Connection Post

Yesterday in class, the lecture was regarding managers, leadership, power, and all the different types of functions a manager must posess.

I definatley believe that managers must have the five characteristic skills in order to be considered a good manager. They are listed as Interpersonal skills, conceptual, and technical.

I have had an experience with a manager who had the skills required to be manager...all but one. She had no people skills. She was great at everything else, and in fact was excellent with everything else, just not with communicating to clients. I also think she may have been great in another field involving research in law, but because her job was very similar to mine I know that 80 percent of what we do as a paralegal is consult clients, console clients, and prepare them for the worst and best case scenerios. If you can't properly handle this part of your job it is chaotic. It is as Ms. Adams says "constantly putting out fires". Partly because whatever case you are handling can be the only (or main) important thing going on in that person's life at that exact moment. So you have to adapt your ability to cater to each client differently. One person may be ok with something being done tomorrow, and the next may want it done that instant. You just can't expect the client to cater to you, it's just not done that way, and it's inappropriate.

From all that I have seen, I think it also takes a person who is swift on their feet in reacting to things and who is prepared for the worst but hopes for the best to be a manager.

Ultimately even though this manager I speak of was the most organized, smartest, over achiever in her work, she just couldn't get the people skills together to help put out the fires she would sometimes start. I definately think you need all qualities and appropriate skills in which ever field you may be in. May that be top manager, middle manager, supervisor, or employee, you must have the right skills to be in that line of work.