No manager can try to get into the good books of everyone around them. In fact, if they endeavor to do that, it will only lead to disappointment. That’s because management is often about making hard decisions and having the courage of your own convictions, even if you are open to listening and following better ideas when they come along. Sometimes, this even means having the guts to make mistakes.

But it’s also true that if people dislike your management style, odds are it’s not as optimal as you would like. A manager who has to ignore or go against the logical assumptions of those they’re responsible for isn’t always going to be guiding the team, but operating against it. In some cases, that can be justified (we often see this in the military, for instance), but that’s more rare than not.

Perhaps the question isn’t “how do I make my staff like me,” but “what will they remember about my management style” that can help you align neatly with your best principles. Let’s consider that, below:

A Fair-Handed Approach

You don’t have to win everyone over, but you do need to show consistency in how you manage them and seem fair in it. As ever, someone who treats people evenly, recognises effort without fuss, and responds to mistakes without showing favouritism tends to leave a good impression on the teams they care for, and trust is built that way..

That’s because most people don’t need to agree with every decision, but they do want to feel like those decisions make sense and that you’re operating on consistent logic, even if you just need to communicate yours more readily.

A Commitment To The Details

It’s obvious when someone is paying attention, as you’ll see it in how the weekly schedule is put together, in how informed they are for their check-ins, or in those small adjustments that make daily life a little easier for everyone else. That attention filters through a team without needing to be announced ahead of time, but it is there if you look.

Taking a healthy interest in all aspects of the project you manage, like knowing which deliveries are usually late, or which local porta potty rental service actually shows up clean and on time, will help you become more of a sustainable resource. It’s these ordinary bits of insight that quietly prove a manager knows the ropes.

An Understanding Of Strengths & Development Needs

Ultimately, any team you manage will be comprised of people, sometimes very different people, and so understanding how to get the best out of them is a skill that you can’t replicate. This means that if you have any control over how your department is run, you won’t just hand out tasks and hope for the best, but take the shape of the team into account, and figure out who’s ready for what.

What stays with people long after they’ve moved on is how they felt during that time and if they’ve been respected and directed in their role. That effort is a foremost part of it..

With this advice, we hope you can more easily keep in mind your management style not only by your own choices, but also by the needs of your team.