What Makes a Great Manager? cont'd.
We've asked hundreds of individual contributors and managers, "What are the characteristics of the best coaches you've ever had?" The major characteristics consistentally reported each time include the following:
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Authentic/real/honest | |
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Encouraged me | |
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Challenged me | |
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Believed in me | |
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Trusted me | |
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Kind - they cared about my success | |
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Willing to work with my quirks | |
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Direct and honest | |
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Positive | |
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Inspired and motivated me | |
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Listened well | |
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Helped me make my mark and gave me the credit |
Most of these characteristics we call "UNTRAINABLE." They are the traits of an individual, how they interact in the world - probably with everyone, not just people that report to them.
So how do you select and train great managers?
Select for traits. Train for skills.
If we assume that the above characteristics are part of the DNA of a person, then it is important for HR professionals and CXOs to detect these traits early on in the selection or promotion process.
What is the person's reputation? Are they described as honest, trustworthy, direct, inspirational, caring or a good listener? When you hear these kinds of words, you know you are working "with the grain of the person" and assuring yourself of a potentially great manager.
Once you have the basics, it is possible to help a manager build his or her skills in the 5 practices required to be masterful. We assert that these 5 practices are trainable and we have developed the tools that give managers ideas on how to do each of the following:
| Appreciate Uniqueness | ||
| Assess Capabilities | ||
| Anticipate the Future | ||
| Align Aspirations | ||
| Accelerate Learning |
When you train and support managers as they work with their team, you will see positive results like retention, stability and return on investment. In today's faster and more demanding culture, these kinds of results matter.
Learning From Our Workshops cont'd.
Actions managers say they will take as a result of the TALENTBUILDER® Workshop for Managers:
"Focus much more of my time on great performers rather than poor performers."
"Coach more of my entire group rather than certain individuals around career issues."
"Show an individual how to use more of his or her strength to help in another business area."
"I realized that I really don't know the long term aspirations of most of my people. I'm going to find out what they are."
"I don't ask my employees questions about what's important to them, what fulfills them in their work or what challenges they're looking for. I realize this limits my ability to coach them. I'm going to talk to them more frequently about these issues so I can keep them challenged and happy in our organization."
To see a complete listing of products and services for managers click here.
