It is not difficult to fall into the trap of having a poor
management team. All it takes is one manager to leave their position and they
are either not replaced or replaced too quickly by the closest fit that is far
from ideal. You are then hit with a terrifying surprise; your profits are
falling, your employees’ overall performance is dropping dramatically and
employee turn-over has reached a new high. So if you ever catch yourself
wondering where it all went wrong… it may have something to do with the
managers you hired, or didn't hire. Research has shown that the number one
reason that employees leave their job is ineffective management. It has also
been shown that employee satisfaction and performance are directly linked to
effective management.
Let’s take a ride in Dr. Emmett Brown’s Delorian. All the
way back to your management selection process, what did you do? You picked
potential candidates based on their performance, right? You conducted
interviews and sorted through candidates until you found one who answered all
your questions correctly. But how much does this actually tell you about how
effective they are as a manager? If an applicant vying for a managerial role
has gone through a number of interviews, then they’d probably be relatively
well versed in answering questions correctly.
Let’s say you, as the interviewer, asked your candidate how
they would approach a workplace dispute. If they’re well prepared, they've
probably read the workplace manual and will pass that question and any other
questions relating to workplace protocol and procedures with flying colours.
However, this only tells you that they've done their homework. It doesn't tell
you how effective they would be as a manager.
And here is your dilemma, you've selected a candidate who
has performed well as an employee and has answered in all the right ways, and
your profit margins, employee performance has fallen, and employee
turn-over…well...
But wait! Don’t kick yourself, you’re not the only employer
to find themselves in this predicament. In fact, it’s quite common. What’s
important is understanding what makes a good manager and how to find them (or
make them). Below are some of the attributes that researchers and other
employers have discovered that make a good manager:
- Training: Whilst
some people are intrinsically good managers whether it be through their
openness, communication (especially listening) skills, confidence or their
general manner, there are others out there who have the potential but need the
training. An investment in on-going training in the short term can have lasting
profitability in the long-term. So find a good training program and get all
your managers on board!
- Effective mentoring:
A manager who is able to mentor their team effectively is able to highlight an
employee’s strengths and coach them in improving their weaknesses, in an
engaging and respectful manner. Besides increasing employee productivity, this
will also enable employees to reach their full potential.
- Character Judgement: One
size doesn't fit all, and a good manager knows it. A manager should be able to
tailor their managing strategy to each individual under their instruction in a
way that promotes their best performance. This is achieved by acknowledging and
respecting individual differences and is reflected in an employee’s work
performance as a result of increased work satisfaction. Just as not every
worker is the same, not every leader is the same, so take each manager’s
individual strengths as a sign of the value they can add.
- Effective delegation:
A good manager knows they can’t do everything and is aware that another
employee may have more knowledge in a particular area than themselves. To
delegate effectively means to lose total control. This takes trust, respect and
confidence in an employee’s abilities. So, using effective delegation skills, a
good manager can assign the right tasks to the right employee based on what
they know about each individual’s strengths, knowledge and skills.
- Outstanding
communication: This doesn't just mean telling. It means listening with
intent and genuine consideration, and keeping an open forum with all employees.
Creating a respectful and committed communicative environment increases
employee self-worth, and confidence within their manager. Again leading to
increased workplace satisfaction and productivity.
Given that all of the preceding qualities lead to increase
workplace satisfaction, who would WANT to leave their job? And given that
increased workplace satisfaction leads to increased profit, why WOULDN'T you
want to invest in finding a good manager?
So how do you find these qualities? There are a few ways
that have been shown to blow traditional ‘resume read and interview’ methods
out of the water:
- Employ a personality screening test, such as the Business
Personality Reflections assessment
- Collect non-identifiable employee peer reviews and
performance reports for potential candidates
- If you work closely with your employees and managers, think
critically about your options. Take note of those employees who standout as
potential promotion material based on your observations of their qualities.
- But most of all, don’t
just rely on the textbook answers of a standard interview process.
So next time you’re
preparing to fill a management role remember:
Effective management = Maximum profit!!
Want to discuss your intake methods? Speak to an
organisational psychologist at 03 9670 0590 or info@psychpress.com.au for a
confidential discussion regarding your needs and challenges in the world of
leadership recruitment and development.
I attended a Lunch N’ Learn meeting yesterday sponsored by a local business group. There were about 15 people in attendance from both small businesses and large multi-state organizations. The topic, of interest to all as based on the discussion that ensued, was ‘Employee Engagement.’
I’m excited to be attending the 
