Obviously, we’ve all read various articles and books about what the ideal manager looks like and what a manager should be like, not to mention a leader. Also, when we have a manager, we expect them to be by the book, nothing less. I’m sometimes scared of ideal descriptions. Here are some aspects of the ideal manager:
Knows everything, when you go to them they have answers to everything. If they don’t, they ask you questions, they say when they don’t know something
Is always humane, shows that they care at all times, in all situations
They are in control in crisis situations
Never gets angry or shows it
Doesn’t get frustrated
Is always satisfied
Is calm, smiling
Knows how to appreciate anyone’s performance, not biased,
Sleep little and is always rested because they don’t need many hours of sleep, anyway.
Has an ideal family
Has the time for the gym, friends, holidays
They are well read, educated, civilized
Doesn’t get angry in traffic
Seems to always have time for people around they and do everything they have to do
Achieves their goals
Forgets nothing
Responds immediately to email, text, phone
Doesn’t text you after 6 pm or on weekends
Customers love them, employees love them, their bosses love them
The ideal manager is a kind of Chuck Norris who can clap one-handed, especially since they were born in a cabin they built.
Me.
I get angry from time to time.
Sometimes I can’t sleep well.
I don’t always respond immediately to emails, messages, not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t.
It happens that I forget something and remember it two weeks later.
I’m a strange combination of styles: authoritarian, democrat, laissez-faire, and whatever.
I don’t always communicate well and not enough.
Sometimes I repeat examples, recall experiences, theories, and probably annoy my colleagues.
I still expect that if I behave well to someone, I get decent behaviour back.
I’m not as patient as I should be
I do more than one thing at the same time, sometimes to the despair of those around me.
I look perplexed at those who lie to my face, I restrain myself, I’d rather shut up than tell them they’re insulting my neuron. Not for nothing, but I know I’d still come across as aggressive.
Unlike the advice I’ve heard on TV over the last year from an economist that I should give myself a paycheck first, I’ve cut my own paycheck when the going got tough.
Sometimes I get tired and want to rush to the top of the mountain and scream from there, like the cartoon mouse from years ago.
I have many imperfections. I don’t know how the perfect manager manages to be like that, I admire them from afar, I strive for that ideal even though I know I am like a ball of water with holes here and there.
Where do you stand?