Q: What makes a good nursery manager?
'A good manager needs to be approachable, easy to speak to, supportive and recognise staff members' strengths.'
'It is important that they provide a good role model for the rest of the team.'
'A manager must recognise that everyone needs the opportunity to vent and to deal with the stress of the job, but the manager can't take their stress out on the staff.'
'Someone who works well as a team and supports all the staff. They need to have good communication skills and be able to interact with staff and parents and also the children.'
'They need to balance paperwork with also dealing with staff issues and keeping up with new policies.'
'Managers need to have very good organisational skills. It is essential that they get the staff on their side and help them to feel valued - we want praise as much as the children do!'
'A good manager is someone who is approachable, and friendly, praises staff for good work, provides adequate resources for the setting and makes sure that it is a supportive environment for the staff, children and parents.'
'They should be good team players, and never expect staff to do something that they would not do themselves. They should also know the staff as individuals, rather than just a name, and should have a good rapport and be approachable.'
'If I was a manager I'd want to be approachable to all my staff and the parents. I would always make time to listen, be patient at dealing with issues and always take on board constructive criticism so that I could turn it around and make the setting better.'
Q: What positive qualities can you identify in your current manager?
'We have 23 staff members and we're all different and she has to manage all of us. Then there's the parents who all have different concerns and, of course, the children who are all unique. I don't envy her, it's a hard job.'
'If she has to give bad feedback she will find a positive approach and I have never once heard her raise her voice to staff. She is very approachable. Her door is always open and she is aware of our individual strengths and uses them well.'
'Our manager encourages the team to bond and holds regular staff meetings to share information.'
'It is good to know that when she introduces change it is for the benefit of the children. That makes staff more willing to try new things.'
'The setting I'm in is brilliant because we can talk easily to the manager, even about little concerns, which stops them from escalating and becoming a worry. It's much better to share problems.'
'The manager does awards for the rooms, such as best wall display or employee of the month, which boosts morale and helps us to work harder.'
'It is good to know that our manager worked in the rooms as well, so she knows what it's like. She also knows the stress that we sometimes face. She knows the brilliant atmosphere, and the not so positive as well. We know that she will always back us up.'
'Last week we were all taken out for a meal because the nursery was awarded outstanding in our Ofsted. This showed that it was recognised that we'd all worked hard to achieve this and that we were appreciated. It is good to be recognised.'
Q: What experience have you had of poor managers?
'She would take any opportunity to disparage the staff and would do this in front of other staff members. If she made a mistake herself she would try to hide it or blame it on others. She was so unpredictable - having a joke with you one minute and then yelling at you in the corridor the next.
'I think she was struggling with the size of the nursery and not coping, so she took it out on the staff. But the new manager is brilliant and has brought everyone together. She is a team player - a bubbly person who will listen.'
'For a manager to do a good job it's important for them to have a good team behind them. I worked at a setting for a short time where the head and senior practitioner were both not there, and the structure of the team fell apart. I had concerns and no-one to approach, which was not good enough.
'Where I now work, we have a manager, deputy and senior team member for each age range and certain members are not allowed to be absent at the same time so there is consistency of management. There is always someone to go to with concerns or for advice.'
'I once worked for a manager whose communication skills were not good. Parents would tell her things and we'd find out later they had not been passed on to us. The parents would then get annoyed that things hadn't been done and it would reflect badly on us. I can understand that she was busy and that things slipped her mind, but it impacted on our ability to do our job well.'
'Our manager is part of the team and does get involved, but sometimes I'm not sure whether she is too close to us, probably because it is a small nursery. She should be someone in authority, rather than a friend.'
Q: How does poor management impact on your work?
'I felt that no matter what I did, I wouldn't do it right. We would work our socks off for no praise. But it is all different now, we receive praise and respond well to it.'
'It motivates you to work harder if you've got a manager who supports and encourages you. It makes you want to do well and better and progress in your job. If you do not feel supported then it can make you lose confidence in yourself and your ability to do the job well.'
'I have worked with three different managers and they've all had different styles of management. The poor one thought she was good at listening but would then dismiss any concerns rather than take them on board. This made me develop low self-esteem because I felt I wasn't good at my job because I was not getting positive feedback.'
'Our company was well aware of the problem with the manager, because staff retention was appalling. I hated going in to work. There are a few of us left from the old days and the new staff can't understand how we put up with it as long as we did. I certainly wouldn't do again!'
What are your experiences of different managers? To continue the discussion go to 'Have Your Say' at www.nurseryworld.co.uk
AN EXPERT'S VIEW
While training is vital, the qualities of good leadership have much to do with natural empathy and the desire to communicate well, says Sue Meekings, director of childcare at the Childcare Corporation.
Having worked in nurseries and managed them for years, I am very aware of the importance of the right manager leading the team, and the impact of an ill-advised appointment on staff morale and the success of any setting. In my current role I share responsibility with head office colleagues for the final decision on who we appoint to the manager's role in our nurseries. Each time we deliberate long and hard about the characteristics and strengths we are looking for and the skills of those we have interviewed.
The key to a successful manager is an unwavering commitment to the high standards of childcare and education that any child has a right to expect if placed in our care. Good experience, an ability to lead by example in practice, relationships and professionalism are key to gaining the respect of any nursery team. The manager's role is unlikely to be a 'nine to five' position and a commitment to going over and above the basic requirements of the post is likely to be necessary.
We look for someone who has a clear knowledge of the challenges faced by those working directly with the children every day. The ability to lead and manage a team is not something that can be exclusively learned on a course, although qualifications and a commitment to ongoing CPD obviously matter. Good managers are those who have a natural empathy with others and communicate well. If they see something in staff they appreciate, they will take the time to acknowledge and praise it. They will also address areas of concern, but will do so diplomatically and discretely, ensuring the member of staff is well aware of the issue but not left feeling demeaned or embarrassed.
The most effective managers never allow problems to escalate, know their team well and develop positive, professional relationships with their staff, families and other agencies. They are proud of their nursery and enjoy its successes, providing strong leadership for the early years sector as they work to provide happy, secure and inspirational places for children to play and learn.
