While flipping QC magazine (June 2008), I found an interesting article by Cecil Donahue on some of the useful management strategies he has learned over the years.  His perspective:

• Employees do not need to like you.  Being a strong manager means doing what is best for employees whether they like it or not.  Don't worry about being popular; worry about doing what's right.  Workplace self-esteem and status comes from outstanding performance.  Pushing employees toward their peak won't always make them love you, but they will respect you.
• Learn to love and use the word "no."  A manager's job is to promote the well-being of their employees.  you must set limits and maintain focus.  This means setting clear goals and refusing to let your staff fall short or engage in activities that will undermine their success.  Say "no" to those success-killing activities.
• Mere existence merits no rewards.  Today's society has a tendency to lavish huge praise on people for doing basic fundamental tasks thus creating a feeling of entitlement.  It's now debateable which is worse: low self-esteem or an overinflated sense of worth.  A simple acknowledgment ("Thank You" or "Nice Job") will suffice for meeting baseline expectations.  Save the serious praise for exceptional accomplishments.  And remember, when it comes to rewarding achievement in the workplace, words are never a substitute for cold hard cash.
• Follow through.  Managers who make a habit of issuing empty promises (raises and increased resources) will soon be in the business of dealing with low morale and high turnover.
• Don't play favorites.  Managers must rise above their personal feelings when dealing with their team members.  Unless you want to create tremendous internal conflicts, treat everyone equally and fairly.
• Be consistent.  Nothing destroys your team's abilityy to function effectively like a flighty manager.  If they cannot predict your position on issues, they'll lose confidence in their own decision-making abilities.  Eventually, they will be paralyzed.
• Defend and protect.  Too many managers are very willing to throw a subordinate to the wolves when things go wrong with the end result being that this manager only looks like a punk, not a leader.  Managers that take the "buck-stops-here" attitude and accepts blame to deflect it from staff members looks confident and very much the leader.  Your employees will follow you through tough assignments and pressure-filled tasks.
• Lead by example.  People tend to pay attention to what you actually do instead of what you say.  part of leading by example means not pretending to be perfect, but to acknowledge your own mistakes when they occur, apologize when appropriate, and have the confidence to move forward.

Do you have other tips?  Feel free to add them to this posting, or through a forum entry.  (Take 60 seconds to register a user name and password, and you are on your way!)