Great management skills are more important than
ever in today’s tight labor
market. Small businesses
throughout the industry compete not
just for market share, but to retain top-performing
people and attract new ones.
Dealing effectively with employees can
do just that.
Management mastery, however,
is not a one-and-done affair. Effective
leaders continuously assess their
workplace performance and seek ways to
improve.
Are you a good manager? In
this article, business experts specify 10
indicators of effective leadership.
1. GREAT MANAGERS LISTEN
Effective listening is a core competency
that underlies other management
skills. “When speaking with employees,
managers need to hear both the words
and the music,” says Johanna Rothman,
founder of Rothman Consulting Group,
Arlington, Mass. (jrothman.com). “That
means understanding not just what the
person is saying, but also the subtext.”
Rothman gives an example.
“Suppose a manager asks Jane, ‘Is
everyone on your team working well
together?’ and she responds with a
lackluster ‘It’s okay.’ That, to me, is a big
red flag and an early warning signal of
bigger problems.”
On the surface, noted Rothman,
the word “okay” is positive. The
subtext, though, is that Jane’s team
has dysfunctional elements that need
to be addressed. Doing so will require
follow-up questions that encourage Jane
to speak out. A simple, “Tell me more
about the situation,” may do the trick.
2. THEY COMMUNICATE
COMPANY PRIORITIES
CLEARLY
Shared goals energize a business.
“Everyone’s priority should be the same
as the company’s top executive,” says
Lois P. Frankel, president of Corporate
Coaching International, Pasadena, Calif.
(drloisfrankel.com). “When you talk
about your company’s big picture, where
it’s going and how the employees can
help it get there, that’s real leadership.”
Inspired by the knowledge of
the company’s motivating mission,
employees will develop their own
creative techniques for boosting
performance. “People will not be
managed. They will only be led,”
says Frankel. “Too often managers
communicate how to do what needs to
get done instead of letting people do it
the way they want.”
Good managers also create
milestones to monitor progress, adds
Frankel. They also check in regularly
with staff members to share feedback.
“Everyone needs to feel their unique
skills are being used and further
developed in a way that contributes to
the priorities of the organization.”
3. THEY DELEGATE
EFFECTIVELY
Delegation is not just about saving
a manager’s time and fostering
operational efficiency. It’s also about
preparing employees for promotion.
“Step-up assignments are great tools for grooming people into higher levels of
responsibility,” says William J. Rothwell,
professor of Workforce Education and
Development at Pennsylvania State
University. “And a great way to use them
is to systematically delegate a manager’s
duties.” This technique is of particular
value for workers who have expressed a
desire to get ahead. Rothwell suggests
telling such people that the process of
delegation is intended to help them step
up to more responsible positions.
Set reachable goals by delegating
one or two items from the manager’s
job description every year. “Proceeding
slowly will allow time to coach the
worker on effective techniques for
mastering each duty,” says Rothwell.
4. THEY CHALLENGE
EMPLOYEES TO
SET REASONABLE
PERFORMANCE GOALS
Employees are motivated to perform
well when they have taken ownership
of their future. Managers must ensure
that workers buy into any mandated
performance parameters. That process
begins with a clearly drawn road map.
“If we set expectations that are
not clearly understood, manager and
employee will operate on different
wavelengths,” says Randy Goruk,
president of The Randall Wade Group,
Scottsdale, Ariz. (leadersedge360.com). “The manager expects X and
the employee thinks, ‘I’m going to do
Y.’ Next thing you know, you’ve got
somebody not meeting expectations.”
Seek assurances that the employee
really understands what’s expected of
them, advises Goruk. One way to do that
is to invite the individual to restate the
expectations you have delineated. It’s
better to discover any disconnect now
than six months down the road.
5. THEY INSPIRE THEIR
EMPLOYEES
Inspired employees work with greater
enthusiasm and invent creative solutions
to workplace problems. But how do
you inspire someone? The task seems
formidable and abstract.
The secret is to look at the big
picture. “The way to inspire people is
to explain how the business service or
product benefits employees, customers,
and society,” says Rothman. “That will
charge workers with the enthusiasm
required to perform at peak levels of
excellence.”
Becoming an inspiring leader
requires making a special effort to relate
the goals of employee and company,
Rothman adds. And that means moving
beyond the management techniques
one has employed in the past. “If you
cannot get rid of what you previously
used to do, if you cannot move beyond
your prior expertise, you will not be an
inspiring leader.”
6. THEY ENCOURAGE
EMPLOYEES TO CONTRIBUTE
IDEAS
The best ideas come from people on
the front lines. Top managers encourage
employees to develop and communicate
new and productive operational
techniques based on their experience.
“You need to tap into the collective
wisdom of the team,” says Frankel. “Creating an environment where ideas
are appreciated, recognized, and
rewarded will spark ideas that help the
business achieve its priorities.”
Encouraging worker contributions
means going beyond the company
suggestion box. “Reinforce at every team
meeting that there are no bad ideas,”
says Frankel. “People will speak up only
if they understand that they will not be
punished for doing so, and that the
company wants everybody’s ideas on the
table.”
When the business comes up with
a new goal, says Frankel, throw it out
to the employee pool and invite input.
“Many managers are afraid to ask for
suggestions because they fear they will
receive unworkable ideas.” The fact is
that employee groups tend to be self-correcting,
and will reject ideas that are
impractical.
7. THEY TAKE A PERSONAL
INTEREST IN YOUR
EMPLOYEES
Managers gain the trust of employees by
engaging with them on a personal basis.
“Any good manager communicates
a genuine interest in the well-being
of workers,” says Rothwell. “Doing so
doesn’t require a face-to-face structured
conversation. It can be a hallway
interaction of a minute or less. It can
be a brief talk in the break room, the
cafeteria, the parking lot, or even online
through direct messages.”
Employees who trust their
managers will not only work with
greater commitment, but will also
share information they might otherwise
keep secret from fear that it could
damage their status in the company.
Suppose a valued worker is planning
to leave for employment elsewhere. If
they feel secure enough to share such
information, the manager can take steps
to improve the work position in a way
that will keep the person from jumping
ship.
8. THEY HELP EMPLOYEES
REBOUND FROM
PERFORMANCE SHORTFALLS
Effective managers take the initiative
quickly when employees fall short in
their duties. “If someone is performing
poorly, don’t surprise them at review
time,” says Goruk. “Have an early, two-way
conversation.”
Goruk suggests leading off with
an open-ended question such as,
“How do you feel you’re doing?” That
provides an opening for the individual
to express anything bothering them
about their work experience.
The
manager can then follow up with a
statement such as, “You know what?
I’ve noticed the same thing.”
The manager should provide
specific examples of where the person
has fallen short, including dates,
times, and numbers where possible.
“Ask what you can do to help them get
back on track,” says Goruk. “Develop
a game plan: What steps can they take
to resolve the problem? And when will
you have a follow-up meeting to assess
progress?”
9. THEY RESOLVE CONFLICTS
IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY
Organizational change often leads to workplace conflict. Dealing effectively
with flare-ups is part of the leadership
challenge.
While most managers would rather
avoid the negative emotions that
accompany workplace interventions,
company profitability requires the
maintenance of a smoothly running
work environment. “Effective managers
need to realize that the ability to
address conflict is a core competency
that they must develop,” says Pete
Tosh, founder of The Focus Group,
Macon, Ga. (thefocusgroup.biz).
Effective managers learn the skills
required to help employees deal
with disagreements. That means
directing the involved parties to reach
realistic resolutions, casting light
on perspectives and ideas that can
improve business performance.
“Focus on solutions, not the
problem,” advises Tosh. “Concentrate
on commonalities, the future, and
negotiation, rather than on differences,
the past, and emotion. Emphasize
process, not content.”
10. THEY BEHAVE IN A
PROFESSIONAL MANNER
Titles empower obedience; behavior
earns respect. “A leader’s actions are
far more important than their words,”
says Tosh. “People listen to talk, then
watch the walk.”
A manager’s words and actions
must be consistent in order for them
to be believed. And they must also
conform to the company policies and
practices that have been championed
by top leaders. Any deviation from
them can create distrust.
“When we lead by example, our
actions need to be consistent with our
words,” says Tosh. “No matter what we
say or how we ask others to behave,
our actions will always serve as the
truest indicator of our priorities.”
MASTERING THE SKILLS
How well have you mastered the 10
skills described in this article? Bear
in mind that effective management is
a process rather than a destination.
Managers must continually learn new
approaches and techniques to create
an environment where employees
perform at peak levels.
“People often make the mistake of
feeling they have it made as soon as
they are promoted into supervisory
positions,” says Goruk. “They stop
learning and start coasting. And then,
they fail as effective managers.”
In contrast, managers who make
a concerted effort to improve their
leadership performance end up
creating motivated employees and
greater profits. “Some people are born
with competencies that make it easier
for them to be leaders,” says Tosh.
“But most people need to get some
experience and training under their
belts. The good news is that leadership
is learnable. All it takes is an individual
who wants to succeed.”
