I'm very fair, I give them three chances then that's it. I wanted to find out what "it" was. I don't think she meant she sacked them although she could have meant she had them transferred to another department but I think she meant she gets tough with them. I couldn’t pursue the conversation as the disco kicked in and some not seen very often relatives joined our little group prompting a round of kissing and handshakes. That's weddings for you. My niece had been updating me on what was happening at work. Since starting work as a junior in the shoe department, what seem only a short time ago, she impressed so much she was given the sports department to see if she could turn round a rather out dated and underperforming section. Like her mother she has an eye for colour and proved that attractive displays increase sales. So much so that she was invited to share her ideas with the big stores in the national chain. She is now on the company management training scheme and has been told she will be offered a small store to run to gain experience across all departments. Clearly she has benefited from the encouragement and support of her first manager who let her put her ideas into practice and being spotted by a senior manager who saw her potential. But what turned this young women who at school was good at sport but not in the least academic, who was sociable but a little self conscious into someone able to change the way things were done, get older, been there years staff, to try new things and replace their seen it all before cynicism with born again enthusiasm. This isn't about selling this is about management. This is about why some people make such good managers and how to spot and develop the talent. I don' t know what makes some people good managers, by which I mean effective and enjoyable to work for. I can list the qualities which all good managers have, supportive, decisive, challenging, inspiring and possessing some insight into how their own behaviour affects others. Predicting who will make a good manager is another matter. Being academically bright, having good verbal reasoning skills, being confident (some might say over confident) and being good at your job doesn't mean you will make a good manager. I have known many very competent professionals who made poor managers. I have seen many academically bright people encouraged to go on management courses only to make well qualified poor managers. People surprise you, the best managers come from some unlikely starting points. There is another family wedding in a couple of weeks maybe I will find out how she does it but I doubt it most managers can't explain how they do it but if you watch them or work for them you can see " it".
Blair McPherson author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
