5 qualities of a good manager

A good manager who produces results knows that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve presented at many conferences, including many FABTECHs. And when I do, start by asking participants several questions.

First, how many terrific managers have you had in your career? By “terrific,” I mean those who developed and encouraged you. The average is two, and the most I’ve seen is four. Second, what characteristics or qualities made that manager terrific, separating them from all the other managers you have worked for you in your career?

Analyzing the Terrific Manager

People usually tell me their terrific managers were dynamic, strong leaders who cared about people. No surprises there, but what made them that way, exactly? The five responses I have heard most often are:

1. Terrific managers operated with integrity. They told the truth and gave straight answers even if I didn’t want to hear it, and they didn’t shy away from difficult topics. I could rely on their word. When it came to company values, they walked the talk.

2. Terrific managers were a subject-matter experts. They knew their job and they were competent.

3. Terrific managers coached, developed, and mentored me. They saw more in me than I knew I had, and they encouraged me to take on more responsibility. They corrected me when I needed guidance, and they were quick to point out what I did well. They recognized and appreciated my efforts. They respected all the members of the team and didn’t play favorites.

4. The terrific manager didn’t micro-manage me. They trusted me and even allowed me to make mistakes if it helped me learn. 5. The terrific managers dealt with the slackers. They addressed performance and behavioral issues quickly. They distributed work evenly and held us accountable for meeting our commitments and working consistently with the company values.

I’ve heard these five qualities over and over. I then ask conference participants what can be a tough question: If I were holding a meeting with your direct reports, and I asked them if you were one of the best managers they ever had, what would they say? I typically hear silence; maybe one or two say yes, but that’s about it. Most just look at the floor.

Not Your Typical Tile and Glue

Clearly, the five qualities listed previously are not so challenging. None should be difficult to learn. Why then isn’t everyone a terrific manager?

The five qualities of good management are a bit like the Space Shuttle’s heat shield. The shield’s tile and glue are seemingly simple. But they took years of development, and there are so many things the engineers needed to know—physics, thermal and fluid dynamics, and much more—before even thinking about inventing a kind of tile and glue that didn’t exist before.

The same thing goes for those five qualities of good management. Like tiles and glue, you’ve heard about them before. But as you’ll see, so much needs to go into them so they can withstand the all the stresses that goes into running and growing a business.

Knowing this, let’s examine the five qualities one at a time. To continue with the analogy, the first two are your run-of-the-mill tile and glue, nothing fancy or secret about them. The final three qualities aren’t so simple—a bit like the special ingredients of the Space Shuttle’s tile and glue that make them withstand the extremes of space travel.

1. Terrific leaders operates with integrity. They don’t lie, steal, and cheat. They follow the company values. What is hard about that? So that leaves four more.

2. The terrific manager is a subject matter expert; they knew their job and they were competent. This is another one that should be easy. I like to assume we are competent in our job, and if not, we need to do what it takes to become competent. If we’re faking it, it’s the worst-kept secret. Everyone knows.

3. The terrific manager coached, developed, and mentored me. They seemed to see more in me than I knew I had, and they encouraged me to take on more responsibility. They would correct me when I needed guidance, and they were quick to point out what I did well. They recognized and appreciated my efforts. They respected all the member of the team and didn’t play favorites.

This third quality can get complicated—and if done well, it’s where our metaphorical tile and glue start building their heat resistance. I see many managers have trouble coaching and mentoring. There are many reasons for this. First, most companies don’t do a good job at training managers, and without training these managerial skills are difficult to learn. Second, many role models for managers also did not have these skills, so learning by watching others didn’t happen.

Third, and most important, when we set a manager’s performance expectations and conduct performance evaluations, coaching and counseling are not assigned or evaluated. Consider managers on your teams—are these competencies assigned as expectations? Are they evaluated during the performance evaluation? If not, why would a manager use them?

4. The terrific manager doesn’t micromanage me. They trust me and even allow me to make a mistake if it helped me learn.

This sounds easy, but if managers have not been taught how to delegate or assign work, or coach and counsel, they would probably function at the last level they felt competent—that of an individual contributor. They probably still have an individual contributor mindset, thinking I want it done right, so I should do it myself. Worse yet, they might tell you exactly how to do something and not allow for your input, judgment, and creativity. Consider how few managers can delegate effectively. Is it any surprise that so many are micromanagers?

5. The terrific managers deal with the slackers. They address performance and behavioral issues quickly. They distribute work evenly and hold us accountable for meeting our commitments and working consistently with the company values.

Holding people accountable by addressing poor performance and behavior issues is probably the most challenging for managers. For all the talk about accountability, most managers are slow to address performance and behavior issues. They ignore problems and just hope they will get better.

Before you were an owner or manager, when you were just a worker bee, did you know who you could count on for help? You probably did. Could you also identify the slackers, the ones who shirked work, hid, and didn’t put in any extra effort? Yes, you probably did. If you could talk to your previous managers about those slackers, what would you ask? When I ask this question during seminars, someone usually shouts out, “Why are those slackers still working here!?”

I then ask the managers sitting in my seminar, “If I asked one of your direct reports about this, would they say that slackers are dealt with quickly?” Quite often, the group is quiet. Unfortunately, too many managers tolerate slackers on the team.

Most managers struggle with Nos. 4 and 5. Unfortunately, these two are the most challenging and, without formal training or coaching, they’re unlikely to get easier. Yes, some managers will improve by reading a book or article, but attending a conference or workshop where you can practice setting performance and behavioral expectations, and giving positive and constructive feedback, is the best way to improve your skills.