What Makes a Great Manager?

This is a surprising oversight. According to a Gallup poll of more than one million US employees, a bad manager is the number one reason that people leave their job. When the cost of replacing a single member of staff is now over £30,000, it’s more important than ever to consider what makes a good manager and leader – and for managers to work on developing those skills.

Think of a time in the past when you worked at your best… what motivated you?

Generally, people are not motivated by money – instead, it’s a time when they were trusted and were given freedom to do their job their own way. The best managers are those who give their staff that freedom, and instead coach the team to enable them to perform at their best – helping their team to find a solution, rather than telling them what the solution should be.

According to Lazslo Bock, at Google the 8 key qualities of a manager (listed in priority order), are:

1. Be a good coach
2. Empower your team and don’t micromanage
3. Express interest in your team members success and well-being
4. Be productive and results-oriented
5. Be a good communicator and listen to your team
6. Help your employees with career development
7. Have a clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Have technical skills so you can advise the team

How could you work on these skills?

All of Happy's Leadership programmes are based on creating workplaces where people feel trusted and enabled to work their best. You will learn how to coach your people to solve their problems. This will lead to greater productivity and better results. 

We have spaces available for our upcoming leadership programmes: Managing for the First Time; Happy Workplace Leadership Programme; Brave Leadership Programme for Women.