What makes a good manager? Here are ten tips October,1997 By Bill Gates Recently I wrote about 10 qualities ofa good employee, which prompted quite a few people to ask about the attributes of a good manager. There isn t a magic formula for good management, ofcourse, but if you re a manager, perhaps these tips will help you be more effective 1. Choose a field thoughtfully. Make it one you enjoy It's hard to be productive without genuine enthusiasm. This is true whetheryou'rea manager or employee 2. Hire carefully and be willing to fire. You need a strong team, because a mediocre team gives mediocre results, no matter how well managed it One common mistake is holding onto somebody who doesnt quite measure up. It s easy to keep this person on the job because hes not terrible at what he does. But a good manager will replace him or move him to a set of responsibilities where he can succeed unambiguously 3. Create a productive environment. This is a particular challenge because it requires different approaches depending on the contextWhat makes a good manager? Here are ten tips October 8, 1997 By Bill Gates Recently I wrote about 10 qualities of a good employee, which prompted quite a few people to ask about the attributes of a good manager. There isn’t a magic formula for good management, of course, but if you’re a manager, perhaps these tips will help you be more effective. 1. Choose a field thoughtfully. Make it one you enjoy. It’s hard to be productive without genuine enthusiasm. This is true whether you’re a manager or employee. 2. Hire carefully and be willing to fire. You need a strong team, because a mediocre team gives mediocre results, no matter how well managed it is. One common mistake is holding onto somebody who doesn’t quite measure up. It’s easy to keep this person on the job because he’s not terrible at what he does. But a good manager will replace him or move him to a set of responsibilities where he can succeed unambiguously. 3. Create a productive environment. This is a particular challenge because it requires different approaches depending on the context