Inc magazine contributor Geoffrey James has spent the past two decades researching executives and uncovering the secrets of their success and the basic ground rules for managing a team effectively:
1. They Avoid Creating Superstars
There is a tendency among average bosses to allow one employee to be the all-star while ignoring the hard work of everyone else. There is a message sent amongst everyone else that their contributions aren’t valued.
Extraordinary bosses, however, coordinate individual workers’ goals so that they intersect with and support team goals. Such bosses compensate based on how the team (rather than just the individual) performs and encourage top performers to use their talents to create a broader level of success.
2. They Remove the Non-performers
Instead of hiring someone who can’t do the job and keeping them on board with the hopes that he or she will figure it out, good bosses monitor employee performance and provide constructive coaching when necessary.
3. They Coach but Don’t Interfere
A good boss knows that their main objective is to let people do their jobs and provide help when necessary. It’s impossible for workers to think strategically when their time and energy are getting consumed with details of tactical execution.
4. They Put Their Employees First
The best way to please investors, peers, and customers is to put the employees first. Bosses must realize that it’s their employees who create, build, sell, and support the products that customers buy, thereby creating investor value and advancing a manager’s career.
5. They Manage People, Not Numbers
Know that numbers only represent what has happened, and that they best way to have great numbers is to make sure the job gets . Your responsibility is to manage people and their activities, so let the numbers take care of themselves.
6. They Ask Questions Rather Than Give Answers
People don’t learn when wisdom is handed to them on a platter. A manager’s job is to ask the questions that will spark, in the employee’s own mind, the though processes and ideas that will make that employee successful.
(HT: INC)