A Good Manager Brings Out the Best in People
A good manager brings out the best in people. The classic example of the leader that “kicks butt and takes names” while caustically motivating the team is out of date. It does not work. It never did.
As Colin Powell describes in the above quote, leaders without employee problems are failures. You see, employees are not assets that you manipulate or abuse through strategic analysis or business intelligence. Employees are people. If you treat them with respect, care, and dignity they tend to do amazing things. If you do not, their resentment and resistance can derail just about any priority initiative. Consequently, it often happens this way if think about your experiences with a bad boss. Or, consider companies with toxic or even mediocre workplace environments. For example, have you read employee comments about companies rated below 4.0 on Indeed or Glassdoor? With social media these days, bad treatment and actions go around the world in mere minutes!
Good Managers Help, not Hurt
Good managers are employee focused. They deliver high engagement in their teams. Their presence exudes care, integrity, empathy, and compassion. While all employees have some problems that does not mean they are bad employees. A good manager will take the time to coach an employee through their mistakes, sub-par performance, and life challenges. Who does not mess up sometimes? Don’t we say that we fail our way to success?
Too many managers lack humanity. For example, consider this comment by an executive director of a think tank in Washington. She said, ” As an employer you already have a management problem when your employee has a new child or needs to care for their ailing family member. You have to replace the person, at least temporarily. It is a tremendous pain to hire somebody new.” My, quite the humanitarian. Or the marketing CEO who called a special meeting for all key management on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (at an airport convenient for him)
Good Managers Partner with Employees
Instead, good managers relish problems. It gives them the opportunity to further develop the team to shine. Furthermore, they partner with employees to solve work or even personal issues. Leaders do not just focus on their reporting responsibilities. As Simon Sinek says, “Real leaders serve.” Most importantly, the relationship is the key to significant success. Too many are forgetting this in our age of technology. The next revolution in leadership thought is about the power of PEOPLE. After all, a leader’s job is about empowering and inspiring people. This means employees and customers–not robots.
Pulling It All Together
In conclusion, problems are part of a manager’s job. Good managers lead by taking them on as a positive part of teaming up with employees. They have two goals. First, help the employee succeed. In addition, achieve the team goals. As Cheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook said, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Also, do you want to gain fresh ideas for motivating others, check out the eBook: How to Motivate–No, INSPIRE–People: 10 Keys to Employee Engagement.
In addition, go here for our RealTime Learning & Training leadership and personal development website. Micro-learning and career advancement at your fingertips
Or check out Rick’s best-selling book, Superstar Leadership.
