Seven Traits to Turn Good Managers into Great Managers

It is not only great managers who teach us valuable lessons in leadership but we also learn from “not so good” managers through first hand experience of working for them. Throughout my career I have had the privilege to work for great managers whom have shaped my management style greatly.

Craig Cincotta’s article of Seven Traits to Turn Good Managers into Great Managers said it best when summarising the one job of a manager: “to get the very best out of the people they manage”. This is easier said than done…..

So the question is how do good managers become GREAT managers? Cincotta identified seven traits in his article which managers should understand and excel at:

1. HAVE GREAT ATTITUDES – Attitude is very important, people look to managers to gauge their energy level, their speed of moving around and make assumptions about the “state of the union” of the business. According to Cincotta “body language is a signal that people feed on”. Great managers know when to demand urgency and when to hold situations lightly. Great managers also communicate frequently and transparently.

2. ARE TRANSPARENT – Great managers create an open and transparent environment where bad news is shared as quickly as good news is. They also communicate facts and get quickly to problem resolution rather than waste time on “sugarcoating things”.

3. DEMONSTRATE MATURITY – With management comes pressure, which at times gets the worst out of people. Great managers don’t let their emotions control them. I had the privilege to attend some of Marshall Goldsmith’s seminars for Executives where he frequently recommended to executive to “Take a deep breath and let it go” when the emotions were running high. Great managers need to show character and maturity no matter what the circumstances; their job requires to lead people not to panic people by looking at them!

4. REMAIN FLEXIBLE - We all know that change is here to stay but employees react very differently to the constantly changing work environment. Great managers understand their employees and know how to get the best out of them, one person at a time! Motivating employees and settling their nerves during ambiguity and change is what great managers do

5. REINFORCE ACCOUNTABILITY – Great managers create an environment where employees can shine and celebrate their success but they also “share failures and mistakes” as they come up. Creating a culture of accountability is key, set clear expectations and managing their staff to it is what great managers do. They should also establish frequent communications and provide constant and timely feedback (positive and constructive). A non-threatening environment should be establish with no finger pointing but rather focusing on “lessons learned” from good or bad decisions

6. GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY – It is always easy to point out problems and dwell on them. Great managers recognize that they play a key part on solving problems and leading the way. They should not shy away from getting their hands dirty this is once again an opportunity to lead by example. Again, clear communications are key and also setting realistic and achievable expectations. Great managers fail when their team fails!

7. DEVELOP GREAT TALENT – Great managers recognise the importance of creating a great team. By experience I always preferred to hire smarter people than I am to create a string team. They should know their own weaknesses and should recruit staff, who complement their strengths. No matter how busy, great manager should spend time on mentoring staff and creating career advancement opportunities for employees. Great managers think about creating a legacy which begins with succession planning and a string “bench”

The above Seven Traits resonated with me as I thought about the kind of leader I aspire to be to my employees. Thinking about great managers I had throughout my career I have recognized many if not all seven traits in the leaders whom I have admired most!

On a personal note I would also add that it helps to have a great mentor on this path of becoming a great manager. I have been blessed with incredible mentorship along the way and I continue seeking out advise from these great mentors of mine years later. I am grateful for this people for their time and commitment to me and my professional development!

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238129