4 Key Characteristics of Great Managers
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Transcript of 4 Key Characteristics of Great Managers
4 Key Characteristics of Great Managers
Key Points • Supportive: The difference between support and micromanagement • Loyal: Standing up for your team • Transparent: Practice transparency; knowledge is power • Influential: Motivation through education Having a Great Manager seems almost an anomaly these days; great meaning, “a manager whose entire team is happy and engaged”. It seems so easy for someone to just be respectful and nice to people, but studies have shown that this is just not something people can do. Now, you are probably thinking why is this an anomaly and why is it so difficult for someone to be at least a decent manager. To those who have experienced working for every bad manager stereotype, we all know that finding a Great Manager seems like a unicorn sighting. According to an HBR study in 2014, the manager accounts for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units (HBR, Why Good Managers are So Rare). And because of that, we know that the actions and attitude of the manager directly reflect onto their employees. This study also reported that “only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged at work, and a staggeringly low 13% worldwide are engaged. Worse, over the past 12 years these low numbers have barely budged, meaning that the vast majority of employees worldwide are failing to develop and contribute at work.” After seeing this, it makes you wonder who, if anyone, is happy or engaged at work. And then it makes you think about these companies that consistently rank as “Best Companies to Work For” … Are they the only ones who have happy/engaged employees? Obviously there is no such magical company where everyone is happy (maybe?), but I am guessing that there are a few gems out there that have a higher than 30% average. I know that the numbers doesn’t favor the likelihood, but we have to have some optimism and hope that there is that so-‐called “Great Manager” out there. And if this
Art of the Wingman for Business is dedicated to the businesswomen and businessmen who seek greatness beyond their own and find their successes through helping others succeed. The Business Wingman follows the path of the selfless person.
does feel like you may be more likely to see a unicorn than have a great manager, then the best way you can contribute to this terrible statistic is to turn yourself into that model Great Manager. Take advice where possible and prove us all wrong. Become that Great Manager and prove that there is hope.
1) Supportive: The difference between support and micromanagement Of the 4 characteristics of a Great Manager, this one seems like the most common characteristic missing from managers. When a manager is supportive, they are more likely to: encourage you to succeed, be helpful when you need help, care about your working hours and support a strong work-‐life balance, and most of all trust you to be able to do the work you were hired for and not worry that it won’t get done.
And of all of these “bad” characteristics, I think we should focus a little more on the trust part. I have had my fair share of bad managers and I am certain that each manager all had something in common whether they were a bully, a micromanager, incompetent, or unavailable; I feel that each one of them was filled with FEAR. This type of fear comes from a manager either insecure about their abilities, unable to comprehend the work that you do, or fear that you may one day get promoted over them. This type of fear causes mistrust, micro-‐management and a lack of any support that a manager should give you. 2) Loyal: Standing up for your team Loyalty can be interpreted in many ways, so let’s just simplify this characteristic and define it as “standing up for your team and your employees; being loyal to your team”. It’s important to tell your team and demonstrate to them that you will support them in their decisions and actions. Having this type of relationship with your employees only helps to build trust and engagement…. especially when times get tough. For every manager, you will for sure have one of those days when someone on your team makes a very big (and noticeable) mistake and then you get a call from Management and have to explain what happened…. then someone has to be blamed. We will not go into the details of how to deal with a situation like this in this article, but what you need to know is that everyone makes mistakes and if it was from a member of your team, you need to decide how to approach the situation and not use your employee as the scapegoat and throw them under the bus. As the manager, you will have to be responsible for your team’s actions too. So yes, every employee will make a mistake, and although it is their doing, you are the team manager and it is up to you to take responsibility, and yes, you must clearly communicate the mistake to that team member and educate them on the how they can prevent this from happening again. This is what comes with having a management role. Also, there definitely will be times that you completely disagree with your employee and you may get upset by their decision. It’s up to you to stay poised, professional and composed when you communicate this to the employee. They will be able to sense any kind of ill feelings and things could escalate really fast. Don’t let this happen. If you have to take quick break, step out of the office or take a quick power nap in order to calm down…then do it. A bad conversation can make a lasting impression. 3) Transparent: Practice transparency; knowledge is power Transparency is all about giving your employees the knowledge and information to make the right decisions. This all comes with trust. Once you feel that you can trust your employees to do the right thing, it’s only best to then empower them with information. As we all know, knowledge is power. Enabling your team to drive decisions without you having to be there is maybe the smartest thing that you’ll ever
do as a manager. The benefits of this type of enablement allows you to grow your business, scale your programs, build efficiencies, identify change opportunities, and overall just have a happy and engaged team. And remember, obviously there’re things that must stay private when you are a manager. So, just be smart about it. 4) Influential: Motivation through education Being influential is a tremendous opportunity in your role as a manager. Like most people, you have a set of criteria that you look for in a manager. Basically, you’re saying that I will only work for this person if this or if that. One of my personal criteria that I look for a manager is whether or not they are influential and can teach me something. I look for a manager who can both motivate me to work harder and to be a better employee… somebody that can educate me and teach me about my role and about my industry. I recall having a manager where every single time I asked a question, he made it a point to always give me the big picture answer. He made sure to let me know that this specific tactic that I needed to accomplish was a part of a bigger project and he was always available to explain how it related to the bigger project. Because of this type of information it made me a smarter employee and allowed me to really grow into my position and excel throughout the years. In conclusion There’s no such thing as a perfect manager, but I truly believe that there is such a thing as a Great Manager. From the research above, the likelihood of you having one of those Great Managers may be slim to none. For most, you may go through your entire career and never be able to experience what it’s like to have a Great Manager. And because of that, I ask you to do one thing. Go against the grain. Do the uncommon thing and you yourself become a Great Manager. Prove everybody wrong, and show everybody that there is hope. Visit our blog at http://www.artofthewingman.com.