What do you think is the hardest thing about being a boss/manager?

1. 92

   davidlivermoreposted 11 years ago

   What do you think is the hardest thing about being a boss/manager?
   
   I've been a supervisor for over 5 year.  I found managing staffing levels one of the hardest things I've had to contend with.  For those who are a supervisor or manager, what do you find is the hardest thing to contend with?

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2. 92

   Stephanie Henkelposted 11 years ago

   I supervised support staff who were very nice, likeable people. It was difficult for me to maintain a supervisor/staff relationship since we were all on a friendly basis, however, I found that I had to maintain a distance in order to be taken seriously when I asked them to improve work habits or quality of their work.

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   1. 92

      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting.  I've never had that issue, and while I like my staff, I was always able to maintain that distance.

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3. 60

   Aliant Coachingposted 11 years ago

   Effectively managing employer values, performance and production requirements against values, needs and motivations of employees when in conflict.

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4. 61

   Michael Tullyposted 11 years ago

   The hardest thing for me was to manage situations in which two subordinate coworkers had irreconcilable personality conflicts. Trying to maintain harmony and cooperation within the department under such circumstances can be very difficult, especially when transferring one of them out isn't an option.

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      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ugh, yes, this is so true.  This is one thing I contend with on a weekly basis between two of my staff members.

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5. 72

   rfmoranposted 11 years ago

   Firing people was always a tough call for me. Although sometimes necessary, I always felt I could have  done something more.

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      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Depending on the reason.  You can't watch and guide your staff every minute of every day.

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6. 60

   C.V.Rajanposted 11 years ago

   The hardest thing for many managers is to accept their ignorance in many things and still manage the team effectively!

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      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I try to admit when I don't know something.  Though people come to me expecting me to know everything.

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7. 0

   lisasuniquevoiceposted 11 years ago

   davidlivermore,
   
   The hardest thing to deal with when you're the boss is that you can't  really be friends with your staff. You want to, but it's difficult because you're in that power position and they might not always like your rules and regulations. It's easy to see why you can't just drop your boss hat at the door and go out and be social with these people.
   Lisa

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   1. 92

      davidlivermoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Not all supervisors want to be friends though.  I know some of my staff I wouldn't be friends with outside the workplace, not insulting them or anything, but we just don't share similar interests.
      
      But that doesn't stop me from being friendly, though

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8. 56

   Cassi10posted 9 years ago

   I'd say the hardest part is the staff not understanding your perspective on things. I'm a business owner, and they aren't privy to all of the bills, hard work, paper filing, etc that goes into running a business. So, when they mess up, call in, get sick, quit without notice, are wasteful, have non-productive days, etc., they don't understand what a mental and emotional toll that takes on me. I try to support everyone on my staff to do their best all the time, and train them to run things in a certain way, but its been rare to find anyone who actually understands the hard work and risk I also put in to employing them.

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