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8 Characteristics of a Celebrated Manager
The type of manager at Apple won’t necessarily lead their team in the same manor as a manager at McDonald’s. However, in order for both of them to become celebrated managers, there are specific qualities they must have in common. Many different leadership styles can create great managers, but the greatly admired and renowned managers stand a foot above the rest. Separating yourself from good but average managers requires eight characteristics.
A
survey conducted by Investors in People found that 12% (about 3.7 million) of UK employees are not able to name one quality they admire about their manager. It doesn’t stop there. About 75% of workers also admit to talking poorly about their boss’s management style behind their back. The qualities these workers despised most include: being disorganised, not motivating staff and not caring about their employees’ career progression.
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These results can be defined as a modern management crisis, or there can be an end put to this era.
An
article by Forbes outlined important don’ts for
any type of manager. That list includes:
- DON’T become intoxicated by positional power
Power is easy to abuse and should always be treated as a privilege
It’s unfair and can result in losing respect from your team.
- DON’T go off and loose your cool with employees
Make rational and logical decisions.
The longer you wait, the more difficult the situation will become.
- DON’T feel threatened by the abilities of your employees
An intimidatingly brilliant team is something to embrace because it will result in higher quality of work.
While the list above highlights extreme “don’ts”, that doesn’t mean there aren’t several other ways managers prevent themselves from becoming celebrated. You could not do any of the “don’ts” and still be average or even good at times. What does it really take to become
celebrated?
- Positivity
As simple as this task may sound, it can be difficult to accomplish when things don’t go your way. A manager’s attitude has the ability to set the tone for the entire day, week or even entirety of an employee’s experience at an organisation. In fact, there are several ways a
positive attitude can make you productive. Celebrated managers don’t just plaster a fake smile on their face to keep the peace; they are able to separate personal and other struggles from their work environment. They know the difference on how to act in a situation that really isn’t very urgent but can also act accordingly to an emergency.
- Integrity
When a manager has integrity, employees are able to trust them. The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states, “persons of integrity do not just act consistently with their endorsements, they stand for something: they stand up for their best judgment within a community of people trying to discover what in life is worth doing.” Stand for the right decisions and your employees will follow.
- The Ability to Delegate
Only 30% of managers believe they can delegate well and only one in three of those are considered a good delegator by his or her subordinates, as noted by London business school professor
John Hunt. Delegating is one of the most daunting tasks and important characteristics for a manager. When a manager knows
how to delegate more effectively, almost every task that was previously personally completed can be completed better.
- Organization
The more organized a manager is, the more likely his or her subordinates will follow that example. An organized workforce is the key to success and motivation among employees. However, organization is a characteristic that is more easily said than done and because of that there have been
apps created for getting and staying organized.
- Recognition
In today’s workforce, statistics show that employees believe recognition matters more than money. A study conducted by
Make Their Day, an employee motivation firm, and
Badgeville, a gamification company reported that 70% of survey respondents said their most meaningful recognition “had no dollar value.” In addition, 88% found praise from managers very or extremely motivating. A highly motivated workforce allows for greater quality of work.
- Active Listening
There’s a difference in hearing someone and actively listening to what they are saying. Active listening allows us to
foster the skill in others by modeling positive and effective communication. There’s more than one way to efficiently
listen to your employees, but the outcome always results in greater employee satisfaction and a more successful working environment.
- Openness
Employees should feel comfortable with asking questions and voicing concerns. Being a manager that stands on openness in the workforce will allow your employees to build and maintain trust with you as well as the overall organisation. Implementing an
“open door” policy is one strategy proven to improve openness.
- Dependability
At the end of the day, employees should be able to depend on their managers. A celebrated manager should entail the ability to be responsible, reliable and reasonable in making decisions so their subordinates trust the person leading their team.
Good managers have the ability to lead their employees, great managers can go the extra mile, but celebrated managers are greatly admired, renowned and stand a foot above the rest. Whether your small-to-medium sized business specializes in selling retail or technology, characteristics of a celebrated manager remain the same. In the end it all comes down to having characteristics that allow for high motivation and success in the workforce.
How could you become a better manager to inspire your employees?
