Do your team leaders cultivate good habits in others?
Onboarding a bad hire can be costly for any company. Now imagine hiring a bad manager. The loss is greater not only in terms of the financial setback – which runs up to billions of dollars globally each year, according to Gallup – but also its impact on team morale.
But even with a newly recruited rock star on your team, “there is always room for improvement, no matter how great of a manager you are,” said management expert Leon Goren of PEO Leadership.
What makes a great manager, anyway? They’re leaders who cultivate good habits in others, and these in turn yield positive results in the overall success of their business.
Read more: How bad managers stifle innovation
“The good news is that making those improvements can often be simple. It’s just a matter of taking the steps to make it happen, to incorporate new habits that will lead to better outcomes,” Goren said, sharing the following growth hacks for managers:
Delegation skills. “It’s imperative to learn to trust the people on your team. If this is an issue for you, start by delegating small tasks and building on them.”
Building a strong team. “When hiring for your team, don’t just look at the candidate’s past experience and qualifications. Make sure that they are a good fit for your team and your overall corporate culture.”
Read more: Are bad managers costing your business?
Commitment to learning. “The best managers never stop learning and understand that they will never know it all. They are committed to their development, they collaborate and bounce ideas off others, and they have mentors and join peer advisory boards to help them create robust and innovative solutions. These leaders continue to learn from others by discussing their challenges and opportunities and leveraging the knowledge and experience of their peers to help them grow.”
Moving past fear. “Being afraid to act can stifle management, which holds companies back. Highly successful leaders look to the future and are not afraid to take calculated risks. If this is something you’re not comfortable with, consider engaging a leadership coach or joining a peer advisory board.”
Listening to others. “Listen to your team, colleagues, mentors. Listening doesn’t mean you have to heed their advice; nonetheless, hearing their thoughts, getting multiple perspectives and being an active listener, will help make you a more effective leader.”
