Being a great manager doesn’t happen overnight, it comes with grown, learning and developing the experience. Becoming a great manager requires honest self-evaluations and occasional reassessments of your management style. The following checklist is designed to guide you in that evaluation. Use it to take note of your people skills. Be honest with yourself. Then, revisit it in six months to reassess.

1. Lead and guide don’t control: Try to take a more completely hands-off approach, but don’t micromanage your employees either. Explain to your employees what needs to be done, but it’s best not to dictate exactly how you want it done.
2. Utilize your employees’ strengths: Each one of your employees has something to offer the company. Identify, recognize and cultivate their specific skills and assign them to the task to put those skills to great use.
3. Empower employees: Give them the tools they need to succeed and the opportunities to learn new skills. Don’t
4. Trust: Never second-guess your employees and their abilities. When it comes to them, it is up to you to believe that you hired great staff.
5. Take an active interest in employees as individuals: Take the time out to get to know your employees, ask them about their families and things that they like to do. Remembering their birthdays and sending condolences when necessary can go a long way.
6. Offer praise: Always be the manager that gives a compliment when it’s due for a job well done.
7. Respect employees: A mangers position of authority is never a reason to belittle, abuse, or humiliate your staff. Even if you don’t if it comes off unintentional you should always think before speaking to your employees. You can make sure your tone isn’t condescending, especially when it comes to critiquing or giving instructions.
8. Admit faults and ask for help: There is nothing wrong with admitting to an employee that they are more skilled in an area than you. Asking for help shows that you respect the employee’s knowledge.
9. Have integrity: Avoid the “do as I say and not as I do” attitude. Hold yourself to the same standards to which you hold employees. Anything you ask your employees to do should be something you would do yourself. Also, give credit where credit is due. For instance, if you use an idea from an employee in a proposal you submit to your boss, give the employee credit.
10. Learn from your mistakes: It’s not enough to admit when you make mistakes. You should learn not to repeat them. Otherwise, employees are going to consider your admissions of error and accompanying apologies as nothing more than just talk.
11. Do not play the blame game: In the face of adversity, seek a solution to the problem, not try not to place blame. Employees tend to value knowing that you have their backs. That doesn’t mean you should insulate them against deserved discipline. Just don’t throw employees under the bus when they make honest mistakes.
12. Give your employees a voice: Whenever it is possible, allow your staff members to have a say in decisions that will directly impact them. Also, ask them for feedback this can help with improving how you’re managing your staff. If you cannot implement their suggestions, explain why.
13. Listen, really listen, to what your employees are saying: Sometimes, you must read between the lines or listen for the things that are not
14. Keep employees in the loop: Let them know when, why and how decisions are made. Also, explain the reasons behind new policies or changes made to existing policies.
15. Keep things in perspective: Don’t go crazy over something small. Ask yourself, “Will this matter a week from now?” If not, it might be best to just let it go.
16. Don’t waste employees’ time: Call meetings only when necessary. Have a clear agenda and make sure you’re organized. Also, recognize that employees have lives outside of work and give them the flexibility to live them.
17. Compromise: Meeting your employees halfway goes a long way! Be careful, however, of compromising too often. If you do, employees may start to think they can bend your will whenever they want and take advantage, in the process, lose respect for your authority.
18. Be blunt, but tactful: Don’t beat around the bush. Burying your message in small talk, for example, could result in the message getting lost.
19. Hold all employees accountable, i.e., don’t play favorites: Not only will a failure to treat similarly situated employees pit them against each other, but it could also result in a discrimination claim.
20. Open your door and walk out of it: It’s important for employees to know that your door is always open to them. But be careful of waiting for them to come to you. Make a habit of walking around the department and interacting with employees in their workspaces.