Two of my recent posts focused on bad managers and some of their appalling behaviours. Here are the links if you’ve not already read them. Part 1 and Part 2.
I thought it timely to offer a counterpoint. Given how readily readers provided me with what bad management behaviour looks like, what does management look like when it’s done well?
Helpfully, Mel Stanley’s recently published and excellent book ‘Success without Compromise: Empowering the next generation of female leaders to achieve success on their terms!‘ (available on Amazon), has started the ball rolling with a list of 100 leadership qualities, many of which apply to managers as well as leaders. I’ve selected 50 of those Mel identified which particularly resonated with me. You’ll have to read Mel’s book to discover the other 50!
50 Top Manager qualities
- Possess strong interpersonal skills
- Communicates with transparency
- Sends clear messages
- Gives open, honest and direct feedback
- Listens to understand
- Makes complexity simple
- Focuses on results
- Gets things done
- Strives for continuous improvement
- Focuses on the customer
- Embraces and leads change
- Acts decisively
- Makes decisions in times of ambiguity
- Strives to keep commitments
- Takes charge and assumes responsibility
- Takes ownership
- Sets high standards
- Exudes honesty and dependability
- Operates with integrity and fairness
- Shows empathy
- Is supportive and caring
- Stays calm in difficult situations
- Leads by example
- Motivates others during times of uncertainty
- Engages differing points of view
- Stays positive and constructive in difficult conversations
- Builds team and fosters teamwork
- Rallies people to achieve a common goal
- Relates work to the organisation’s goals
- Motivates and aligns people around team goals
- Delegates
- Sets clear expectations
- Trusts others to do their jobs and avoids micromanaging
- Enables others to be successful
- Removes obstacles from the team’s path
- Mentors, coaches and develops people
- Allows people to learn from mistakes
- Empowers others
- Gives credit where it’s due
- Celebrates others’ achievements
- Rewards good performance
- Understands the importance of individual motivators
- Identifies and utilises others’ strengths
- Encourages everyone to do their best
- Cares about the wellbeing of the team
- Enjoys seeing others succeed
- Brings out the best in people
- Wins trust
- Earns respect
- Collaborates
Some observations from one of my LinkedIn connections is worth sharing; the upside of having a bad line manager:
- You really appreciate ‘good’ when you do find it.
- Should you become a manager yourself, you’ll have a very clear view on how not to manage others.
- The bar to what is considered isn’t necessarily that high- and so it’s quite easy to be a better manager.
Call to action
In a future post I’ll continue on this theme, to provide reassurance that there are some fantastic managers out there. Do message me with your stories of great managers and what they do that works well, so I can provide real examples of what good management looks like in practice. Both the bad and good examples may be helpful to share with any newly appointed managers as well as those you know who perhaps need a nudge in the right direction.
To conclude
Back to Mel’s book, where Dr Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer describes good leaders as being ‘exporters of talent.’ They understand and appreciate the need to allow talented people to progress and to help them do so regardless of the impact on their own career or circumstance. This is the direct opposite to what happens in many organisations.
A good manager is a man who isn’t worried about his/her* own career but rather the careers of those who work for him (or her)*.
Robert H. Johnson
*my additions.
