If something isn't going well, many managers focus on trying to improve the skills of the people they manage. Instead, self-assessment of the manager can make a big impact on the effectiveness of the team. A common saying you may have heard is that a team is only as good as its leader. You should look at yourself as a leader to see if there are any improvements you can make so your team can be more successful.
As a female manager, you want to take advantage of feedback in order to understand your current strengths and weaknesses. You want to know how people perceive you so you can have greater control of creating the outer perception that you want. The following sections mention a few ways that you can do this.
A 360 degree assessment is a process in which employees receive anonymous feedback from the people they work with. Create survey questions specific to your work and offer a chance to respond with numerical values such as:
"On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, would you say your manager is supportive of your current work and future success?"
Here are some of the most popular free online options available to create your own manager assessment survey:
- Survey Monkey: http://surveymonkey.com
- Google Docs: http://docs.google.com
- 360 Degree Reach: http://www.reachcc.com/360reach
When you are done gathering feedback, don't get mad if the feedback is negative. Instead, think about how you can turn the negative response into a positive perception now that you have this information. Also, make sure you ask as many women as men for feedback to see if there are any differences in your perception based on the different genders you manage.
After you get the feedback, pick three focus areas that you are going to work on over the next year. Brainstorm action steps that you can take to improve, and focus on enhancing the positive perceptions and strengths that you already have. Mark in your calendar the actions you will take throughout the next year that will help you improve such as reading a book, taking a course, or finding a mentor.
Another option is to openly ask someone you currently manage in person about your management style and how you could be a better manager. This is a great way to break down any communication barriers with your team, but actually this option should not be your first choice. The employees you manage may not be completely honest with you if they are worried about getting in trouble for their feedback. The best bet is to ask for feedback anonymously.
Reflection Time: Before you go any further, take some time to write down three people that you want to ask for feedback this week.