99 tips for IT People Managers

With every action IT People Managers accumulate some merits and demerits in the eyes of his/her employees. The following list would help increase the credit history... err..."Merit History". People management is a tightrope walk and one should remember to avoid even the slightest mistake.

What I have listed below is nothing new. You can find it in thousands of Management books and its just plain simple "common sense". Listed here are 99 guidelines:

1. Never set Mission Impossible kinda' deadlines - "A war that is lost even before it begins"
2. Never ridicule any of your employee in front of the team - "What you give is what you get"
3. Never micro manage - "Wasting everybody's time"
4. Never leave any question unanswered - "Your employees are not Sherlock Holmes"
5. Never discriminate employees - "Mangal Pandey - The rising"
6. Never point fingers at the so called "low performers" - "Wounding the wounded tiger"
7. Never let personal problems reflect at your work - "Bringing home to work"
8. Never plan about some task that you are unaware of - "Walking in the dark"
9. Never ignore employee needs at work - "Every drop goes in the making of an ocean"

...
[I'm bored of never, lemme try always]
...

91. Always shield your employees from direct criticism - "Invest in Mutual Funds: You give trees CO2, they give you O2 "
92. Always praise or thank your employee for going that extra mile - "Sow a seed, reap the fruit"
93. Always keep your team morale high - "Soldiers win the war, not Generals"
94. Always give your employees that occasional break - "Boiling point is inversely proportional to pressure"
95. Always set an example - "Employees use the Monkey design pattern"
96. Always match employee's work and aspirations - "And you thought, only marriages are made in heaven"
97. Always give awards and certificates for good work - "Boost is the secret of my energy"
98. Always maintain a cordial relation with ex-employees - "Someday, when you visit Washing'ton, that donkey can be of great use"
99. Always make few promises and keep all of them - "You are in the spotlight"


And you thought I could count till 99 :)

Disclaimer: The above comments have no resemblance to any Manager that I have known or worked with. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.