Mistakes Managers Make

Managing can be a little daunting at first since close to 50% of managers received NO training before starting the job – and that’s a scary thought. Having worked with many of them, I’ve decided to compile and share with you the 10 most common mistakes new managers make and tips on how to avoid them.

1. Think you know everything.
Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Keep an open mind.

2. Show everyone who's in charge.
You don't have to make a big show about being "the boss" but demonstrate that, as the boss, you are making a positive difference.

3. Change everything.
Don't re-invent the wheel. Learn the difference between "different" and "wrong".

4. Be afraid to do anything.
Upper management wouldn't have put you into the job if they didn't have confidence that you could handle it.

5. Don't take time to get to know your people.
Learn what makes them excited, how to motivate them, what they fear or worry about. Your people are what will make or break you in your quest to be a good manager. Give them your attention and time.

6. Don't waste time with your boss.
Since he/she just promoted you, surely he/she understands how busy you are and won't need any of your time, right? Wrong. Your job, just like it was before you became a manager, is to help your boss.

7. Don't worry about problems or problem employees.
You can no longer avoid problems or hope they will work themselves out. When something comes up, it is your job to figure out the best solution and get it done. That doesn't mean you can't ask for other's input or assistance, but it does mean you are the person who has to see it gets taken care of.

8. Don't let yourself be human.
Just because you are the boss doesn't mean you can't be human, that you can't laugh, or show emotion, or make an occasional mistake.

9. Don't protect your people.
The people in your group will be under pressure from every direction. It's your job to stand up for your people and make sure they are treated as fairly as possible. They will return the loyalty.

10. Avoid responsibility for anything.
You have to build the communications so there are no surprises, but also be prepared to shoulder the responsibility. It goes hand-in-hand with the authority.

Selling Yourself

It’s time to forget how to get rich quick. You know that to get ahead in life, you need to be in the business of selling. If this statement makes you cringe, it is probably because the word “sales” evokes images of annoying telemarketers and pushy car dealers. Relax, though, as this article is about a product so wonderful and special you should have no qualms in selling it. The product? You.

Despite the necessity of being able to sell yourself to others, for many people like myself it does not come naturally. Introversion, shyness, and lack of self-worth are just a few of the obstacles that can potentially get in the way. To overcome such obstacles, I suggest focusing on the following:

Be Sold on Yourself

This is the first, and perhaps most important, aspect to successfully selling yourself to others.

Unless it comes naturally, this is probably also the hardest. Being sold on yourself comes down to this: you must be aware of your own self-worth. This means you believe in yourself, have faith in yourself, and have confidence in yourself. If you struggle with your sense of self-worth, here are just three ideas that may help:

• Live in such a way that you would want to be friends with yourself
  Find some time to reflect on what you like about yourself. If this seems hard, start with the smallest of attributes.
  
• Don’t do anything that will give you cause to feel ashamed later.
  
• Have a Saleable Package
  Are you looking after your appearance to the best of your ability? Are your clothes appropriate for the image you wish to project?
  
• Be Positive and Enthusiastic
  Positivity and enthusiasm can both be developed, but once again it takes work. Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Look for the best in people
   
2. Associate with positive people


3. Care deeply about something


4. See life as an adventure


5. Smile
   
6. Be Real and Authentic
   

Rather than being about who you appear to be, selling yourself is about letting others know who you are as a person. Always tell the truth, it will earn you both trust and respect which, in turn, will help you build a great reputation. Not only that, it will make you feel good about yourself.

Perseverance in Sales

THIS IS A QUESTION I GET ALL THE time: Are good salespeople born, or are they made? It's true; some people may have more natural talent than others. But no matter how much talent you were born with, the key to success is making the most of the abilities you have. I believe that anyone can be a successful salesperson, especially if he or she embodies these attributes:

Effort: In the real world there is only one secret to success. There is only one road--one long road--to follow to accomplish our goals. There are no shortcuts. Success comes from hard work. It comes from the extra effort we put in, from the work ethic we foster, and from the values to which we are committed. Only effort, sustained over time, will build the foundation to support success.

Patience and perseverance: In our quest for instant gratification, we often forget about patience and perseverance, two of the most useful sales tools ever. You can't plant a seed and expect a ripened crop the next day; you must give the plant a chance to take root and grow - it takes care and nurturing. Sales are the same way. You must plant seeds every single day, be patient when things do not proceed as quickly as you'd like them to, and be persistent in your efforts to keep that sale alive and flourishing.

Cultivated solutions: Effort, patience and perseverance will not survive unless you believe 100 percent that your product or service has value and benefit for your customers. So talk to potential consumers, and find out what they like or don't like about your product or service. Ask them what they want it to do for them Talk to manufacturers and distributors of similar product lines. Use your research to get new ideas and build on what you already have to often Test out your ideas. Find out what works and what doesn't.

Using your natural-born talents puts you way ahead of the game. But when you also have the attributes mentioned above--effort, patience and perseverance, and cultivated solutions--you have what it takes to make yourself a success as an entrepreneur, a salesperson and a human being.