees; and when needed, I pitch in. There isn't anything an employee respects and appreciates as much as having a boss who knows the job and gets his/her hands dirty.

 

I have seen many good managers fail because they came from an outside business/industry and didn't develop or learn the skill sets of the people they were managing.

 

Also, there has been very little advice about dealing with your boss, as a boos this changes. And here is my number one rule:

 

Never go to you boss with a problem unless you already have a well-thought-out solution to the problem in mind.

[Hardy Pyle]

I agree with Where the Buffalo Roam....if you can't do the job, it's tough to get people to follow. Know how to do everyone's job. It's tough, but I think it is necessary.

 

I liken it to sports. Who are the leaders you would follow on your sports teams? Think of the attributes they showed and if you can display those attributes, people will follow you.

[SouthernMan]

A couple weeks ago I was offered a job with a company called Laurel Baye Healthcare as an RN supervisor at one of the long term care facilities. Essentially I'll be managing the nursing staff, supervising patient care, and dealing with family concerns. A large part of my degree was centered on management theory, but I was hoping to get some practical advice from those of you who have experience managing others. I start my orientation/training tomorrow, so I thought this would be a good time to hear about others' experiences.

288736[/snapback]

 

 

Since you asked, I'll answer honestly about this topic, since it hits a nerve everytime I think of it.

 

My first supervisory position was over a small group of mostly minority women.

They took full advantage of their untouchable, politically correct status by lying on time sheets, constantly on personal calls, coming in late, leaving early, using every second of sick time (for hair appointments), extended (shopping)lunches and became overly defensive over anything that that came into question. They practically dared me to call in to question anything they did that I perceived as misuse of time or lack of effort.

 

Will this happen to you? Maybe not.

 

But knowing you live in the Atlanta area and will be in the healthcare industry, I'd give pretty good odds you're going to run into a lot of the same kind of crap, especially if you're inheriting someone else's hires. If at all possible, assemble your own staff.

 

If this sounds racist, sorry, but these are simply the facts from my experience. I've heard similar stories from others in this position. Unfortunately, it's case of a few bad apples.

 

My advice would be to let the staff know where you stand on personnel issues, let them know what you expect from them, have an open door policy, be fair and consistent with rules and standards so that nobody can claim bias. And here's one of the most important things....document, document, document, and make sure if there is disciplinary action, have them sign off on it. If termination is necessary, you want to make sure you have more than enough evidence to justify the dismissal. Even then, you may have a tough time carrying it out.

 

Pick your battles and don't let them drag you into verbal conflicts. You aren't obligated to provide reasons to your subordinates for your decisions.

 

There should be a lot of reward and it will be a learning experience. Just make sure everyone knows who the boss is. You don't have to be their buddy but you should respect your people and listen to their concerns.

 

Maybe this will serve as a guide....just think to yourself, "what would Marv do?".

[ajzepp]

Thanks you guys, that makes perfect sense. Being that there will be times when we're short staffed, I am already expecting that I'll have to pick up the slack at certain times. I'm also the kind of person who likes to stay busy and remain involved with what's going on, too.....I can't stand just sitting around and delegating. Hopefully these folks will appreciate the hands-on approach as much as you've found in your respective circumstances!

[KD in CA]

Since you asked, I'll answer honestly about this topic, since it hits a nerve everytime I think of it.

 

My first supervisory position was over a small group of mostly minority women.

They took full advantage of their untouchable, politically correct status by lying on time sheets, constantly on personal calls, coming in late, leaving early, using every second of sick time (for hair appointments), extended (shopping)lunches and became overly defensive over anything that that came into question. They practically dared me to call in to question anything they did that I perceived as misuse of time or lack of effort.

 

Will this happen to you? Maybe not.

 

But knowing you live in the Atlanta area and will be in the healthcare industry, I'd give pretty good odds you're going to run into a lot of the same kind of crap, especially if you're inheriting someone else's hires. If at all possible, assemble your own staff.

 

If this sounds racist, sorry, but these are simply the facts from my experience. I've heard similar stories from others in this position. Unfortunately, it's case of a few bad apples.

 

My advice would be to let the staff know where you stand on personnel issues, let them know what you expect from them, have an open door policy, be fair and consistent with rules and standards so that nobody can claim bias. And here's one of the most important things....document, document, document, and make sure if there is disciplinary action, have them sign off on it. If termination is necessary, you want to make sure you have more than enough evidence to justify the dismissal. Even then, you may have a tough time carrying it out.

 

Pick your battles and don't let them drag you into verbal conflicts. You aren't obligated to provide reasons to your subordinates for your decisions.

 

There should be a lot of reward and it will be a learning experience. Just make sure everyone knows who the boss is. You don't have to be their buddy but you should respect your people and listen to their concerns.

 

Maybe this will serve as a guide....just think to yourself, "what would Marv do?".

289188[/snapback]

 

 

I've been down that road myself. It sucks inheriting people who don't give a crap and just look to take advantage. You have to have a lot of patience to go through the steps to get rid of the bad apples. This is why it is CRITICAL to not make bad hiring decisions when you have the chance to build your own staff.

[Rico]

Any advice?

288736[/snapback]

Supervising nurses?

Keep it IYP.

[ajzepp]

Supervising nurses?

Keep it IYP.

289206[/snapback]

 

 

As for the issues above, thankfully the Director of Nursing will handle most of those issues! I'll definitely be in the mix when it comes to decision making with regard to those issues, but I'll primarly be involved with delivery of care. This particular facility has had some 'flags' from the State inspectors, so my job is primarily centered on eliminating them and improving overall quality of care.