GREAT MANAGERS ARE DECISIVE IN ORGANIZATIONS
Managers are usually the heart of companies and organizations. They lead the team and the organization. They communicate internally and externally. They can hire or fire employees. They can support and develop any initiative or stop them. As Gallup remarks “Nearly every problem and achievement in your organization can be tied back to the quality of your managers”. According to Gallup Research, managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Consequently, the role of the manager is an essential factor in the employee experience – from onboarding and performance to development and retention.
- More than 50% of employees who “strongly agree” that their manager is open and approachable are engaged.
- More than ⅔ of employees who “strongly agree” that their manager helps them set work priorities and goals are engaged.
- More than ⅔ of employees who “strongly agree” that their manager focuses on their strengths or positive characteristics are engaged.
- Around 50% of employees have left their job to get away from their manager at some point in their career.
How the managers feel about the organization greatly influences how everyone else feels about it. The manager’s experience largely defines your employee experience.
Gallup says “Just as a bad manager can ruin a good job, a great manager can make a good job even better.”
WHAT MAKES A GREAT MANAGER
Gallup has discovered that only 1 in 10 people have the talent to manage. Though many people have some of the necessary talents, few have the unique combination of talent needed to help the team (and organization) reach peak performance. And this is what great managers do:
- Put the right people in the right roles.
- Engage employees with a compelling vision.
- Coach and develop their people by focusing on their strengths.
- Create a culture of clear accountability.
- Motivate every employee individually.
- Make decisions based on productivity, not politics.
- Build trust and dialogue with their people about both work and life outside work.
Gallup research has discovered that in manager roles compared with the general population, organizations have learned how to slightly improve the odds of finding talented managers. Nearly one in five (18%) of those currently in management roles demonstrate a high level of talent for managing others, while another two in 10 show a basic talent for it.
Gallup has found that great managers have the following talents:
- They motivate every single employee to take action and engage employees with a compelling mission and vision.
- They have the assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance.
- They create a culture of clear accountability.
- They build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency.
- They make decisions based on productivity, not politics.
Finding great managers does not depend on market conditions or the current labor force. Companies have approximately one manager for every 10 employees. Gallup has discovered that one in 10 people have the inherent talent to manage. So it means that someone on each team has the talent to lead. but chances are, it’s not the manager, it’s an employee with high managerial potential waiting to be discovered.
