How is it that some managers become excellent mentors and leaders, while others cause themselves and their teams to get lost in the woods? And how can current or aspiring managers improve their skills so that their teams thrive?
Why are good managers important?
Having great employees is certainly good for your business, but having great managers is perhaps even more important. While employees undoubtedly make a difference in how your team and company are run, managers have a powerful daily impact on the work and engagement of their entire team. That's why managers are one of the most important factors in employee satisfaction and enthusiasm (or dissatisfaction and anger).
You may have felt this impact in your own career; a great manager can inspire you to do your best and explore exciting opportunities, while a bad one can turn the workday into a difficult battle.
In fact, managers are so crucial to an employee's work experience that half of all former employees say they left their position because of their manager, according to Gallup's State of the Workplace survey. Managers alone account for 70% of the difference in team-level engagement. This means that just one bad manager can have a huge impact on demoralizing and undermining an entire talented and engaged workforce.
Great managers have an impact that extends beyond their immediate teams. So why aren't more companies doing a better job of developing, promoting, and retaining these great managers?
The challenges of good management
One obstacle to creating and nurturing better managers is that managing people well is quite difficult! It requires a complex combination of strategy, prioritization, technical skills, interpersonal skills, and support from the entire organization to enable managers to truly manage effectively.
And most managers aren't set up for success by their companies from the start. In fact, the average middle manager typically has 50% more direct reports than a decade ago and spends about 15% less time on each of those reports.
The sheer volume of work alone makes it incredibly difficult even for the most talented and committed managers. Adding to this is the simple fact that many people are promoted to managerial roles because they perform well at their jobs, not because they demonstrate potential as human resources managers.
Having the technical skills to excel at their job doesn't necessarily mean an employee possesses the interpersonal skills or managerial abilities needed to become a good manager. However, promotion to a managerial position is often seen as the natural next step in someone's career path.
What makes a good manager?
So what characteristics and behaviors set mediocre managers apart from their exceptional peers? Many things, big and small, make the difference. But here are five of the most powerful traits that define a great manager.
1. Know yourself.
Knowing what makes each employee unique—their strengths, weaknesses, passions, and work style—is crucial to being a good manager. But it's not just about understanding people on a deep level.
You also need to understand how to manage to leverage everyone's strengths and balance their weaknesses. In this way, your entire team will feel more satisfied and work more effectively because they are using their skills every day to do enjoyable work. Your company will also thrive because you will have employees who are dedicated to the work they love and excel at.
2. Accept communication
Another characteristic of good managers is that they are clear communicators. Managerial communication is not just about giving good presentations, but also about being able to set clear expectations for your team that align with the company's overall mission.
If all you communicate with your employees is their daily or weekly task lists, you're missing a huge opportunity to engage your team. Senior engagement increases when people feel connected to a larger vision and mission, and managers are best positioned to create that connection for their teams.
3. Take time to meet up.
Great managers also regularly talk to each member of their team. And these meetings aren't just about reviewing the week's to-do list; they're opportunities for employees to connect and collaborate with you, nothing more.
You should focus more on getting feedback from your reports about how they feel and on ongoing conversations at work, rather than just running through status updates in these meetings.
4. Create a healthy workplace culture.
And finally, excellent managers consciously create a great work environment. They understand how they impact their team culture; are they managing or stressing employees in a certain way? Are they inadvertently creating a culture of overwork or underappreciation?
Good managers also deal with "toxic" employees before they bring down the entire team. Dealing with employees harshly isn't a good time for anyone, but it has to happen quickly, otherwise the problems will only get worse.
5. Focus on performance development.
According to our 2020 Employee and Workplace Engagement Report, 89% of long-term employees are satisfied with their career development opportunities, compared to only 36% of employees who proactively leave.
Managers have a huge responsibility in helping their team members grow and achieve their goals. This means you can't just save feedback and work-related conversations for annual reviews. Managers should have regular, ongoing conversations with employees about their career development. Taking the time to understand how to leverage employees' strengths, collaborate on goal setting, and identify problem areas has a significant impact on employee engagement.
How can you become a great manager?
So, you're a manager and you want to do a better job now? First, congratulations on your commitment to improvement! Even great managers can always learn skills that help them manage and motivate their teams better. Here are our top four suggestions for actions you can take:
Improve your communication skills. This will help you set clear expectations for employees, manage the chain of command and control for your team, and establish a vision that motivates your employees and connects them to the entire company.
Don't delay or avoid honest conversations. Employees need and want regular feedback on what they're doing well and where they can work a little harder. And they also appreciate ongoing conversations from their managers about the next steps in their career path and how they can achieve them.
Always be flexible. Micromanaging your team is one of the biggest mistakes managers make, even though it's often a deliberate effort to ensure tasks run smoothly and important policies are followed. But each employee is a person, and different situations require different responses, so don't be rigid with the rules when a little flexibility is needed.
Don't be afraid to adapt. Your employees want to be creative and innovative, and they'll feel more engaged and satisfied if they have the opportunity to do so. Allowing them to look at old processes or programs with a fresh perspective can give them autonomy and the chance to make a difference in how your organization operates, and that's a win-win for everyone.
Source: Bonusly Blog
