Qualities of a good manager
A good manager combines knowledge, foresight and sound decisions with leadership, flexibility and the human skill of working well with family members.
Three managerial skills (Robert Katz)
A homemaker needs all three. A dietitian who rises to run a hospital food service needs more conceptual skill at each step up.
Qualities of a good manager
| Quality | What it looks like at home |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and intelligence | Knows nutrition, prices, how to use equipment and which community services exist |
| Decision-making ability | Weighs choices and decides on time, e.g. which school, which gas connection |
| Foresight and planning | Thinks ahead: saves for school fees due in June, stocks rice before prices rise |
| Leadership | Guides and motivates family members by example, not by force |
| Organizing ability and delegation | Shares tasks to suit each member's age and skill |
| Flexibility | Changes plans calmly when guests arrive or someone falls ill |
| Creativity | Finds new uses for leftovers and low-cost ways to decorate |
| Communication | Explains plans clearly and listens to every member |
| Emotional balance and patience | Stays calm in a crisis and does not pass stress on to others |
| Responsibility and honesty | Accepts the results of decisions and keeps fair accounts |
| Good health and energy | Has the stamina to carry plans through |
How these qualities are built
- Keep learning: read, attend short courses, learn from elders and neighbours.
- Practise decisions on small matters before big ones.
- Evaluate each plan honestly and learn from mistakes.
- Involve family members in planning so they cooperate.
- Look after your own health, rest and leisure.
The same qualities make a good food service manager: technical skill in quantity cooking, human skill to lead cooks and servers, and foresight to plan stores, menus and budgets for a hostel or hospital before shortages strike.
2 marks: “Name the three managerial skills.” Technical, human and conceptual skills (Robert Katz).
5 marks: “List the qualities of a good home manager.” List eight to ten qualities, each with a one-line home example.
10 marks: “Discuss the qualities of a good manager.” Open with the manager's role, explain Katz's three skills, then personal and managerial qualities with examples, and end with how they are developed.
Katz's three skills are hands, heart, head: technical (hands-on know-how), human (heart, working with people), conceptual (head, the big picture).