Becoming the Other-Focused Manager

People don’t leave companies, they leave managers. As a result, when hiring or succession planning teams do not differentiate between the positive skills that make an efficient and diligent worker versus the skills that make an effective leader, organizations can be left with high turnover rates rather than engaged employees. Contrary to what many recruitment teams may believe, the Harvard Business Review concluded in a study that “many of the most productive individuals were significantly less effective on collaboration focused skills”¹, skills that are imperative for successful leadership. With that in mind, what skills do make a great manager?

What Skills Make a Great Manager?

Ultimately, great managers must also be great leaders. It is simple for a productive worker to delegate tasks to their team; however, it takes more skill to truly engage a group of employees. As a result, the Harvard Business Review concluded in their study that the skills that make a great manager are other-focused¹. Beyond the expected skills a leader should have such as interpersonal skills and effective communication ¹, the HBR study included important other-focused skills such as: “being open to feedback and personal change”, “supporting others’ development”, and “supporting organizational changes” ¹. Although it may seem individually-focused, building self-awareness is often derived by gathering feedback. For managers, this means opening up a positive and trusting line of communication with employees, something that will allow them to become a great leader. Possessing other-focused skills will ultimately allow managers to support others more effectively and make informed decisions for the greater good of their organization.

The Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment™

Analytics tools such as the Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment™ provide insights into the motivations and drives of human behaviour. As a result, it allows you to hire the right people for your organization. By hiring the right people, you will be able to identify great leaders versus great workers. The new Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment™ allows hiring teams to select behavioural targets for their applicants, so they can hire for other-focused leadership skills that they value.

If you are interested in learning more about the Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment™ click here, or to view how all our workforce analytics can help you make better people decisions, click here.