Good managers are important, says Patty Azzarello because “bad managers cause real damage.”
Under a bad manager, employees suffer. They feel unsupported, unappreciated, and frustrated. Too often they blame themselves. (Does this sound like a bad marriage or romantic relationship?) Mid-level executives suffer. It’s not fun to be perpetually caught in the middle. Business suffers. Without good decisions and good teams, business stagnates.
Ms. Azzarello draws on a Harvard Business Review article for her comments about good and bad management. Her thesis seems to be that good managers are rare because talent—not the availability of a body to fill the role, but real managerial talent—is rare. Good managers motivate and engage. They are assertive. That is, they drive outcomes and overcome adversity and resistance. They insist on accountability. They build relationships of trust. They eschew (love that word!) politics and focus on productivity. The unspoken subtext, I believe, is that they are not jerks.
So what’s a company to do? According to Ms. Azzarello:
- Hire better managers. Or help an incumbent improve. Managerial improvement is not an “unrelated extra.” It is, in fact, the path to higher revenue and lower costs. Oh, and an organization needs to make sure its managers are committed to building capable teams.
- Don’t expect magical transformation. Getting promoted doesn’t automatically lead to becoming a great manager. Is the problem a lack of imagination or a perceived lack of permission? Find out what the problem is and address it.
- Make sure the right team is in place. That’s probably a manager’s #1 job. Without strong, motivated performers, nothing much will happen.
We’ve probably all had managers from hell and managers who were terrific on most days. What distinguishes the two for you?
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