If you’ve worked even just one day in your life you know what a difference a great manager can make. If you’re lucky, you’ve had that one manager that you learned so much from and that you aspire to be when managing your own team.
While great, or even good, managers seem hard to come by, they all generally have similar traits that make them memorable and – just that – great. These traits aren’t rocket science, unique or difficult to demonstrate, but, alas not everyone is capable of learning and exhibiting them. It’s not easy to balance being a strong manager and a strong individual contributor and often times the former goes by the wayside.
As a human resources professional, I’ve seen all kinds of managers. I’ve coached the best and the worst of them. I’ve worked with employees with the best and the worst managers, and it goes without saying – great managers make a difference.
Here are some of the best traits that a great manager demonstrates everyday.
COMMUNICATION – A constant flow of communication, perhaps “over-communication”, flows both ways. They want to share what they know and they want you to share the same. Being on the same page and sharing information openly, frequently and consistently is imperative to ensuring a strong partnership, productivity and a successful relationship.
LEADERSHIP – I don’t mean that they “say” and you “do”, I mean they allow you to learn and work alongside them – they’re you’re partner – or, better yet, they allow you to take charge, take a chance and are right there behind you should you need guidance or a push. They aren’t there to tell you what to do, but they are there to support you and enable you to grow.
If you make a mistake, they aren’t going to drag you through the coals or call you out to their superiors with the intention of making you look bad in an attempt to wipe their hands clean so they look good. They want to own it with you and help you see a mistake or a bad decision as a learning experience.
FEEDBACK – To the last point above, they’ll be honest with you if you make a mistake or a bad call, but they won’t make you feel bad about it. They will give you direct, honest feedback, including negative and constructive, in a way that doesn’t tear you down but instead builds you up and encourages you to keep going. It’s okay to make mistakes because we learn from them, and let’s be honest, many of us never forget the lessons we’ve learned when we’ve had such an experience.
CONFIDENCE – Great managers are confident. They believe in themselves and they believe in you. They aren’t afraid to let you rise up or give you credit when credit is due. Why? Because a great manager knows that having a strong, competent team speaks volumes in itself and doesn’t require taking credit for someone else’s work. They look really good when they have a high-functioning team.
ADVOCATE – The best managers aren’t off exclusively self-promoting and taking care of themselves all the while leaving you to fend for yourself. They speak up for you, acknowledge your accomplishments and achievements to their superiors and defend and protect you. They want you to be successful and they want to be the ones to walk with you through each step and milestone in your career (and, no, this doesn’t mean hand-holding).
HUMAN – It goes without saying that when you’re at work, you’re getting paid to do work. Great managers recognize that just because you flaunt your self-imposed 60 hour work weeks and respond to emails while on vacation or at 2:00 a.m. doesn’t necessarily make you a superhero. They want you to have a life outside of work because if you don’t, and all you do is work, you will burn yourself out eventually. You will make more mistakes and you may very well find yourself resenting your work and/or employer.
They encourage you to take vacations – true vacations – where you aren’t expected to spend hours reading and responding to emails and resolving issues that are quite the opposite of relaxing. They don’t make you feel guilty for wanting to take a day or two or a week off. You should want a frozen drink with an umbrella when you’re on vacation because you’re on vacation, not because your counterpart Peter can’t get his business in order and you have to deal with him from your hotel room in a tropical paradise.
Moreover, they care about you as a person. They might not want to know all the details about your life, and that’s okay, but they ask you questions so they can know you on some personal level.
All of these traits require TIME. Everyone is busier than the next person (can we just stop saying we’re busy?), but the greatest managers always make time for you. They don’t make you feel like a burden or make you schedule a 10 minute meeting for next Tuesday afternoon when you need to talk through a time-sensitive issue with them today. They recognize that they are your manager and they may have deeper expertise than you. They want to be a sounding board (not a problem solver) for you when you are working through a challenge.
I hope these traits resonated with you whether you are currently a manager, were one in the past or are hoping to be one in the future.
Management is not easy and should not be simply viewed as the next wrung on the ladder for that pay increase and supposed”respect” many hope to gain just because. It is really hard work and takes a lot of time and energy if you’re doing it right and well. It can be frustrating and exhausting and yet incredibly exciting and rewarding. But, as I said, you’ve got to be 100% willing to put in the time.
Do these traits remind you of your favorite manager? Do they make you tremble thinking about your worst manager?
