8 mistakes I made as a manager and how you can avoid them

8 mistakes I made as a manager and how you can avoid them 8 mistakes I made as a manager and how you can avoid them Winning business is so distractingly sexy that we keep making the same mistake over and over: we prioritize business development over fostering good managers.I know “growth” is the word to emblazon across the sky, but without good managers a healthy culture and retention are simply not possible.When I first became a manager, I made every mistake in the book.I felt I needed to know everythingIf I didn’t believe I was an adult, what did I have to do so that others would believe it? I was more focused on being impressive than I was on listening.I gave more work to employees who were already goodThis meant that those who were not as good felt left out  and also could not grow. If good people attract most of the work, they also get most of the practice. Given the chance, others could become good, too.I didn’t adapt my style to the needs of people who reported to meAn excellent employee would require a higher level of my involvement if their task or responsibility was new to them o r, conversely, would need me to leave them alone if we were in the middle of something they had done many times before.I felt betrayed when people leftLeaving a job does not constitute a lack of loyalty. Unrelated to the fact you can make great friends at work, employment is not a relationship: it’s a transaction. People move on because it’s integral to their development and their life.I felt like the happiness of people who reported into me was my responsibilityThis is a classic display of poor boundaries. People are responsible for their own happiness, just like they are responsible for their own work-life balance.I was bad at delegatingI was convinced that for something to get done right it needed to be done by me. Or, if I delegated something and didn’t like the results, I was the one who had to “fix” it.I made the company a priority over the personPeople are more important than companies. Negotiate in favor of your team â€" their salary, their hours, their vacation ti me â€" not in favor of your company. When we say “people first” or “people matter the most” you can’t then nickel and dime them on their promotion.I wanted everyone to be the sameI wanted everyone to arrive at the same time, work hard, stay late, be committed, and be excited. People are humans with complex lives and need different things. These differences are what make companies truly creative.We can’t demand that everyone be the same and then wonder why we are not fostering a culture of innovation.This article originally appeared on Quora.