Value of a Good Manager?
People Leave Managers Not Companies!

What's the value of a good manager? "People leave managers, not companies" is a headline that immediately grabs our attention. Or it should if we're serious about being good managers. Why is that? Well, probably because it has a ring of truth about it. Whilst there may be many things we dislike about our jobs, the relationship between managers and employees is arguably the most critical. Employees who are well managed can forgive many of an organisation's shortcomings. When people are badly managed, there can be unhappiness, reduced efficiency and high staff turnover. When we resign, we often leave poor managers, not the organisation.



In his book: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilised Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't (left), Stanford Professor Bob Sutton spells out the damage poor managers can do to workplace morale and efficiency.

This article elaborates on his theme. It highlights the importance of the relationship between staff and management in maintaining workplace harmony and productivity. Surely the critical test of any good manager!

The Most Disliked Aspect Of A Job?

This section heading comes from an article based on research carried out by Gallup. Put simply their findings revealed that employees leave managers, not companies. Worse still for the manager, one in six respondents identified their manager or supervisor as the most disliked aspect of their job. That’s right the most disliked!

What then does a good manager do? As ever, start by asking the right questions.

For The Staff - What Really Matters?

What would employees like from their managers? A number of sources suggests that what employees would like is:

• Clarity in their role and what is required of them
• A sense of fairness
• A sense of achievement and the opportunity to use their strengths
• Regular feedback and particularly being recognised for doing things well

Too often though managers and organisations tend to focus on controlling and directing , rather than leading and supporting.

For The Manager - Do People Want To Work With You?

Managers make a critical difference to the workplace. As managers, how we choose to make that difference is up to us. Good management is not a popularity contest, but managers are people too! Nobody wants to come last in the popularity stakes! However these findings are not about popularity, they're about positive, practical approaches to management.

For The Organisation - Do Your Managers Really Matter?

If you have responsibility for developing managers, the critical question is "what can you do to ensure your employees want to work with your managers"? Why is this a critical question? Good relationships are the start point for productive teams

Here are some steps to consider:

Be a role model for the managers you manage, and for your peers.

Appoint carefully: managers really matter. They can do a lot of good, and a lot of damage.

Make sure you put development in place that promotes and values effective managers.

Review the way managers are developed in your organisation.

Do you demonstrate positive support for your staff?

One Final Critical Question.....

Peter Drucker tells a story worth including here. He once asked the former head of a very large, world wide organisation:

“What do you look for in placing the right people into the right places in an organisation?”

The old man, who had been famous for doing just that replied:

“I always ask myself, would I want one of my sons to work under that person?”

Become a manager people really want to work with! More inspirational Drucker quotes can be found in our article: Peter Drucker Quotes , or in a "must buy" book for every good manager:

The Daily Drucker - 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done

If you found this article useful or thought provoking, you might like to read What Makes A Happy Company.

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