Things you can do to become a good manager

MOTTO: The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind (William James)

Communicate. Employees must be empowered with information so that they can make the best decisions, quickly and without the approval of higher-ups.
Do not think you know everything. Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Seeking help from individuals with expertise in specific areas is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Delegate. You can't do everything yourself. And even if you could that would not be the most effective use of your time as a manager.
Accept responsibility. A common mistake made by managers is to either delegate blame or simply not accept responsibility for that which happens under their guidance. Eventually, avoiding responsibility will catch up with a manager and usually not bode well for his or her future.
Take time to get to know your people. Learn what makes them excited, how to motivate them, what they fear or worry about. Get to know them as individuals, because that's the only way you can effectively manage them.
Do not try to show everyone who's in charge. Everyone in your group already knows who the new manager is. You don't have to make a big show about being "the boss".
Be human. Just because you are the boss doesn't mean you can't laugh, or show emotion, or make an occasional mistake. Make doing a good job for your company fun.
Protect your people. It's your job to stand up for your people and make sure they are treated as fairly as possible. They will return the loyalty.
Set goals with your employees. Effective performance starts with clear goals. It is up to you as a manager to meet with your employees to develop attainable goals and guide them in their efforts to achieve those goals.
Make the transition from worker to manager. Becoming a manager requires the development of a whole new set of business skills: people skills. Sometimes it is a tough transition, but with the proper tools and assistance, it will be a satisfying transition.
Learn as more as you can. Today, more than at any other time, managers must be ready to change if the situation changes.
Don't fool yourself that you can stop change. Instead, concentrate your efforts on taking actions that make a positive difference in your business life. Learn how to adapt to change and use it to your advantage instead of spending your energy fighting it. But do not change everything. Don't re-invent the wheel.
Don’t get out of balance in your life. Our lives are made up of Seven Vital Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not necessarily spend time every day in each area or equal amounts of time in each area. But if in the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and quality of time in each area, our lives will be in balance.
Get enough sleep. For most people, they get the quantity of sleep, but they lack the quality of sleep. If you will plan your day, then work your plan, you will get more done, feel a higher sense of accomplishment, and experience less stress and enjoy a more restful night's sleep.
Take a lunch break. Many do not take a lunch break, working through that time period in the hopes that it will give them more time to produce results. A lunch break, even a short fifteen minute break, gives us a chance to get our batteries all charged up again to more effectively handle the afternoon's challenges.

If you are not yet a manager pretend you are and use these advices. The results will be surprising!