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Student managers: speak wisely, dont fear mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes.

People that know me have come to realize that I make nothing but mistakes--believe me, anyone can attest to that.

But the key is not to dwell on the mistakes. The key to success is to learn from your mistakes so that you won't make them again.

With elections for student organizations right around the corner, I thought I'd share some of my pitfalls in student management for those of you who have been chosen to lead your organization. While these tips will help you as a student manager, they can also be applied to jobs that you'll acquire as you get into the workforce.

Have confidence in yourself.

Your peers had enough confidence in you to elect you to the job, so you had to have done something right, or most likely, a lot of things right. Even when you feel like you've failed, remember the trust and confidence that your peers had in you.

Never underestimate the value of a discussion.

In discussions, people's opinions are heard. One of the most fulfilling things for someone is to have their thoughts heard out in the open. When you get people's opinions, you, as a leader, can make more informed decisions that will benefit your team or organization.

As a student manager, if you want an open discussion, you have to foster this yourself first. People won't feel obliged to give their opinion if they think that they'll be shot down for having an opinion outside of the status quo. Never devalue an opinion just because it doesn't conform to you or the rest of the group, but rather put value in the input of the entire group.

If you are ever faced with a crisis situation in your organization, one of the fundamental concepts to handling the problem is never to act in isolation. As human beings, we are prone to act on our emotions. But, I feel the trait of a good leader is someone that never acts on his or her emotions. Leaders who act on their emotions often get burned for being irrational and are making a decision just because someone hit a nerve. Take a step back, breathe, and look at the situation again. And, most importantly, get advice from people you trust.

Be careful with your words.

How many times have you said something quickly, only to want to take it back immediately? This sort of thing may have been acceptable when you were just a part of the organization, but it isn't anymore. People expect leaders to always have the right thing to say at the right time. Those of us who have been in these situations know that this just isn't a possibility.

Every time you send an e-mail, write a memo or even write a note on the board, your peers are judging you. Take great care with all of your words, even if you think that no one else will read the note. I've seen too many leaders lose their authority with their peers by not choosing their words wisely.

Try not to use words like "management," "I," or "the organization feels." These words and phrases separate you as a leader from the rest of the organization. They see you as a figurehead rather than as part of your organization. Try to use "we" whenever possible.

Choosing your words wisely is even more important when you're speaking. Try to think ahead, if you can, and anticipate the reaction to your words.

The same technique that you use for a crisis should be used here. If you are angry about something, don't write the e-mail or the letter or make the phone call. Sit back, sleep on it if you can, and then take care of the situation. You and the recipient will both be better off because of it.

Right along the lines of the crisis is another valuable leadership technique: never make anything a crisis. A crisis will often happen by itself, so don't take any initiative to make things seem worse than they really are. If something happens, pretend like you knew it was going to happen, even if you didn't have a clue. Your team will see you as calm, organized and ready to combat whatever gets in your way.

When I was an assistant manager at a music store in high school, I often had to deal with what some may call a daily crisis. With music shipments often running behind, many people in the department always began to panic. But, while I was secretly panicking inside, on the outside I was talking to employees about contingency plans and calling other stores to get our stock issues taken care of. Employees always need to know that someone is in control, even if, in reality, that person is panicking as much as everyone else. By staying calm and pretending to know that the delays were going to happen, the music department stayed in order and stopped any further problems.

You don't always have to talk to everyone to keep everyone happy.

One of the first things that you should do as a student manager is find out who the opinion leaders of the organization are. The opinion leaders are the people who everyone looks to when a crucial decision has to be made. They are often the most respected members of the organization even though they may not have the highest positions.

Every organization has an opinion leader, often two or three. See who the staff responds to when you're sitting in meetings. A lot of times an opinion leader is someone who can be humorous one minute, but the next minute can be completely serious. These are the people who you want to befriend right away, lest an angry staff shoot down all your ideas.

When you have a decision coming down the pipe that you need your staff's support on, talk to the opinion leaders ahead of time in private. Be honest with them and tell them what you want to do. Ask for their feedback and take it to heart. If possible, work out some sort of compromise that they can then move the staff towards. If the opinion leaders are happy, then everyone else in the organization will generally be happy as well. Your staff feeds off of these few key people, so make sure that you don't make them angry. Always keep them informed of what's happening in the organization.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the "little guy." This is the person who sits at the meeting table and hardly says anything the entire meeting. Be very careful of this person for a number of reasons. First, these "little guys" will often do the best work or work the hardest to try to impress the rest of the staff. Second, because they aren't talking all the time, they often have a chance to observe what's going on--a very valuable resource in your organization. These people will stick by you as long as they feel that they are needed. Consequently, it is your job to make them feel needed.

In a meeting, ask them specifically what they think about a certain topic, whether they are involved in the project or not. By singling out this person, you are showing the entire staff that this person's opinion is important to the discussion. But don't stop there. Speak to the "little guy" in private, as you would with the opinion leaders. Ask them what they think and why. Assign them a specific project that no one else has worked on. Keep them as a part of your organization. It will greatly benefit you, them, and the rest of the organization in the long run.

During my freshmen year, I was one of those little people. I was new to every student organization I joined. I kept quiet and just tried to crawl up into a corner. During my first couple shows as a DJ at WBUQ, one of the people from the executive board came up to me to tell me what a great show I had. Now, mind you even at that time, I was not even that naive. But, I took the praise for what it was, and when decisions were made at the station, that same executive board member came to me and told me about it. While I'm sure he couldn't have cared less what I thought, it brought (me) into the station and made me think of myself as a valuable member of the organization. To this day, I still am involved in the radio station.

Praise in public, criticize in private.

I've always found it beneficial to give praise to individuals when we're in a public setting like a meeting. Sure, it would be just as good to tell them that they've done a good job privately, but it seems to carry more weight when others hear it. Conversely, if you criticize individuals in public, you are setting yourself up for a lost staff member, or at least one that won't be willing to give their full effort. If you criticize in general, it's often OK to do so in public, but it's usually best to save your criticism for behind closed doors.

The issue also comes up that you need to know who to criticize and how. Some people will run away crying, while others will just take the criticism in stride and decide to do better. The same goes for praise. Some people love to hear that they are doing a good job all the time, while others get offended and just assume that what they're doing is part of their responsibilities. The key, as an effective leader, is to observe people and understand what kind of person they are, and what sort of reinforcement they need, if any.

While I'm starting to cringe at some of the secrets that I'm giving away, here's one more technique that has served me well with different organizations: the word "commitment." If you are working in an organization where the employees are voluntary or not well paid, there needs to be something to spur them on everyday. While you may hope that everyone fulfills his or her responsibilities that is just not a reality. Oftentimes, even with volunteers, they have to be reminded of why they got the job in the first place.

Everyone who is in an organization has made a commitment, verbal, written or otherwise. Therefore, as a student manager, you can always remind them of that should they ever shirk their responsibilities. Remind them that they made a commitment, and as part of their commitment to the organization, they need to perform the duties assigned to them. This is the most straightforward thing you could ever say to them, and also one of the most professional. When they are out in the working world, they will be expected to perform their duties--you are just doing the organizational equivalent.

Be a leader--not a boss.

Bosses are often not even human, as far as I can tell. Leaders are the people who run organizations. As a leader, you are human and will make mistakes--many, many mistakes. Remember that you are a leading your peers, an especially difficult task that you are prone to fail at, at least once. Never underestimate the power of an apology or to say you're wrong. Contrary to what some popular books may tell you, people like to see fallibility in their leaders, even if it's just a little thread. They need to know that their leaders are human.

Finally, take this leadership opportunity as a personal challenge. Realize that you will make mistakes, no matter how careful you are. But, rest assured, even if you do make a lot of mistakes, you will be in good company.