Good managers have five qualities in common that are shaping the present and the future of work. Here's where to upskill.
It's fair to say that in an organization, a manager is a central figure. Managers set the tone for the whole group, coordinating the efforts of team members and rallying them around the common goal. But what qualities does this person need to have? Are there any traits that can help managers do their job better?
We’ve studied various materials and crystallized the most valuable ideas expressed by several subject-matter experts. In this article, you can read about the main managerial qualities and how to develop them.
Team empowerment refers to positive job experiences like commitment to the company, professional satisfaction, employee engagement, and task performance. According to Karen Plum, the Director of Research and Development at AWA, empowerment cannot be given to us – it’s rather a feeling that comes from within, nourished in an appropriate environment. She explains that empowerment is about having control over our work and that it’s linked to the four dimensions:
The impact of empowerment on teams’ productivity has been proven. In a research conducted by Joseph Folkman, which involved more than 7,000 people, only 24% of least empowered employees were rated as engaged, while for most empowered employees, the number was 79%.
So how do great managers empower their employees? There are two main things that can create a sense of empowerment in a team, and these are psychological safety and the ability to work autonomously, provided by self-management.
Amy C. Edmondson, the Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, defines psychological safety as “a climate in which people are comfortable expressing and being themselves.” This is an environment where you can share concerns and be vulnerable without fear.
In her book “The Fearless Organization,” Edmondson explains that not only does psychological safety make a company a better place for employees (after all, it’s easier to work if you’re not stressed all the time,) but it also fosters innovation and growth, as people are not afraid to make suggestions and express ideas. Besides, psychological safety reduces the risk of error because employees feel free to question decisions made by leaders who might lack the competence or the knowledge of the situational context.
When a work environment has reasonably high psychological safety, good things happen: mistakes are reported quickly so that prompt corrective action can be taken; seamless coordination across groups or departments is enabled, and potentially game-changing ideas for innovation are shared. – Amy C. Edmondson
But what can you as a leader do to develop a culture of psychological safety in your workplace? Let’s take a look at the advice of Kelly Lockwood Primus, a Chief Executive Officer at Leading NOW:
A short disclaimer: this model may be too challenging to be implemented right away. However, you may try using it partially, to see if it works in your particular case, because it can really make a difference.
In the organizational context, the term “self-management” is self-explanatory. Teams that are self-managed work without the supervision of a manager. In self-management, teams take full charge of their projects, controlling both organizational and administrative issues like planning and hiring, and actual work processes that concern the creation of products or services.
The ability to manage your own work, develop your decision-making skills, and directly influence the final result is truly empowering. It gives an individual an opportunity to grow professionally through exchanging experience with peers and taking risks, and simply makes you feel more important.
Self-management creates enormous motivation and energy. We stop working for a boss and start working to meet our inner standards, which tend to be much higher and more demanding. – Frederick Laloux, “Reinventing Organizations”.
Implementing self-management in your team does not necessarily mean you as a manager have to leave. After all, you can just change your management style, taking the laissez-faire approach – in other words, not directly managing your team but being there for them when they need you.
In a fast-changing environment, adaptability is one of the most fundamental management skills. A failure to notice upcoming changes or pretending that nothing is going on is simply dangerous, as you risk falling behind or losing your business altogether. Being adaptable, on the contrary, lets you stay competitive.
Adaptability can be manifested in different ways:
Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come. – Dr. Spencer Johnson, “Who Moved My Cheese?”
Adaptability as a skill is crucial for change management – the process of planning and implementing new procedures and operations in a company. There are several change management models that can help leaders handle change. Let’s shortly describe the theory developed by John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School, which consists of 4 principles and 8 steps:
In addition to these principles, the Kotter model also includes the 8 steps, about which you can read here.
In the past, Change Management was traditionally seen as an isolated project, auctioned only when change is needed. Now, more than ever, it is important that businesses embrace change as part of their DNA, utilizing the different models available to implement all kinds of change, not just large organizational ones. - Johnny Warström, a CEO and co-founder of Mentimeter
In the workplace, communication is more than exchanging information – it’s about making sure that the receiver gets the meaning. Most successful managers understand that effective communication is crucially important – it enhances collaboration and employee retention, reduces workplace conflict, and helps teams reach their goals faster.
Unfortunately, many organizations experience communication problems. According to the 2022 Gallup report, only 13% out of the 31 employees interviewed stated their leadership practiced effective communication. A report from SkyNova, an invoicing software company, revealed that lack of communication is the reason why people quit 27% of the time.
In his book “Making Things Happen,” Scott Berkun explains why communication breaks down, providing several reasons. One of them is an assumption – the idea that we know something, even though we don’t (or, on the contrary, the belief that someone has understood us, when in fact we are not sure.) Another reason is not listening, being concentrated on your own argument or simply not paying attention. Communication can also be hindered by things like personal attacks, ridicule, and blame, which shift the focus from work to the person.
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. – George Bernard Shaw, an Irish playwright
This way, it may be really hard to communicate effectively. However, if you see you’ve got problems with communication, this situation can be changed. Here’s a list of tips you can use to improve your communication skills:
Honesty is the key to healthy relationships, and thus an important quality of good managers. By being honest, you create an environment of trust, which is incredibly important for successful collaboration.
But what does it mean to be honest? In the first place, it means being vulnerable. In the workplace, the rule of thumb is to be strong, or at least pretend to be so. It feels shameful to show your true emotions because this might be interpreted as weakness. It’s especially true for leaders. However, people are not machines – they have feelings and make mistakes.
This is why, according to Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, being vulnerable means being courageous – because you have to get over your fear of being ridiculed. But it’s worth it, as it gives you a chance to become authentic yourself and inspire others by your own example.
To illustrate what it means to be vulnerable, in her book "Dare to Lead," Brown describes armored (fearful) leadership against daring (vulnerable) one:
Letting yourself be human, in the first place, admit your mistakes, and let others make theirs can help you build a trusting workplace and become an effective leader.
Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior. – Brene Brown, “Dare to Lead”
At the same time, even though honesty has a great impact on interpersonal relationships among coworkers, to drive progress, honesty is not enough. To achieve actual results, you need candor – the ability to openly say something is wrong and needs to be taken care of. Candor isn’t aimed at hurting anyone’s feelings – its purpose is to help people correct their mistakes and eventually succeed.
Kim Scott, the author of “Radical Candor,” explains there are main types of behavior a manager demonstrates:
Out of these four, radical candor is the most productive behavior, while other types characterize poor managers. By being candid, a manager gives employees an opportunity to grow and ensures the success of the project, at the same time maintaining trust.
Having the necessary qualities is great, but to be a great manager, you also have to do something. Here's a short list of basic steps that are taken by successful managers:
A vision is the desired long-term results your company strives to achieve. It’s based on the reason why your company exists and the values it stands for, and it also describes what your company will look like in the future once its goals have been achieved. Formulating and then communicating the vision to employees sets a direction for the company and guides it through difficult times.
But to turn the vision into reality, you need to set goals first. Jim Collins, the author of “Built to Last,” calls these “BHAGs” – Big Hairy Audacious Goals, which can be target (”become the dominant player in the commercial aircraft” – Boeing,) common-enemy (“Crush Adidas” – Nike,) role-model (“Become the Harvard of the West” – Stanford,) or internal transformation (“transform the company into the best diversified high-technology one in the world” – Rockwell.)
As an alternative to BHAGs, you can also take a more practical approach and develop OKRs – Objectives (what needs to be done) and Key Results (what to do to achieve your goal). This system, introduced by John Doerr, aims to align the goals of each individual to the team's goals and eventually, to the company’s purpose (vision). Since OKRs are tracked in software, you can visually see your progress in the form of percentage, and you can also see the OKRs of other people on your team, which makes the work process transparent.
The OKR cycle (which typically happens quarterly) consists of the following steps:
The OKR system links different operations and provides unity for the organization, as the same time helping people take control of their own progress.
Managers are busy. Besides performing 4 basic management functions (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) and working in 10 managerial roles, they are often expected to help their teams with purely technical stuff. This way, they can easily get overwhelmed.
However, this won’t happen if you know how to manage your time. There is a great technique that can help you handle your work – the 4Ds of time management. It consists in categorizing your tasks based on their urgency:
This simple time management technique will save your time and ensure that work will be done.
In healthy corporate cultures, teams function effectively, are adaptable, and constantly grow. The levels of job satisfaction are high, and so employee turnover is low. But how can you build a strong culture that creates conditions for talent growth?
One misconception about highly successful cultures is that they are happy, lighthearted places… They’re energized and engaged, but at their core, their members are oriented less around achieving happiness than around solving hard problems together. – Daniel Coyle, "The Culture Code"
Related: How to Become a Healthy Team (All You Need to Know in 30 Minutes)
No matter which of the above-mentioned pieces of advice you decide to follow, becoming a successful manager starts with a sincere desire to help your team achieve great results. If people can feel your true intent to make the company grow, your enthusiasm will inspire them to work harder. Lead with your heart, and let others do their best.
