2.03 What makes a good director?

It’s important for managers to check in and evaluate their directing ability. If a manager is not able to direct employees effectively, the employees and the organization are going to struggle to be successful. However, it can be tough to objectively evaluate your own directing style. Managers can examine several key metrics to know whether or not they are directing well.

Employee turnover. While some turnover at organizations is common, a manager who has an unusually high number of employees who leave—especially after a short amount of time—could have some issues with his/her directing. Employees who receive confusing instructions, too much or too little oversight, or who lack motivation aren’t likely to feel satisfied at work. On the other hand, low employee turnover can be an indicator of success.

Quantity standards. Quantity standards are established specifications used to measure the amount of work produced. These depend on the company, but could be production numbers, sales data, or financial standing. If the team is meeting quantity standards, it’s likely that the manager is directing his/her employees well.

Quality standards. While numbers and data are important, quality standards (established specifications used to measure the degree of excellence of a good or service) also help verify that a manager is directing effectively. Employees might be producing a large quantity of work, but is it high-quality work that is making an impact? Or does work often fail to meet requirements and need to be repeated? Managers can gather information about the quality of work from surveys, conversations, and evaluations. High-quality work usually stems from good direction.

Time standards. Managers who can direct employees well will be good at hitting deadlines and managing work time. No employees will be overworked or underutilized.

The video “Top 10 Tips To Be a Better Manager” by Richard Lock offers several guidelines for managers to follow to improve their directing skills, as well as ways to evaluate management abilities: Top 10 Tips to be a better manager. Links to an external site.