Let’s be real: bad managers don’t just frustrate employees; they drive your best talent out the door. The difference between a manager that people tolerate and a leader that people love comes down to skills HR must develop right now.
Want to turn your managers into magnetic leaders who inspire loyalty, performance, and trust? All this week, you’ll be getting practical solutions on how to spot behaviors that break or make great leadership and how to equip and elevate managers.
To kick off our HR Leadership & Coaching Week, let’s check out some of the qualities you should be looking for in new managers, and what you should be training your current managers for.
The Era of Soft Skills
Technical capabilities, spreadsheet expertise, and a mind for strategy are all fine skills, but in today’s age they aren’t going to be what makes a difference between an okay manager and a great leader. What employees wish to see and what HR professionals need to seek out are those with a mastery of soft skills.
Strong empathy and communication are no longer nice-to-haves on a resume. They’re the glue that holds teams together and a necessary skill managers need to have in order to run a team effectively. Times are unpredictable and, as of late, tumultuous and in many ways frightening. In order to keep employees happy and able to focus on work while not being overrun by life, managers need to be able to listen and speak to their needs empathetically and make decisions based on the health and wellness of their team, not just for optimization.
An Eye on Innovation
Every day it seems news floods our inboxes of new AI innovations, new legal mandates, and new best practices. When looking for a manager, you want someone who, not only can adapt quickly to the changing tides of the HR world, but someone whose intuition can ready them to change before it happens.
A strong eye for change and innovation can have your manager leading teams proactively instead of reactively. If you want a manager to last through times of change, they need to see the waves coming from up ahead and adjust accordingly.
Both Sides of The Coin
Leadership in and of itself is a skill, but often the best leaders are the ones who have spent time in the positions they’re leading. While it can be attractive to search out and retain those that have been in leadership roles for many years, there’s plenty of benefits to moving someone into a leadership position who knows what it’s like to be led.
In a time where empathy and innovation are a must for effective leaders, the shared experience of new, emerging leaders is an invaluable leg up on long-time managers. Don’t be afraid to promote someone new into the role. With effective training and diligence from HR, your best employees can quickly become your best managers.
Join our HR experts today as they engage in discussion on, “Turn Your Managers Into Leaders People Love,” with LeAnne Lagasse, Ricky Brown, and Megan Leasher. Register here!