Managing anything can certainly have its ups and downs and much depends upon the success of the manager.  Think about the best managers you have ever had (or have). What qualities made you think of them first?  Chances are it had a lot to do with how they made you feel.  Managers (including teachers, parents, spouses, even friends) have the ability to impact each and every interaction either positively or negatively. The result of that influence is powerful and can certainly affect relationships, productivity, and even health. 

To help put these concepts into perspective, there is a book that my team read about 10 years ago that truly made an impact on us in understanding just how important all of our interactions can be and the lasting effect they can have on another person. It was How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton.  The basic premise of this book is that everyone has an invisible bucket. We are at our best when it is full and overflowing and at our worst when our bucket is empty.  We also have invisible dippers where our interactions can either fill someone's bucket or dip from it.  When we choose to fill others' buckets, we are filling our own. 

Take a moment to identify a person in your life that just being around them in person, on the phone, or even through a text message leaves you feeling great.  The opposite rings true, as well.  Think of a person that brings your mood down most every time you encounter him/her. 

To support their theory, Rath and Clifton surveyed more than 4 million employees worldwide, which included 10,000 businesses in over 30 industries, and they found that individuals who receive regular recognition and praise, positive interactions:

• increase their individual productivity
• increase engagement among their colleagues
• are more likely to stay with their organization
• receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
• have better safety records and fewer accidents on the job 

"You must be careful how you walk, and where you go, for there are those following you who will set their feet where yours are set." Robert E. Lee

A good manager understands their example is the most important.  In most cases there attitude sets the attitude of the office or situation. The #1 reason that people leave their job is that they don't feel appreciated. As a manager, you have the responsibility to fill your team members' buckets, and in return, this positive appreciation results in a happy productive workforce. 

Here are 5 tips to better management: 

1. Keep a positive attitude ~ 9 out of 10 people say they are more productive when they are around positive people
2. Know that every moment matters ~ Consider the impact of your interactions
3. Overfill the buckets ~ The more you "fill", the more appreciation they "feel" 
4. Understand the power of discipline ~ People who don't practice self-discipline, head into a quick downhill spiral. This turns into guilt and guilt erodes self-confidence 
5. Be playful and laugh a lot ~ "Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life." Vicki Hitzges

The most important lesson in managing is understanding and acknowledging how you can influence the mood of the office or individual either negatively or positively, fill the bucket or deplete it.  Choose wisely.