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How does your manager measure up? |
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Written by Carol McGowan
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e all have expectations of our managers/leaders. What are your expectations? What is considered important in a manager/leader varies from person to person.
This article will list 12 characteristics that can indicate a high calibre manager/leader that knows how to obtain optimum performance and impact from those they work with whether formally or informally. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list simply an indication of some key aspects to consider when thinking about the competencies and capacities as a manager/leader may possess. This list is not meant to imply any priority by the ordering of the criteria identified this would be left to the individual making the assessment as to what the most important of these criteria is for them and it is highly likely that it will vary from person to person and situation to situation.
| No. |
Characteristics |
Description |
| 1. |
Possess Intuition and Sharp Vision |
This relates to the ability to be able to see possibility and set the desired direction |
| 2. |
Act Spontaneously |
Capacity to respond in the moment to whatever is encountered and take suitable action |
| 3. |
Exercise Creativity |
The ability to see the unusual and be willing to take risks. It is about seeing opportunities which may not necessarily be apparent to others and then doing something about it |
| 4. |
Inspire Others |
Sets a model that others willingly wish to follow. The behaviour demonstrated is considered virtuous and worth emulating |
| 5. |
Undertake Self Improvement |
The manager/leader has a desire to continue to grow and evolve in order to improve their own performance and abilities |
| 6. |
Elicit Trust |
They are able to trust themselves and also be trusted by others simply by how consistent and transparent they are in their actions |
| 7. |
Persevere |
This implies adopting a ‘never say die' attitude in all that they do without it being detrimental to their own health and well-being or those with which they work |
| 8. |
Act Courageously |
They are willing to stand up and stand out even if their particular stance might be unpopular. This has some tie in with spontaneity and creativity in being able to seize the moment and also grasp ideas and concepts that others might not be able to grasp |
| 9. |
Accept Responsibility |
There is an ability to take ownership of situations and outcomes even if there are consequences for doing so. This has alignment with acting courageously |
| 10. |
Engage others |
They seek to engage people in what they are trying to achieve. Everyone's contribution is valued and respected |
| 11. |
Work with the positive |
They seek to work from a position of possibility not impossibility. They look for the strengths of individuals, circumstances or organisations and not their weaknesses or deficiencies |
| 12. |
Genuinely care about people |
Standout Managers/Leaders demonstrate in all that they do that they genuinely care about people. This in fact may sum up the other aspects outlined. They recognise that they are people with feelings and concerns and attempt to recognise and respect that appropriately in any given circumstance. They do not seek to have people compromise their values in order to gain profit or benefit personally |
You might like to do an assessment using a scale of 1-5, where 1 = poor and 5 = excels, to rate manager(s)/leader(s) relative to each characteristic. If you are a manager/leader you could do this for yourself determining how well you think you perform relative to each characteristic. If you identify areas of weakness you might then be able to develop some goals and objectives on how you might raise your current level of performance by one point eg: from 3 average to 4 good. If you are brave enough you might also be willing to ask relevant people how they believe you measure up against the respective criteria. If they think you have some areas that could do with enhancement then they might be able to help suggest steps you could take to improve in the identified area (s). If you do well in any of the criteria it would also be good to understand what you are doing well so you can actively seek to maintain that high level and not let it slip back due to lack of attention. A balanced approach is always helpful and leveraging off our strengths provides a strong platform for growth and continuous improvement and development.
So how well do you or your manager(s)/leader(s) measure up?
Carol McGowan is a Business and Life Coach, Counsellor and Educator. Her passion is helping individuals and businesses to make successful transitions. Carol has over 35 years experience in business as well assisting 300+ people make successful career transitions after having faced redundancy. She may be contacted at
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