Robert Beezat, Rotary Club of New Berlin, New Berlin RotaryStudying the characteristics of good managers
 
We've all had good (and bad) managers. But what makes a good manager? In a word, character. That was the heart Robert Beezat's message to our club on Oct. 26.
 
We began by reviewing traits of best and worst bosses. In surveys, employees used terms like liar, autocratic and demeaning to describe a bad boss. Good bosses are honest, they treat employees with respect, and they want employees to succeed.
 
Beezat, who has more than 40 years of experience in management, management consulting and teaching, notes that "character greatly influences the quality and effectiveness of our decisions and the success of the people and organizations we manage." Rotary's Four Way Test (shown on our home page) helps build character by encouraging ethically and morally strong behavior.
 
Improve your character, Beezat says, and you can enhance productivity, effectiveness and job satisfaction. "If you want to be better," he says, "you have to work at it." One way is to take advantage of the free Character Based Management app offered on his website. The app allows managers to track and focus on characteristics so they can remain good leaders.
 
This management tool includes a 10-point self-assessment checklist. Among the characteristics addressed:
- Listening: How well do you listen so that you understand what the person is saying?
- Involving employees in defining and solving problems.
- Helping your employees grow. Honestly assess their strengths and weaknesses.
- Being friendly and genuinely respecting and caring for employees.

"Managing people is something we are called to do in one way or another," Beezat says.