5 Ways to Avoid Creating Bad Managers

How can you avoid bad managers on your construction team? First and foremost, you need to recognize if you have a bad manager on your team. Pay attention to team morale. If you notice complaints, transfers and turnover, it’s time to get involved and figure out what’s happening. 

Here are six strategies to avoid hiring or creating bad managers on your team.  

1 | Set clear expectations for current and incoming managers. 

These should include detailed points of performance to discuss if issues arise. Good or managerial candidates and employees who want to improve won’t balk at this—they’ll want to know what success looks like and how to achieve it. 

2 | Develop internal talent.  

It’s always better to grow your own, but it takes care and attention. Identify the skills people need to thrive in a management role so you can develop those in the role now, but also start to build the skills of high-potential employees for when change comes. 

3 | Avoid promoting someone who has had difficulty saying no. 

Good managers need to be willing to deal with demanding employees and be able to have difficult conversations when necessary. 

4 | Know the risks of hiring someone from outside your industry. 

It can work, but it can also be difficult to bring in a manager who has little to no idea about the industry. It often leads to bad feelings and may drive longtime employees to leave. 

5 | Don’t abdicate your responsibilities.  

You need to train and develop your managers to truly set them up to succeed. Provide the necessary leadership to set your reports up for success.  

Hiring and keeping poor managers can drive away good employees and even good customers, directly impacting your bottom line. Take the time to recruit and appoint leaders who understand the industry, are open minded and detail oriented and exhibit great communication. Sometimes those skills can be found inside your company; other times you’ll need to extend your reach. Either way, commit to hiring and keeping only the best managers.