First In, Last Out

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It used to be almost a rule back in the day if you were a manager. You were first in and last out. Period. You don't own the business, and your job is to manage the process, direct the flow, and deal with any issues. It is never the responsibility of the employee to make certain decisions, and so the manager MUST be present in order to make them. These days it seems more and more that I hear about managers who sort of come and go as they please, expecting employees to make decisions and deal with issues that SHOULD be the responsibility of the manager. My last boss was this way actually. And part of the reason I decided to quit when I did is BECAUSE I was forced into a situation to deal with because he was not there to do his job. In fact, I was forced to do HIS job, and it put MY job in peril. When you are a manager, you are not a king. You do not own the business. You are to be there at all times when any employee is in the building. THAT'S your job. That's why you have the position and the compensation that goes along with it. When I was in management, I was there at least one hour before the crew arrived and there at least one or two hours after the last employee left. That was not what I WANTED to do. That was my JOB and what I was PAID to do. You cannot manage people, processes or issues if you are not there. And you cannot hold employees accountable for decisions they make on your behalf if you are not there to make them. If you cannot do what a manager is supposed to do, you deserve neither the title nor the position.