Most employees don’t give a hoot about their work. Wow! That is pretty scary, but unfortunately, it is true. According to a Gallup survey, 70% of employees are not engaged at work. The biggest single differentiator is the relationship with their manager. How would you like to lower employee turnover, increase productivity and improve customer satisfaction? This column is dedicated to sharing with you ideas on how you can become a better manager.
In 1974, I was elated to be promoted to my first management position. It was soon after that I realized that getting results through others wasn’t easy, and I began my quest for learning. I didn’t find the answers in the psychology degree program that I was pursuing, so I switched my major to management. I didn’t find the solutions from the Fortune 500 corporate training programs that I actively participated in every chance I could get. Even continuing my education through an MBA program didn’t give me the answers I was looking for. I continued to see a huge disparity in my team’s results. The bell curve is real; I had a few superstars but the majority of my employees were mediocre.
Learning about how I could move the majority from mediocre performance to excellence became a passion of mine. I began to participate in management courses that were outside the norm.  I did rope courses and repelled down mountain cliffs and learned about teamwork and communication.
In 1989, I left the corporate world and started my own company. I became a member of Vistage, an international organization that helps people who run companies. I worked one-on-one with an executive coach between monthly meetings with top-notch speakers. For 11 years, I learned about topics like accountability, impeccability, integrity, how to ask better questions and to actively listen.  In less than five years, my company became one of fastest growing companies in the state of Michigan. I had learned to become a better manager. I sold my business in 2005 and now am an executive coach dedicated to helping senior executives become better leaders who make better decisions and achieve better results. That is the purpose of this column. I am committed to making a difference in the lives of others.
Over the next year, I will write about how you can become a more effective communicator, build better relationships with your staff, diagnose and solve problems, and hold your employees accountable for producing results.
I invite you to write to me about your biggest challenges and I will provide you with my perspective on what you can do to be a better manager. Your name or company will not appear anywhere in the article. Who submits the topic will remain confidential. I truly want to address the issues that you face day-to-day, so don’t hesitate, email me today! mark.taylor@vistage.com.
Here are my five top tips for being a better manager
1.         Speak your vision
2.         Listen, listen, listen
3.         Make effective requests
4.         Master diagnosing & solving problems
5.         Hold your employees accountable for producing results
Mark is the Chairman of a New York City think tank composed of CEOs focused on “outperforming” their competition. He is with Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executive organization. He applies his 30 years of experience as an accomplished CEO & corporate manager towards increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of CEOs. Mark holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the Coaching and Organizational Learning Program through George Mason University. He can be reached at 212-867-5849 or mark.taylor@vistage.com.