I was recently asked “What is your management style?”. I stumbled all the way to provide an answer that truly reflected me. I read about all kind of styles from being authoritative to being delegating. I don’t think anyone can have one particular style of management as a matter of fact a good manager should be great in all management styles. According to me the question should be “How do you like to manage your subordinates?”. This gives me a chance to explain whats the most prevalent method that I would use. My answer would be DDA (Direct -> Delegate -> Account).
Direct - As a manager I always look at the big picture and seek to provide strategic direction to my subordinates. There is nothing worse then a bright associate wandering aimlessly through the corridors of strategic direction. Even when you think its clear to everyone its your job to reiterate it once again. Make sure that everyone is working in the same direction, are excited and have a purpose. My job is to make the direction as simple as possible and customize the version little bit to make most sense.
Delegate - Once direction is provided then comes delegation. But delegation is not a right but a rank that is earned with each en devour. And so delegation can be a very challenging task where one needs to know what to delegate and how much. How to increase the rank and what kind of corrective actions to take. You don’t leave keys to your house with an 18 year old without a lot of trust and planning.
Accountable - Finally hold everyone accountable, including myself. All initiatives run from top to bottom and bottom to top and so does accountability. Delegating to someone does not mean that my responsibility ends there but it means that I am responsible for every action they take. Holding someone accountable not only make them more thoughtful about their approach, but it also make them own the results. This is the best way entrepreneurial spirit can be inculcated.
