My dad has been in construction since he was 17. His father and grandfather before were both railroad. I have been in radio since I was 20.
My dad and I are both self made men. Breaking free from the family business and doing something different than anyone else before us. We both became managers at a pretty young age and our ways of motivating people is quite different. My way is through positive reinforcement..my dad's way requires lots of swearing and threats. Look, there's a 1000 or more ways to be effective and successful.
When I became a manager at 24, my father gave me two pieces of advice . "Remember, you are not there to make friends" and "If you are going to fire someone, do it on the 1st floor". How the second one relates to the radio business, I have no idea. Yet, just to be safe, I have pretty much fired everyone on the first floor. In my father's field of construction, that one makes a lot of sense.
My advise to my kids, if they decide to become managers, might be a bit different. Like my dad, I would give them advice that pertains to my field of work-regardless of what they end up doing.
My advice in 5 parts:
Be fair. Allow others to speak freely and express their concerns and opinions.
Be firm. Once a decision has been made-you stand and lead by that decision.
Be honest. Do not lie to people, even when the truth hurts them. Do not allow others to lie to you.
Be calm. Leaders never let their team see them rattled or in a weak position. Yes, we are all human, but people want to led by a person who is confident.
Be a good person. Never do something that embarrass your team. Be the person you know you should be and try to live up to those expectations.
For those of you who are not "too cool" to read poetry-one of these first things I do, when walking into my office to start a new job, is hang the words to "If" by Rudyard Kipling on the wall next to my desk. If you have never read this poem, google it sometime today. It's pretty much me in a nutshell.
Pull the trigger.
