At a recent Credence Innovations meeting, we were discussing the challenges of being a manager, and reviewing our training process. For those of you who aspire to leadership positions, these are a few of the guidelines that we coach our new management team members to follow:

• Take Care When Coaching in Public: One of the most important tools at a manager’s disposal is feedback. If it’s anything but appreciation, it should be given in private.

• Assume the Best: When our colleagues have done something that we don’t understand, we assume that there is a good explanation. Jumping to negative conclusions is never the right approach.

• Look for Teachable Moments: If a teammate is confused about a process, it’s the perfect chance to share knowledge. Effective leaders welcome opportunities to help their crews develop.

• Be Open to Questions: When people know why a task is important, they can take ownership of it. One of the ways our managers support the Credence Innovations culture of learning is by making sure we feel comfortable asking for more information.

• Be Willing to Test Your Theories: Those who make the management team generally do so because they have demonstrated a high level of expertise. This doesn’t make them infallible though, and the best team leaders inspire us to find innovative solutions of which they may not have thought.

Great managers are less concerned with power than they are with sharing wisdom. For more about our Credence Innovations approach to management, follow us on Instagram.