by Kristie Janeway Jernigan BS MHA

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 05, 2009

A person never gets to the point at which they know everything. Remembering that we can learn from each and every experience is something that we should all keep in mind. Being an alert manager is a great way to get key information about your office and staff. Paying attention to what your employees are saying and watching what they are doing can provide you with more information than you think.

Many managers get bogged down in the daily grind and forget to stay alert. Keeping your eyes and ears open can net a manager a lot of useful information that can help you be a more effective manager with more productive employees. Failing to stay alert and listen to your employees can be a critical error on the manager's part. Below are a few simple ways you can learn from your employees.

Be an alert manager and watch how your employees do their jobs. Take notice of the employees that do an especially good job and reward their behavior. This reward can be small like a nice note or recognition for a job well done in front of their peers. You would really be surprised at how much a pat on the back will do for the employee's. On the other side, staying alert can also let you know which employees are not doing their jobs and may be causing productivity problems.

Listening to office gossip is not always a good idea but for a manager it can be essential. Many employees will discuss problems or concerns about their jobs with one another that they won't discuss with the boss. Simply listening to the office chatter is a great way of getting key information about the work place and your employees. Knowledge about problems with certain employees, work difficulties and management issues can be obtained by simply listening in.

Have lunch with the employees from time to time. This can be an excellent way to get reconnected with your workers. Lunch time chatter offers valuable information to a manager. It also let you know where your office cliques lie. Just like high school the cliques can cause some difficulty with productivity. Being more aware of these can really help you in the long run.

We have all heard that a manager has to surround themselves with quality employees to be successful. This may be an old saying but it is still true. Many managers who fail to do this also fail to be successful. Just because you are a manager does not mean you know everything. Watching and listening to your employees and their daily actions can provide a great deal of insight into the work place.

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