How can you tell if your managers are any good?
Isn’t it strange that most people don’t know when their manager is a bad manager? When you look at all of the most recent information you have to be appalled that 82% of all managers are no good. That means that most workers, most employees, probably have never worked for a good much less a great manager.
This excerpt from Harvard Business Review shares what makes a great manager. If your manager has these talents then you know they are great managers.
Gallup finds that great managers have the following talents:
- They motivate every single employee to take action and engage them with a compelling mission and vision.
- They have the assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance.
- They create a culture of clear accountability.
- They build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency.
- They make decisions that are based on productivity, not politics.
Gallup’s research reveals that about one in ten people possess all these necessary traits. While many people are endowed with some of them, few have the unique combination of talent needed to help a team achieve excellence in a way that significantly improves a company’s performance. These 10%, when put in manager roles, naturally engage team members and customers, retain top performers, and sustain a culture of high productivity. Combined, they contribute about 48% higher profit to their companies than average managers.
It’s important to note that another two in 10 exhibit some characteristics of basic managerial talent and can function at a high level if their company invests in coaching and developmental plans for them.
What is most interesting in reading and learning what the studies reveal is that there is another 10% of the people who are the right kind of people. These people would make great managers and are already working in these departments. But they are not the managers. They are people who are working hard, struggling within their area and are trying to be recognized and discovered but are passed by.
Now you know that out of every ten people, most likely, one will be the stuff that great managers are made of. And that means you have a one in ten chance that your manager is any good.
And just like the Harvard Business Review found out, another one in ten has many of the basic managerial talents needed to function as a higher level. Is this you? How will you hone your managerial skills? What will make you a good manager if not a great manager? Are you developing your skills by what you are reading or listening to?
When was the last time you read a book on how to be a great manager? Read a blog about being a great manager? A CD? A podcast?
Is your boss doing any of this? Is your boss involved, connected, growing?
Now you know whether you have a good manager or not.
What should you give them for Christmas? How about a book on How to Be A Great Manager!
I am Steve Sapato, management trainer and professional trainer.https://mentalprosperityblog.com
