According to the Wall Street Journal , nearly half of employees who leave jobs do so to get away from their bosses.
Great managers are able to lead teams, help them grow, and maintain full control over their business and its performance at the same time. These are the people who manage to constantly adapt to new situations, encourage others to reach their full potential, and deliver their best work, too.
They keep their top goals in mind at all times, making sure they and their team never go astray from these targets. They also execute and are self-serving, putting their best effort into conducting their own tasks.
Above all else, they are focused on developing their own leadership skills. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them. As you go about your search for a new manager, keep in mind that great ones usually possess these 12 leadership qualities.
Here are 12 of those skills. The moment a team stops believing their leader is telling the truth, things start to fall apart. In the business world, honesty is critically important. When hiring a manager, look for candidates who understand the importance of openness and transparency. Leading by example, honest managers inspire the rest of their teams to be similarly truthful. Our employee engagement research revealed that poor communication from management is one of the biggest pain points when it comes to decreasing productivity.
Excellent communication skills are yet another one of the characteristics of great leaders. The best managers are able to get their team on the same page so that everyone works toward the same objective—not seven different interpretations of that objective. Managers need to be able to communicate verbally.
But the best ones are also able to communicate via the written word just as effectively. Whether they work for themselves or manage enormous departments, in addition to routine decisions, all managers have to make tough choices regularly. Strong leaders are able to make difficult decisions quickly, after doing their due diligence and assessing all of their options. The average person makes as many as 35, different decisions each day.
Managers probably make at least a few more since a large part of the decision-making process at work falls on their shoulders. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all. Candidates who project confidence are much more likely to inspire all of their workers—including the ones who disagree with them. From time to time, all businesses suffer setbacks. A court might rule against you. A new competitor might enter the market and gain traction.
A new product release might not be well-received by your customers. In any such situation, managers need to remain confident so they can lead their teams forward. And what's not really that fun? An employee's answers can give a manager clues to challenges or roadblocks without making an employee feel like they are being grilled.
Most managers realize that communication matters. But how does that work when your team is mostly remote or often traveling? One sales manager described her routine:. It's a very hard job we're asking our sales reps to do, so we have to make sure they are staying engaged.
Other managers agreed that they connect with team members on a daily or weekly basis. That's surprisingly rare in most workplaces. More often than not, the cause is a system problem -- and that means that other people and teams need to learn and change to truly fix the root problem. However, these conversations don't always have to be strictly about getting work done. Managers should ask questions that get employees to talk freely about themselves, sharing their desires and frustrations with candor.
The average manager may not feel comfortable with so much dialogue if they aren't used to it. That's why most managers need targeted training to make coaching conversations effective.
Exceptional managers are curious about the inner motivations of their employees because it's the key to high performance. Does your employee enjoy meeting new people? Mastering new skills? Bonding with a team? Working in the background? To motivate your employees, figure out how to reframe projects in a way that is uniquely compelling for an employee.
Naturally, this requires getting to know an employee in a deep way. Discover what they care about, what they find fun, what they hate. Observe the types of work projects that inspire them and help them find similar work. One manager described what she did when she first started leading people to manage change in the workplace:.
A lot of people in the company did not look at them as an important aspect of the company, but they really are. I went in and showed them how important they are and the role they have in the company. And within three to four months I had employees come in my office to tell me what an impact that made.
How many employees show up to work for years and never feel like they matter? Only three in 10 U. If you are a new manager with a demoralized team, it may take some time to uncover the source of that discouragement.
You must show them that you respect them and that they matter. You must be able to identify and celebrate successes -- even if they are small at first. Even if nobody else believes in your team, you must -- encourage your employees, and do it often.
These are all qualities of a great manager. This can be especially difficult for people used to being an individual contributor. Being a manager is about stepping away from the individualistic mindset and allowing others to make many of the small decisions. It's contingent on being on a team that can do good work, but under that assumption, giving employees autonomy to do their work how they want will make them more accountable for their output. When someone feels like they are making their own decisions and doing the work they want to be doing, they'll feel a stronger sense of responsibility and desire to do quality work.
Many of the best managers allow their employees to make their own hours. It demonstrates trust, creates more accountability, and enables employees to work in an environment where they thrive. Remote work also puts an emphasis on output as opposed to physical hours in the office. Even if it just once a week, granting your employees an opportunity to work from home builds trust among team members. And, with the improvements in communication technologies, it is easier than ever to set up a productive remote workplace.
When employees have to do work that they don't particularly enjoy or that may be difficult, it is easy to develop resentment for their managers who are not dealing with the same pains. Employees respect managers who are willing to dive into the weeds and get their feet wet.
It can demonstrate high levels of competency, depending on the work, and signal that you care about your employees. The best managers have their employees know that they would never ask them to do anything they themselves would not. Giving people credit after a job well done isn't a sign of weakness.
It lets employees know that you value what they are doing. That appreciation keeps employees motivated and shows them that you're paying attention to what they are doing. Showing your employees you truly care about them will pay dividends in the long run.
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