The result of Google’s latest survey on what makes a manager great is out! And there are 10 behaviours that can make you great as a manager. Some of them are predictable, some are new. Check out which ones you have and which ones you need to develop:
10 is quite a number when it comes to skill sets that need to be worked upon to be a great manager. Here are my top 3 favourite ones from the list – that doesn’t mean I don’t think the others are important. So here you go:
1. A great manager is also a good coach: As a certified coach, I have come to realise how important it is for a manager to be a coach too. Coaching can be a quick 10 minute exercise with the right questions. Coaching not just makes you a better manager but it also saves you the trouble of finding solutions to every one’s problems. Coaching questions empower team members to find solutions that work best for them.
Here is the cheat sheet of 3 quick but effective coaching questions for a 10 minute session with a team member who is stuck. And here is a list of all 7 coaching questions from Michael Bungay Stanier’s book The Coaching Habit. And some additional tips on being a manager who is also a coach.
2. A great manager is a good communicator – listens and shares info: It’s not a surprise that this behaviour made it to my list. But I like it better because it talks about listening as a key skill. This debunks the myth that communication, even for a manager, is all about speaking/communicating all the time. Listening makes people feel valued and makes you a better communicator.
To improve your listening skills, you should understand why listening skills are so important and how to use listening effectively in everyday life. Here are 5 ways to listen better in a noisy world from a TED talk by Julian Treasure himself.
3. A great manager supports career development and has a vision for the team: I have combined 2 points here since I think they belong together. A great manager should always keep the welfare of the team members in mind. According to Gallup, to inspire team members to take initiative and perform highly,
“..managers need to set clear expectations, hold employees accountable for meeting them and respond quickly when employees need support”
Also, keeping the vision of the whole company in mind and conveying the same to the team is also helpful. So a great manager is someone who can see the big picture and align his/her team accordingly
Here is the complete list of 10 qualities that, according to Google, make a manager great:
Which ones are you favourite? Or which ones do you wish to develop this year?