Secret 5

"People are people, are people." Every person's an amalgam of thought and emotion, each one different and each one with an opinion on whatever subject you can throw at them. There are as many viewpoints as there are colors, and that's something you cannot control. A totalitarian leader, one that imposes his will onto the men and women working for him, won't survive in this highly-industrialized world where there's always someone younger and better than yourself eager to take over your position. This is why it's always wise to include your co-workers in group decisions and inform them of the things they would otherwise not hear about if it wasn't for you; and to include employees and listening to their opinions requires unfathomable amounts of patience.
You are in charge of a department of individuals, each with their own way of working but still they are a team and you, as their manager, should be able to make things easier for them in such a way that they can all perform their tasks in their own way but still point them to the direction where the company's best interests lie. The most effective way to accomplish this is, ironically, the most time-consuming and emotionally-investing, no one said this would be easy, but if you want your employees to work at the highest of their capabilities you are going to have to listen to them: their fears, their concerns, their work ethic and how it might conflict with the company's interests, how they're getting along with other members of their team and and other company-specific points that should be open for discussion between an employee and his manager at any time.
The key to this is to have patience. Tons and tons of patience. You have to mantain level-headed, calm, cool and collected in order to have a clear head when problems arise. There will be moments where you will feel as if all of the company's problems are falling right on your head but still, you must keep calm; there is no problem that doesn't bring with it a solution. A good manager-employee relationship always helps to ammend problems that need immediate care and also sets a foundation of trust that will reap benefits further down the line. Having a short temper is probably the worst quality to have when you are in a manager's position; you will create animosity with the other employees quickly and that will result in a mediocre product. Simply put, people won't work to the top of their capacity when they're in a non-favorable working environment.
Once you acquire the imperative skill that is patience, you'll begin to notice that it helps you with other areas of your life as well. Your health risks lower since a lack of patience is often related to stress and high blood pressure; you will be more relaxed and laidback, resulting in a healthier, happier life. All of this is psychological, upon further research. It's all in your head to let things get to you. There are many techniques that can help you keep your cool while going though stressful situations, and they'll pay off later when your employees see that their manager doesn't fold under pressure and is, in fact, calm and serene when the going gets rough. To put it all in a definitive perspective then, remember this simple fact: there are three secrets to managing. The first secret is have patience. The second is be patient. And the third most important secret is patience. Once you take these three secrets to heart and apply them to the workplace you'll begin to see a change, not only within yourself and you performance as manager, but also with your workforce... it's a win/win situation that both you and your company can count on.