There's a major difference between Leadership and Management. These posts will keep you up-to-date on leadership developments. For more essential foundational information, read our special report on Leadership.
One of the best things that can happen to a manager is having the opportunity to hire someone smarter, more talented and more accomplished than you.
Now, why does managing talented people seem so terrifying?
Successful leaders know – or should know – that hiring talented people is like winning the lottery. You gain an employee whose abilities could be that proverbial high tide, raising all boats, including yours.
What could possibly be wrong with that?
Is there one leadership quality that rises above the rest?
A fascinating examination of that very question, done by the Harvard Business Review, answers with an unequivocal “yes!”
Respect.
Or, to quote a phrase, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
No other leadership quality had a bigger effect on employees than respect.
Being treated with respect was more important to employees than recognition and appreciation, communicating an inspiring vision, providing useful feedback — even opportunities for learning, growth, and development.
Successful leaders have their own personality, their own style, their own approach. They can be as different as day and night.
Think Donald Trump. Then think Mother Teresa.
See what I mean?
Some leaders work smarter. Some work harder. But all of them work at it.
Leadership is there for the taking, to one degree or another, for anyone willing to make the effort.
But first, it helps to dispel some common myths of leadership.
One of the biggest productivity-killers managers face every day is interruptions.
And one of the most frequent interruptions is … employees with questions.
A Cal/Irvine study estimated that managers get interrupted four times an hour by staff, mostly to answer questions.
It’s a common problem-solving scenario that plays out like this:
It’s said that advice is a lot like Castor oil – easy to give, harder to take.
And since that is so true, it means managers have their work cut out for them when it comes to giving good advice.
We all admire the wisdom of those who come to us for advice (ha ha). But that just doesn’t happen often enough. And therein lies the problem.
Good managers must give sound advice on a daily basis, and they can’t always wait until someone comes seeking it out.
Instead, it’s often dished out cold, sort of ready-or-not-here-it-comes.
There is a lot of advice available on how to give good advice. But you can take my advice that a lot of it just doesn’t apply in the real world of work.
The effectiveness of a manager, front line supervisor or team leader makes all the difference between a motivated and focused workforce – and a disorganized and dispirited one.
So beware: Successful new managers don’t happen by accident.
In today’s competitive work environment, all good managers need a solid foundation so that they can contribute fully.
That’s why the development of a new manager can’t be left to chance.
