Finding Great Managers

One of the most important decisions companies make is simply whom they name manager. Yet many companies usually get it wrong. In fact, Gallup research found that companies failed to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82% of the time.

It is no secret that bad managers can cost the company large sums of money.  A lack of direction, good mentoring, poor data analysis and poor decisions can affect performance and morale in any workplace.  Gallup also estimates that poor managers account for at least 70% of negative employee engagement.  People don't quit their job, they quit their manager is a popular belief supported by the Gallup research and discussed in a book by Linda Oien author of “power10” Leadership.  Find the link (http://businesspaths.net/Articles/12/people-quit-their-boss-not-their-job) to read the summary article “PEOPLE QUIT THEIR BOSS, NOT THEIR JOB, 4 Keys to attracting and retaining the best and brightest.”

Businesses that get it right and cultivate managers who exhibit clear performance metrics along with strong communication realize an environment of engaged employees.  Employees can cut through the noise of the workplace and understand what matters most.

Great managers understand that the root of performance variability lies within human nature itself and the “social style” (driver, expressive, analytical and amiable) of the individuals.  Companies are composed of individuals with diverging styles that require unique efforts to manage morale, provide individual motivation, and clarity of tasks. Great managers can maximize individual performance.

If great managers are unique, it's because the talent required to be one is rare. Gallup's research reveals that about one in 10 people possess the talent to manage. Though many people possess some of the necessary traits, few have the unique combination of talent needed to help an individual achieve excellence in a way that significantly improves a company's performance. These 10%, when put in manager roles, naturally engage team members and customers, retain top performers, make the “hard” decisions and create a culture of high productivity.

It's important to note that another two in 10 people exhibit some characteristics of basic managerial talent and can function at a high level if their company invests in coaching and developmental plans for them.

Ask any manager why they believed they were hired for their current role and they will commonly recite their success in a previous non-managerial role or their tenure with their company or field of expertise.  These reasons don't take into account whether the candidate has the right talent to thrive in the role.  Being a successful programmer, salesperson, or engineer, for example, is no guarantee that someone will be adept at managing others.

Most companies promote workers into managerial positions because they seemingly deserve it, rather than have the talent for it. This practice doesn't work. Experience and skills are important, but people's talents -- the naturally recurring patterns in the ways they think, feel, and behave -- predict where they'll perform at their best. Talents are innate and are the building blocks of great performance. Knowledge, experience, and skills develop our talents, but unless we possess the right innate talents for our job, no amount of training or experience will matter.

Great managers have the following talents:

•  They motivate every single employee to take action and engage employees with the company’s mission (WHY) 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 and operate with open dialogue.

•  They make decisions based on productivity, not politics.

Very few people can pull off all five of these requirements of good management. Most managers deal with employees who may be indifferent to their work or who naturally spread negativity to colleagues and customers.

The good news is that sufficient management talent exists in every company. It's often hiding in plain sight. Leaders should maximize this potential by choosing the right person for the next management role using predictive analytics (PXT’s) to guide their identification of the required talent.  For too long, companies have wasted time, energy, and resources hiring the wrong managers and then attempting to train them to be who they're not. Nothing fixes the wrong pick.