I have yet to find anyone who manages people who isn't at times frustrated and confounded by the task. Managing people is hard. After all, you're dealing with a pretty pesky, complex species and, unfortunately, there's no operating manual to tell you how to deal with human beings effectively. Being a manager means making mistakes; it comes with the territory. Being a good manager means recognizing your mistakes -- and learning from them. To help you in that process, here are my candidates for the ten most common pitfalls that managers of nonprofit organizations fall into and some suggestions for how to avoid or climb out of them.

Pitfall # 1: Thinking that there is one right way to manage people.
     In fact, different kinds of people need to be managed differently. Some people work best when they're allowed to take the initiative; others blossom only with structure and direction. Some people need lots of rope; others falter without frequent feedback and supervision. Nonprofit managers often make the mistake of trying to manage everyone in the same way. They generally proceed on the assumption that everyone wants to be managed exactly as they'd like to be managed. They are then mystified when that approach doesn't always produce good performance and satisfaction. Good managers realize that the style they prefer will work for some people but won't work for others. They know that to be effective they must either make sure the people they hire will thrive under their particular management style, or else be willing to try different approaches --finding out what works best for each member of their staff and adjusting their style accordingly.

Pitfall # 2: Not communicating openly and honestly with staff.
     Many nonprofit managers are reluctant to communicate hard things -- like things they think someone doesn't want to hear, or things they think someone won't like them for saying. Some managers never make their expectations clear. Either they hope people will simply know what they want without their having to say it or they don't want to appear to be too domineering or too demanding. More often than not this leaves their staffs confused, guessing, or even worse, troubled with the vague sense that they're not living up to some hidden standard. Other managers bottle up their minor irritations, like being angry at someone who's always ten minutes late, either because they think they shouldn't care about such small things or because they're afraid they'll look mean and petty. Instead, they churn with repressed resentment, which inevitably seeps out in other ways. Still other managers hold back bad news for fear of getting their staffs too upset -- only to find that people would have much preferred knowing the score to operating in a miasma of rumors and uncertainty.
      A great many nonprofit managers worry so much about hurting people's feelings that they put off conveying legitimate criticisms. Rather than confronting problems as they arise, these managers keep waiting for the right moment or the right mood. Typically they wait so long that by the time they say something, a long list of grievances has accumulated. They then wind up infuriating their employees, who can't believe that they've been allowed to go on for months without being told there was a problem. Too many managers forget that people can't be helped to change and grow unless they're told what's wrong and what they need to do to fix the situation. Not communicating doesn't protect or support your staff; it keeps them stuck.

Pitfall # 3: Complaining to one staff person about another instead of registering your complaint with the person you're upset with.
     This is damaging on several counts. First of all, by not communicating directly with the people you're griping about, you disempower them. How can they be expected to alter their behavior if they don't know anything is wrong? Second, when you complain to one employee about another, it often leaves the people in whom you're confiding feeling insecure; they cannot help but wonder whether you're talking about them behind their backs, too. Third, operating like this begins to create wedges between your employees, undermining their relationships with one another. Moreover, it often sets off a destructive chain of gossip and dealing indirectly. Nothing leads more quickly to an atmosphere of acrimony and mistrust then a pattern of back-biting and third-party communication -- particularly when the pattern is set by management.

Pitfall # 4: Ignoring or denying gaps between the way thing really are and the way they're said to be.
     Nothing makes people crazier than working in organizations in which the managers permit or perpetuate serious discrepancies between what's actually so and what's said to be so. An example of this is the manager who upholds the claim that the organization has no hierarchy -- that everything is done collegially -- when in fact everyone knows that a small inner-circle ultimately makes all the decisions. Or the manager who maintains the pretense that the organization is staying true to its purpose, when in fact everyone can see that it's been chasing money and shaping projects to fit whatever seems to interest funders. People recognize the realities in their organization; pretending they aren't so only makes the situation worse.

Pitfall # 5: Not delegating enough responsibility to others -- or delegating responsibility without commensurate authority.
     Sometimes managers are reluctant to delegate because they do not have confidence in the people below them. If this is so for you, no books on management or courses on delegation will ever get you over this barrier. The answer is to hire people you can trust -- or get out of management. Other managers have a hard time letting go because they don't think anyone will do the job as well as they would. This trap is especially tricky because more often than not they're right; as the most experienced people in the organization, they usually can do the job better than anyone else. But the question they should be asking themselves isn't, "Can others get the job done as well as I can?" Rather, the question is, "Can others get the job done effectively?" If you're interested in developing people, you're going to have to accept the fact that your staff may do things only 80% as well as you--and turn things over to them anyway. Otherwise, you're always going to end up being responsible for and doing too much yourself.
      A number of managers don't delegate enough for quite another reason: they have to have everything done their way. These managers maintain tight control even when they've assigned tasks to someone else. They rewrite everything, insist on reviewing every detail, second guess decisions, and take back the territory when the job isn't done exactly as they would have done it. They then resent their staffs for not taking enough initiative and responsibility, drive away good people --and wonder why they're left carrying most of the organizational burden alone.

Pitfall # 6: Forgetting to keep your staff in touch with the purpose behind their work.      Nonprofit managers often make the mistake of neglecting one of the most important parts of their jobs: making sure that the organization's purpose stays alive in the hearts and minds of the staff and infuses their day-to-day activities. People in nonprofit organizations often get so caught up in operating details that they forget what their jobs are really about and lose sight of the vision that originally drew them to the organization. Managers must periodically take the time to remind people of why they are doing what they are doing, because restoring that sense of purpose can redirect or refocus their everyday efforts, revive their spirits, and lend new meaning and potency to their work.

Pitfall # 7: Waiting too long to fire people.
      Most non- profit managers are so worried about being unfair, so pained at the prospect of damaging someone, and so reluctant to discharge anyone until they're absolutely certain that they will postpone doing something about a problem employee months after they know he or she will never make the grade. Instead, they keep talking themselves into giving the person "just one more chance," or they keep hoping that he or she will think of leaving on their own. Too many nonprofit managers equate firing people with ruining their lives.
      In fact, the opposite is more often true. Keeping people in positions they can't handle doesn't support them; it undermines their sense of usefulness and self-esteem. People are nearly always better off being pushed to find positions that will suit and satisfy them. Moreover, nothing can be more damaging to overall staff morale than having people on board who are not pulling their weight. The other staff members are not only troubled by the fact that the organization is not performing as well as it should, but they cannot help wondering why they should continue to care so much or work so hard when others are doing so little. To make things worse, the people who aren't doing their jobs are frequently the unhappiest people in the organization, and their bitterness and complaints cast a pall over everyone.
      Many nonprofit managers compound the damage by trying to come up with structural solutions to these personnel problems. Rather than confront the need to fire, these managers transfer people to different projects or divisions, redefine their responsibilities, or insert new layers of personnel above, below, or beside them. More often than not, this leaves the organization with a structure that doesn't really fit its needs -- in addition to an employee who still isn't getting the job done.

Pitfall # 8: Not putting enough time and care into hiring decisions in the first place.
      There are lots of traps here to ensnare the nonprofit manager. One is compromising too quickly and hiring someone because you believe that having a warm body is better than not having anyone at all; in fact, the time lost in dealing with a sub-par employee is often far greater than the extra time it would have taken to find the right person to begin with. Another snare is redefining a job in order to get someone you like to take it; you may add a good person, but the job that really needs to get done may not be the one that's being filled. Still another trap is hiring people for positions for which they are overqualified; you may think you've made a real catch, but no one is on a surer road to dissatisfaction than a person who's in a job that doesn't tap his or her capabilities.

Pitfall # 9: Not letting people know that they are teriffic and valued.
      Too many nonprofit managers simply forget to ever thank people, or they operate on the erroneous assumption that if they give an employee too many pats on the back, he or she will slack off and become too self-satisfied. In fact, most people need healthy doses of positive feedback, affirmation, and acknowledgment in order to sustain their motivation and productivity. People who work for nonprofits know that their rewards are not going to be in the form of short hours, high pay, and fancy perquisites. Rather, their nurturing and satisfaction come from feeling that they are contributing to an important cause, which is why it's essential to make sure they know that their efforts are appreciated and that what they're doing is making a difference.
      Another sure way of having your staff feel unappreciated and under-valued is to never seek their views before you make a decision, even when the decision intimately affects them. Too many managers are so action-oriented, so impatient with process that they are insensitive or even blind to people's need to be consulted and involved. They don't realize that there's a powerful pay-off in taking the time to confer with their staffs: employees who are more motivated and more invested because they helped shape the decisions that they must carry out.

Pitfall # 10: Not taking responsibility for the fact that the tone and style of the organization are probably a reflection of you.
     If everyone in the organization is uptight and on edge, it's important to look at how testy you are. If there's lots of gossip and back-biting, it's essential to examine your own pattern of communication. If everyone is stale and cynical, it's time to face up to whether the flame is still alive in you. If there's lots of mistrust, you'd better look at how candid and direct you are. If there's too much competition and conflict, you'd better see whether you're doing something that pits people against each other. And if your staff members are overwhelmed and exhausted, it's time to look at the value you're placing not only on their personal lives and well-being --but on your own.>

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