With the title of this post in mind, I’d like to address one of the largest myths that surround the act of being a “manager”: Managers have to know everything. How do we fix the server? Can I expense this? What day does that obscure holiday fall on in 2047? Pretty much any question is fair game for a manager or supervisor, and rightfully so. As the person in charge, your people are going to look to you when they have such questions. However, the important point to remember is this: Just because you’re the focal point for these questions, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to know the answer.

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Time estimation and Pricing - These are two of the most important skills that you can develop if you are looking to advance in almost any industry. It’s been my experience that it’s not until you reach a managers level that you encounter the pricing portion of this combination. Also, while you do learn time estimation earlier in your career, it’s usually only estimating your own time as opposed to co-workers you would be in charge of. With that being said, it’s never too early to try and read up on these skills. It’s a tough transition from being held accountable only for your own results to being responsible for an entire team, but it’s the two skills that I mentioned above that are crucial to mastering this transition.

In the article below, Bill Lee makes some interesting points as far as where the responsibility in pricing lies (between team members or the manger of the team). I think this article can be expanded to include time estimation of your team as well. You can find my comments in the My Comments section immediately following the end of the article before the Author Resource Box.

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I’ve written a couple of articles that in some way relate to managing other people, and there are two reasons for this:

1. Managing other people is seen as the next step in almost all career paths.
2. Managing other people is one of the hardest skills to master.

In other words, you can never read enough about effectively managing other people. It’s in this line of thinking that I’m going to share with you one of the most important pieces of advice I can give: Lead by example.

Sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised how often we do something that sends a bad message to our team. Here are three ways that you can send a good message to your team, and consequently make yourself a better team leader.

• First to arrive, Last to leave - In general, you should be the first one to arrive out of your team to work and the last one to leave. This sets a great example for the rest of your team as to the level of your commitment not only to your project but to them. It will really help to set a good work pace, as they can see you working right when they get in up until they leave. Now, this does not always have to apply. For example, if one of your team members needs to work overnight on something, you don’t have to stay with them. However, when you can, you should try to follow this tip.

• Don’t take “Sick” time - Now before you light the torches, let me explain. It’s perfectly fine to take a day off if you actually are sick. What I’m referring to is “Sick” days off, where you might be taking it for another reason (don’t even try to tell me you have never taken one). While in itself this is unacceptable, when you begin to be responsible for others it becomes even more so. You don’t have the liberty of not caring for a day, as people’s jobs could depend on you. What if you’re not there to answer a question and work stops? What if you miss a deadline because of that? This domino effect only gets worse, and it is something you need to think about before you call off.

• The “Bad mouthing” ends - This might be the single most important point of the three. When you are in charge, you need to keep morale as high as you can. This means that “Bad mouthing” other co-workers or your project pretty much ends. Think of it this way: If your manager starts talking about how awful your project is, what are you going to think? If they can’t handle it, how should you be able to? This also applies to your co-workers, especially any on your team. You should never rag on them, so to speak. Your team will take their cues from you, and you need to set a good example. They most likely need to work with these people, and you want that to go smoothly without anybody having any preconceived notions.

Your team performing better can only help you out in the long run. It’s a boon not only to your current project’s success, but to the success of your career as well.

The Business Card can be seen as the hallmark of taking your first step on the corporate ladder. Getting your first business card is a major milestone in any young professional’s career, however once you get it, who do you give it to? Relatives? Neighbors? Small pets? Your goldfish? The possibilities seem endless.

Usually when you’re on the bottom rung, you only get a limited amount of cards to work with. It might seem like a lot at first, but you would be surprised how quickly they can go (especially if you hand them out to your goldfish, they always need a couple). So how do you decide who takes priority? I’ve listed three groups below that you will usually need to hand out your business cards to, so you should always reserve some for them.

• Clients - Obviously, this is the big one. More often than not, your clients will want your contact information, and the easiest way to do this is with your business card. Also, you can get theirs in return, which gives you access to their contact information. Handing out your business cards to your client is also a long standing business practice that reflects well on the professionalism of both you and your company. Unless they specifically request otherwise, you really can’t go wrong handing out your business card to your clients.

• Senior Executives in your company - You need to be tactful when doing this, but if done properly this can be a powerful networking tool for you. Don’t just run up to your CEO and shove a card in their face, but if you are introduced it can’t hurt to throw a business card their way. Also, if you have a speaker who is a senior executive and you stay to meet them afterwards, you can offer them a business card as well. If you make a good impression, it might lead to excellent opportunities in your company that you might not have been considered for before (this is especially true in large companies). Also remember that “Senior Executive” does not have to be a CEO, it can be your boss’s boss or even your boss. As long as you are tactful, this kind of PR (Public Relations) can only help your career.

• Your Co-Workers - What? Does this sound like a waste of a good business card? Actually, it’s not as long as you don’t get carried away. A great way to use this is if you are at a conference or training event where you meet people from your company that might work in a different location (even a different country). You never know when these kinds of contacts can come in handy, and it’s much easier to keep in contact with someone across the country when you have their phone number or email in your hand.

This is not to say that you can’t give some away to your family, friends, and neighbors. It’s an exciting thing to do and you should take full advantage of it. However, the point that I want to make is this: You should always have some reserve business cards for the groups that I have mentioned above. Other than that, you can distribute the rest of your stock however you want.