You’re the manager and you’re having one of those days. You just don’t feel like being at work today. After all, you’re human. Everyone has had
a bad day before and will continue to have more in the future. But in the role that you’re in, your actions and attitude can directly affect the people who work for you.
Don’t use your bad day as an excuse to treat people badly. The bad day is not a good time to have a performance conversation or give feedback unless you can do so objectively.
It’s not the time to deliver a tough message to someone. If your bad day has you seeing everything in a negative light, then you’re going to view small things as being much bigger and worse than they really are. I had a manager who would have a bad day and would find someone on her team who had a messy desk, walk to the person’s desk, and demand that he or she clean it up immediately. The messiness of the desk was always the same, but when this manager was in a bad mood, she wanted to take her anger out on someone.
Don’t let the positive perception that your team has of you be clouded with negativity just because your day is not going well. It doesn’t mean that you have to shut yourself in your office all day, but focus on tasks that are not going to be emotional for you. Think twice about feedback before giving it to someone. Write it down and write a note for yourself to give the feedback the next day when you’re feeling better.
If your bad mood causes you to turn inward, it’ll be difficult to listen to someone else’s issues. Reschedule important conversations if you’re not feeling that you can give your best. If it’s obvious that you’re in a sour mood, let the people you interact with know the reason. It makes you appear vulnerable. After all, you’re human and can have a bad day once in a while. Just don’t let it get in the way of being a great manager.