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ABCN TRAINING FOCUS |
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As a manager at your ALLIANCE center, you know that your job doesn't really let you have a day off; you're on call 24 hours a day to ensure everything is running smoothly and that your clients are getting excellent service. But this constant work mode is nothing new to you – you didn't get to your position by sitting around all day. You understand the importance of taking risks, working hard, and working through administrative tasks. It's no news that you must maintain these work methods to maintain your rank and be a good leader for your staff. But while working at the top and managing your staff, there are some things you might forget. Take a look at these tips to make sure you're acting as the strong ALLIANCE leader your center needs.
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When there are problems, be understanding to your employees and the situation; be firm, but be flexible. Lay down the law when necessary, but not every single day. Perhaps most importantly, don't let your subordinates mistake your kindess for weakness.
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Whether the best decision you can reach ends up being right or wrong, the critical thing to do is to actually make the decision. |
Using proper power and control doesn't have to be authoritarian, but it must be made crystal clear as to who is in charge and signing off on decisions. |
To be a strong and recognizable leader, you must be willing to call the shots. To be the leader your center needs, you have to take chances, which means you might have regrets, but that's all a part of it.
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Keep your head on straight and your priorities in check, and keep working, because respect can dissipate quickly.
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As a center manager, you live on grounds of risk; you often have to go against the grain and take bold steps, even in a sea of opposition. The important quality to have to give you lasting legacy as a true ALLIANCE leader? Courage. Do what other people are afraid to do. Make decisions, take risks, and don't be afraid to have a bold character. Get tough, call the shots, and soon you'll be the the very kind of leader you've always looked up to. |
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Showing respect doesn't mean being a doormat or a yes man. It means being assertive and attentive to the needs of the center, your clients, and your staff. Show respect by being clear about your priorities, taking care of your clients and your center. 
In a position of power such as yours, as manager of an ALLIANCE center, you are called on to make important decisions in which the outcomes affect others. With so many consequences and effects to consider, it can be difficult to realize what the right answers are. Sometimes there may not be an absolutely clear choice. 
An effective ALLIANCE manager knows to 
In a manager's position of power, it is inevitable that you'll feel stress – this position is where the less capable will falter and abandon ship. The good part of this is that you'll have opportunities to take a chance on a great idea; the riskier part is that you have to actually take chances in order to stand out. 
If you are always willing to do more, always working toward a goal, then the hours you've invested create an opportunity for you – once you become manager, everyone looks to you. When you earn recognition as your center's leader, you must maintain the working ethics and methods that brought you success and initially brought you into your management position. 
You can be the successful ALLIANCE center leader you want to be, by working hard and following the tips we've outlined above. But to really succeed and stay on top, you need a personality. Truman Capote once said that "Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor." Accept that strife is necessary to make your life memorable. 
• The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such. - Andre Maurois