What Makes a Manager Truly Great?

TL;DR

Great managers are developed through key practices that build trust, encourage feedback, and facilitate effective meetings. They foster an environment where employees feel safe to share struggles, give specific feedback that inspires change, and conduct meetings with clear objectives. By prioritizing these qualities, they enhance their team's overall success.

Transcript

apparently there's a question we can ask ourselves to see whether we would make good people managers in the workplace and that is do you get more satisfaction out of the outcome being achieved or in playing a particular role in getting to that outcome to illustrate imagine you're in the sales team you love chatting with clients and closing deals yo... Read More

Key Insights

• 👑 Great managers prioritize the outcome and the role they play in achieving it, rather than just focusing on the end result.
• 😊 Great managers build trust by showing vulnerability, giving specific recognition and feedback, and being prepared for individual meetings.
• 🔍 Great managers give feedback that inspires behavior change by setting clear expectations, providing specific feedback, and collecting 360-degree feedback.
• 📅 Great managers run effective meetings by ensuring clear outcomes, inviting only necessary participants, and focusing on decision-making, information sharing, feedback, idea generation, and relationship building.
• 👥 Great managers understand the importance of addressing imposter syndrome and seeking inspiration from role models who have dealt with uncertainty and failure.
• 💼 Great managers recognize the significance of hiring well, as candidates with mixed reviews but vocal supporters tend to outperform those with consistently average ratings.
• 🔁 Great managers prioritize execution over strategy, quickly making adjustments and learning from what works and what doesn't.
• ♀️ Great managers lead by example, ensuring their actions align with their words to maintain respect and authority in the workplace.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can great managers build trust with their teams?

Great managers build trust by showing vulnerability, giving specific recognition and feedback, and preparing for one-on-one meetings. By not pretending to know everything, they gain respect and create a safe space for open communication. They also provide specific recognition and feedback to show that they are attentive and appreciate the efforts of their team members. Furthermore, they prioritize one-on-one meetings and come prepared with relevant questions to support, understand, and identify the needs of their team members.

Q: What are the key elements of giving great feedback as a manager?

Great managers give feedback by setting clear expectations, providing specific feedback for action, and collecting 360-degree feedback for objectivity. By sharing ideal outcomes and timelines at the beginning, they align their team members' goals with measurable success. Specific feedback, rather than ambiguous statements, helps drive action and improvement. Additionally, gathering feedback from colleagues provides a more comprehensive and objective view, creating a less threatening environment for the receiver.

Q: How can managers run effective meetings?

Great managers run effective meetings by ensuring clear outcomes and focusing on decision-making, information sharing, feedback, idea generation, and relationship building. They only invite necessary participants, keeping the audience engaged and entertained. Meetings are organized around specific purposes, such as making decisions, sharing information, giving feedback, generating ideas, and strengthening relationships. By prompting attendees to brainstorm before the meeting, they foster creativity and discussion.

Q: What other qualities do great managers possess?

Great managers also understand and deal with imposter syndrome, recognize the importance of hiring well, prioritize execution over perfect strategy, effectively delegate tasks by focusing on purpose, and align their actions with their words. They acknowledge and cope with uncertainty and failure, seek inspiration from role models, and make adjustments along the way. Their actions and decisions align with the values and expectations they communicate.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Great managers build trust by showing vulnerability, giving specific recognition and feedback, and preparing for one-on-one meetings.

• They give great feedback by setting clear expectations, providing specific feedback for action, and collecting 360-degree feedback for objectivity.

• They run amazing meetings by ensuring clear outcomes, inviting only necessary participants, and focusing on decision-making, information sharing, feedback, idea generation, and relationship building.