A successful company depends on the success of its managers. Being a successful manager is a trickle effect to all the employees within a business. It’s not enough to have a solid product or services, you have to have the right bodies behind it to make it successful. A good way to tell if there is bad management within a catering business is if you see a combination of low morale and productivity with slow sales.

Below are seven habits typically found within bad catering managers. If you see you exhibit any of these qualities, it might be time to take a step back and reassess your actions.

1. Micromanagement

Everyone hates being micromanaged. A good catering manager knows the difference between micromanagement and management. You have to be able to count on your employees to do their designated position or things just become chaos. If you don’t feel like you can, it might be time to look at further employee training or termination. If you are taking over duties such as cooking or serving during an event, you are managing all wrong. You may be thinking something like, “if I do it then it gets done faster, the right way.” Don’t ever think this, because it takes away from your task at hand, and that’s management.

2. Not Setting the Right Example

The catering manager should be representation of the entire staff. If you’re constantly late and showing up in unprofessional attire, you’re not setting the right example. What you do as a manager greatly influences the people below you. Remember that every little detail counts. From how you greet guests to just showing up, the catering manager is expected to be the example of the entire staff.

3. Poor Communication

With such a high customer focus, the hospitality industry is centered around communication. Some qualities to look for in bad communication from a catering manager would be things like employee questions going unanswered and catering manager not being available to speak with employees during non-event times. Usually poor communication means that as a catering manager, you are under-developing your staff. When this happens, your staff usually feels under-appreciated and this can kill your overall morale.

4. Too Nice

Being too nice is something hard to spot when it comes to the catering industry. A strong catering manager doesn’t try to please everyone, except for the client of course. When the catering manager is too nice, it gives the employees an opportunity to walk all over them and take advantage of situations. Say you let it go when you have an employee who is a repeat offender of being late to events. He always completes job duties effectively and efficiently, but he just can’t shake always being late. As a manager, if you are letting something like this go, you are being too nice. It’s important to find a balance of good communication with employees, and to make sure they understand you are their leader.

5. Egotistical

It’s extremely common for managers to go on a power trip. They think because they are at the top they can act in a way that only serves their best interest and not those of others. Being an egotistical manager is something that can be hard to detect. You don’t want to mistake someone who is confident to be egotistical either. If you see yourself putting your goals over the entire staff or saying things like my job is more important than yours, your ego is getting in the way of being a decent manager.

6. Playing Favorites

It’s very easy for anyone to look to certain individuals as their favorites over others. As a manager, you may like certain servers over others because they could be closer to your age range or they participate in the same hobbies you do. It’s ok to talk extra with these people, but when it comes to working and doing your job duties, you should be delegating an even amount of responsibilities to everyone. If you are playing favorites, those individuals could also think they could get away with more.

7. Being Disorganized

When you’re running a catering event, nothing looks worse than the leader running around with their head cut off. If you walk around an event with papers flying everywhere or your taking on too many responsibilities you are a perpetrator of this bad habit. If you are a disorganized caterer, you will come across as looking unprofessional. Remember that as a catering manager you are just one person, and it’s important to delegate in the most balancing way possible.

Is It Time to Make Some Changes?

If you have exhibited any of these characteristics once or twice it’s completely normal. A high stress environment like catering can put people out of their comfort zones. The trick is, you don’t want to make any of these behaviors a habit. If you have, it’s never too late to turn things around.