Poor Planning Skills

• Poor planning skills are a main cause of ineffective management. The manager who calls a meeting to announce an urgent priority, only to call another meeting soon afterward and announce a different priority will find that his management style is confusing his subordinates. An effective manager will set goals and milestones for achieving those goals in a timely manner.
  
  

Applying the Wrong Leadership Style

• Selecting the wrong leadership style to fit the situation can result in ineffective management. Some managers use the autocratic leadership style, where the manager makes all the decisions and instructs the employees on how to complete a task. While this style of management may work well when deadlines are tight and many people are involved in the project, in many situations subordinates are capable of handling the task on their own. In that case, the manager might use a coaching leadership style and step in only if needed.
  
  

Poor Communication Skills

• Managers who have poor business communication skills are also ineffective. Imprecise communication in emails, documents, speeches and presentations can lead to a need for clarification and duplication of effort. Subordinates who sit through boring presentations and receive unclear directions can suffer from lower morale and lack of motivation to complete the task. Effective managers must communicate with customers and vendors as well as employees.
  
  

Misguided Managerial Practices

• Some accepted management practices are ineffective in accomplishing tasks and motivating employees. For example, choosing an employee of the month can mean that other high-performing employees are unrecognized. Another way for managers to recognize high achievers is to initiate a reward system for all outstanding performances. Annual performance reviews can miss the opportunity to recognize the performance of employees in a timely manner. An alternative would be to have ongoing performance appraisals.