This issue focuses on improving managerial skills.

　　 A poorly trained manager can make an employee's life miserable. For example, you'll talk to a person one moment and he or she is thrilled with a new job or promotion. Then, three months later, that person is down in the dumps. In 99 out of 100 cases, the reason employees feel demoralized and no longer like their jobs is because they have a new boss who doesn't appreciate them, doesn't listen to them, or generally erodes their self-esteem.

　　 Three Basic Skills for Managers

　　 Three basic skills that every manager should use in order to be effective on the job are

　　 · Being specific

　　 · Enhancing others' self-esteem

　　 · Listening effectively

　　 Being specific means giving work instructions that are precise, and being clear about what is to be done and the results to be achieved. Being specific means describing the behaviors of people rather than labeling people. It includes giving both positive feedback that tells them what to repeat and corrective feedback that is firm, yet non-critical.

　　 Examples of how to be specific

　　 · Please include the cost of materials in your proposal.

　　 · Please don't leave our telephone customers on hold for longer than 15 seconds without getting back to them.

　　 · I was pleased to see that you went to the customer's office to help with the installation.

　　 Being specific is especially important when giving corrective feedback. Managers need to tell their people exactly what to change and why. In giving correction, being specific makes the difference between leaving people feeling punished versus feeling supported in changing what is wrong.

　　 Build Them Up

　　 Self-esteem is a private, individual matter. It is not fixed, but goes up and down from day to day, or even from hour to hour. Thus, enhancing self-esteem is no easy task. Managers can't "make" people feel good about themselves. Rather, self-esteem is like a door that's locked from the inside.

　　 So what can managers do to impact a direct report's self-esteem if it is largely self-determined? Managers can help create a work environment that invites people to feel good about themselves and the work they do. Managers must not damage or lower the self-esteem of others. They must eliminate "eroders"—something said or done to someone that wears away their feelings of self worth and satisfaction in performance. For example, it is eroding to greet a tardy employee with a sarcastic comment such as, "Late again! You win the prize for being the least reliable person in the department."

　　 Instead, managers must develop ways of communicating genuine respect and concern to the people they supervise by actively helping people to enhance their self-image and to feel better about themselves and their performance. For example, comments like, "I knew you could do an exceptional job on that new assignment—and you proved me right!" if sincere, will make an employee's day.

　　 Remember, the best praise is specific, not general. You can't just go around saying to people, "I really appreciate your work" or "Thanks for all your effort"—your employees will think you're running for political office! Instead, be specific about what was done and the positive consequences of the action. For example, "That report you did for me on Thursday was just what I needed for my marketing meeting." And be sure to give the feedback to the person as soon after the event as possible.

　　 Hear Them Out

　　 A final skill that today's managers need more than ever is listening. Listening may seem like a commonplace skill, but it is not practiced nearly as much as it needs to be in business today. People tend to think about what they are going to say in rebuttal when another person is talking, instead of focusing on what that person is saying and what he or she means.

　　 Since workers and leaders are more interdependent than ever today, the skill of effective listening helps managers to gather information from their direct reports such as: how their work is coming, what problems they are having, and what resources they need. Listening helps people feel understood and supported, which in turn helps them to do better work. In addition, good listening skills strengthen relationships between managers and direct reports by creating mutual respect.

　　 Managers who explore and acknowledge what employees are saying by taking the time to listen, are more effective in helping them resolve problems and build self-reliance. In addition, when you listen to people, they will be more likely to listen to you.Remember the three key basic skill!

　　 Have a good day!

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