Must help people? Be a loving manager.
I married into a family of doctors. They tell me that they love what they do because they get to solve tough problems and make a big difference in people’s lives. Every time I hear them talk about helping others, there is joy in their voice. And for a few years, that made me sad.
I was sad because I had convinced myself that the only real way to help people was to be a doctor or work as a care professional.
I could never be a doctor because other people's blood makes me queasy.
I had mistakenly identified their work as helpful and my work as building tech companies that assisted other companies to make money. Blah. And then I had a revelation that stays with me to this day: managers help real people every day.
A great manager understands what makes each person special on their team. They turn potential into performance and personal growth with every person they lead.
Being a manager is about leading from the front. Encourage high effort from your team and offer authentic support when they need it.
The Harvard Business Review studied more than 80,000 managers and found that great managers don’t try to change a person’s style. They discover what makes them tick and push them to greatness.
As the CEO, I've often thought about what it takes to recruit great leaders at Aha! (product roadmap software) as we continue to grow. Have you ever thought about what separates the average managers from the great managers? Great managers do a few things exceptionally well:
Set a vision
The biggest mistake managers make is hiring new people without a clear roadmap. If your new hire has no clue how their role fulfills your team's greater vision -- or what that vision is -- they have no chance to create value for the organization and themselves. Management starts with a clear vision.
Challenge
Once you've found the best people to help fulfill your team's vision, your next job is to challenge them. This doesn't involve throwing them in the deep end on day one. Nor does it mean tossing them work that you just don't want to do. As a manager, your job is to know each team member's core strengths and safely push them beyond their comfort zone.
Teach
We are all capable of being greater than we think we can be. As a manager, your job is to help everyone on your team be phenomenal. A little empathy and HR appropriate love goes a long way here. No matter how successful you are, you were once stretching too.
They say you don't forget the name of your worst manager -- or your best. With all the time that we spend at work, managers must respect the impact they have on people's lives. The good news is that, if managers take their responsibility seriously, they can have an inspiring and lasting effect.
When you discover what is unique about people you work with, it makes both of you better. If you really want to help people -- be a great manager whatever industry you are in.
How did your best manager care for you?
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ABOUT BRIAN AND AHA!
Brian seeks business and wilderness adventure. He has been the founder or early employee of six cloud-based software companies and is the CEO of Aha! -- the world's #1 product roadmap software. His last two companies were acquired by Aruba Networks [ARUN] and Citrix [CTXS].
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Legal Commercial Manager - UK and Europe
9 年Fantastic article thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue. The best manager I worked for was a true leader, mentor and guide. He exposed me to various challenges to help me develop, took time to brainstorm potential solutions, he never gave me the answers but asked pertinent questions to help me explore the consequences of my potential solutions. He invested his time and pushed me to study further. I learnt more about my industry through him in 5 years, and he taught me how to be a leader.
Director NSP Project Engineering at Candu Energy - Member of the SNC-Lavalin Group
9 年Thank you Brian this article really touch me as a human been. When I was a little kid I wanted to help others so at first I thought maybe I can be a priest and that way I can help people through religion feel better about themselves and cure their soul. However I loved science and been able to create and build. Thus I become an Engineer which I always thought it does not touch people and it was not a very personal job. Then early in my career I was able to become a manager at my company this way I can use my creativity and drive projects to successful completion and the same time as you stated build teams and touch people life's. As a manager the priority as I stated in comments on many others articles is too build teams and to assist your personnel to become the best they can be. This way the organization wins and the personnel working for you wins by been a satisfied employee. Also early in my career old fashion managers told me to be distance with your people and don't get too close to them you are their manager, they supposed to looked up at you and don’t see you as their friend. However I did not wanted to become a manager that personnel fear and been detached rather I wanted to be a manager that people respect and want to work with. Thus I always try to learn about the individual’s I used to manage, what they liked what they did not like, what they do for hobbies, try to encourage them during tough family times. This way you touch the people you worked with and people see you as a person and not a robot. Thus yeas I agree as managers we do touch people lives every day. Thanks again for such a great article.
Employed
9 年Unfortunately current day so called leaders has not graduated from the managers stage , to guide or hand hold their subordinates, empathy is missing , Companies also not so keen on investing in enhancing the much needed skills, only few groups nurture talents , and skills (like TATA's) , touch points are missing in the current world
Development Consultant, Leadership Coach, Learning Designer and Facilitator, Early Years Specialist
9 年Well said. The crux of the matter often seems to be the ability for managers and leaders to step outside of themselves and position their thinking within the context of the business to consider 'how can I help you?' rather than the reverse. Poor management is as we know, contagious in many ways and others in the organisation become 'infected', thankfully professionalism can be too. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw who you end up with, but I know who I'd rather have. I think your article also highlights the point that when someone is genuinely aware of their impact on others in a positive way it shines through their conscious and unconscious behaviour. Great.