The Four "C"'s

Below is a posting from a piece in Forbes by Victor Lipman..


Conflict – A good manager has to be able to handle conflict.  I call conflict “the currency of management.”  You often get it from all sides: sometimes-unreasonable demands from those above you and howls of protests from those below.  Being able to balance such conflicting needs in a reasonable and effective way – satisfying The General while maintaining the troops’ loyalty – is critical.  While you don’t have to love conflict (most people don’t), you have to be at least somewhat comfortable in the fray.  You can’t be a conflict avoider.

Communication – Good managers are effective communicators.  Though this is a bit trite, it’s true.   Any relationship – be it personal or business – founders on weak communication.  You can’t be emotionally stingy when praise for an employee is deserved, or say nothing when corrective action is needed.  Every really effective manager I knew was intuitive, perceptive… and an open, honest communicator.

Confidence – Management is no place for the emotionally fragile.  For the reasons already mentioned – being regularly buffeted from above and below – you have to be able to ‘take a punch’ and come back the next day (or more likely the next 10 minutes) with a positive attitude.  An ample dose of self-assurance, though not cockiness, is a valuable asset.

Conscience – The best and most respected managers I knew had a conscience.  They were solid role models.  They wanted to do the right thing, both for their own management and for their employees.  Some readers might disagree and say, no, all you really need to succeed is the ability to please your own boss on the backs of your direct reports.   There’s some truth to this; it does happen.  But over the long term, managers of this type pay a high price in terms of employee morale, productivity and retention.  It’s possible they’ll “succeed” in their own careers, but they won’t be respected.