Question: Four years ago, my girlfriend and I started a gift basket company out of my garage. Now our business has grown to the point that we have our own office space and several employees. We've divided the duties so Cheryl takes care of the sales and I supervise the employees.

        The problem is that I hate being a supervisor. I never realized what hard work it would be to get people to do what I want. I dread going in every day because I know I'll be spending most of the day on unimportant little things like listening to people's excuses for not getting something done.

        Eventually, I'll be able to hire a supervisor but for the next few months, at least, I have to handle this part of the job. What do I do? — Tiffany.

        ANSWER: You've just discovered something that every manager would like to blast across the sky to the entire world — managing people is the toughest job there is because it changes by the second, there is very little reward, and the goals are constantly moving.

        Of course, the fact that you're not alone in your realization doesn't help you out. It does let you know that you're not necessarily a bad manager. In fact, you might grow into the position and find that you truly like it some day.

        Until then, keep these things in mind:

        • If your employees are telling you something, it's important. There are no unimportant little things when it comes to dealing with people. If they're constantly complaining, it might be a sign that they feel they're not being listened to. If they have excuses for not getting work done, it's possible there are real reasons hidden behind those excuses. If they talk about their personal problems, it could be they feel you're treating them as cogs in a wheel and not as individuals.

        Consequently, my first recommendation is to sit down and write a vision of how you'd like to manage these people. Do you want to be controlling, asking them to do their physical tasks and nothing else? Do you want to work as a team, where you seek their input on all decisions to do with work processes? Or do you want something in between, where you solicit some ideas when you think it's necessary but really just want them to show up and stuff baskets with stuff as they're told?

        Keep in mind that the less you seek their input, the less motivated they may be to go above and beyond when you need them. If you view them as cogs, that's how they will view the job — as something they can replace as soon as something better comes along.

        I'm not saying you have to have a completely egalitarian workplace. In fact, some people like working in jobs where they aren't responsible for any decisions. It could be that's the type of workers you want. However, you must know what you're looking for.

        • Communicate. However you decide to manage, it's important to communicate with your employees. At the least, tell them why you want them to do something a certain way, don't just give a direct order and walk away. Entertain serious requests for change and — even in a more hierarchical structure — ask the experts (the people doing the job) how things could be improved.

        Another important aspect of communication is praise. People want to feel important, that they're doing a good job and that they matter to the workplace. There's no harm in telling them — constantly and sincerely — that they did a good job meeting a deadline and that the baskets look great. In fact, a great deal of good can come from showing appreciation. You'll find that they like coming to work!

        At the same time, you must communicate exactly what you expect from these workers. There is no room for vague language here. Delineate exactly what will be done and what you expect the outcome to be. Since these are new positions, I'd seek the input of the workers after a few weeks. It's not uncommon that a job looks good on paper but isn't practical in the real world.

        In summary, know what you want, then communicate it. That will get you started on a path toward successfully managing people.

        Michael Crom is executive vice president, Dale Carnegie Training. Go to www.dalecarnegie.com or e-mail carnegiecoach@dale-carnegie.com.

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