Cashier, Sales Associate, and Customer Service Rep are just a few of the positions I have held in my short work career. Working these lower level positions meant working under supervisors and managers that I simply could not stand. In my opinion, they were poor communicators, horrible listeners, untrusting and power hungry. I made a vow to myself that once I obtained a managerial position to never act in the manner in which they did.

As a manger, you have different powers such as reward, coercive, legitimate, expert and referent. I have witnessed managers use a more coercive power to get employees to do what they want them to do. They instill fear in employees by making comments threatening to fire them and/or cut their pay. These comments do not promote a productive work environment where people enjoy working but instead have them under constant fear of losing their job and possibly not being able to support themselves and their family. As a manager, I would use legitimate and expert power which is my preferred method of influence according to the assessment, What’s My Preferred Type of Power? Using these types of power together creates a positive work environment for everyone and they will be able trust that I hold my level of position because I am actually knowledgeable about the tasks that must be completed. Furthermore, it will encourage them to be their most productive selves and allow them to believe they are assets to the company.

Although it has an upside, being a manager also has a downside which includes disciplining and handling conflicts among employees. Disciplining employees is not something that managers look forward to but it is a necessary part of the job. Doing so ensures that those who are not performing their job effectively are warned in a timely fashion and given the proper guidance to achieve better results. According to