www.greg-wright.co.uk

For many people good management just "goes without saying". What I'm going to write is patently obvious, but for a surprising number of managers the blindingly obvious escapes them, and they leave a disastrous trail of broken careers and embittered former employees in their wake.

First of all let me say that managing people is a great privilege and a position of serious trust. Bad management can cause extreme stress which can have appalling effects on employees mental well-being with equally tragic consequences for home and family life. In my opinion people who manage people should be under a legal obligation to behave in a professional manner.

If you don't get 'Good Managers Value and Respect Their Staff' let me turn it around and ask you; If you do not value and respect your staff how on earth will you ever get the best out of them? You yourself will become like a Rotweiler in the room. People will respect you but not because of your technical or management ability but because they know you are going to bite but can't predict when you will do so.

People say respect is earned. That is complete bunkum. You have an obligation and a responsibility to respect other people. I'm not talking just about management here, this is a lesson for life. As a manager it is your job to create clear well-defined boundaries. To let your employees know if they overstep the mark but also to build them up both as career people and as human beings.

How much did your company have to pay the last employment agency you hired? If you don't value, respect and develop your staff you may end up paying that bill again sooner than you think.

Here's a checklist:

• Do I take a personal interest in my people?
• Do I have a development plan for my staff>
• Do I regularly review staff development with them?
• Do I provide clear written instructions to my staff?
• Do my staff feel valued and respected (how are you going to find out?)
• Do I resolve disagreements and problems with my staff in private?