5 attributes of a great manager

By Genevieve Hancock

Everyone has dealt with a vast array of managerial styles and individual personalities from different managers. Unless you are self-employed, you likely have a supervisor or manager that you have to learn to “manage upwards,” as well as manage any direct reports. Managing upwards can be a great indicator of leadership skills when it comes to communication. It is beneficial to note that this article is going to set aside technical skills and competencies in whichever role the manager is in. The attributes below address the highly valued soft skills of a leader, rather than a “boss.”

1. Communication

Active listening is key! Ensuring that both parties, the employee and the manager, are listening to understand and reflect back what has been said can end most miscommunications before they escalate. There are many styles of communication, and in none of them should the priority ever be to formulate what you want to respond with before understanding the conversation. While this may not be a direct interruption, it does disrupt the flow of a conversation before it is clearly concluded with everyone on the same page.

2. Positive reinforcement

I cannot emphasize this one enough! Working with managers who only have negative things to say — or even more than half the time — can be extremely demotivating. Positive reinforcement and support are key. Find the time to discuss and get on the same page, and then go into that big meeting knowing your manager supports your position. While this can’t always happen, generally if someone needs support and becomes vulnerable enough to ask for it, it means they trust you. Make sure you follow through with what you have said and don’t break that trust. This is the foundation and core of maintaining relationships. In the same way, your manager likely also needs some accolades for a job well done and support in meetings as well, as long as the situation is right to speak up.

3. Empathy

The ability of a manager to connect with others and their willingness to take time out to ensure that relationship is well maintained shows an investment in the relationship. This applies on both a personal and professional level, and requires cultivating empathy and understanding things that may affect the professional environment. The Theodore Roosevelt quote, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” can be applied to the emotional intelligence and empathy levels of any manager. No one wants disconnected and isolated direct reports, as this directly affect training costs, company turnover and communication.

Anyone in a professional environment has growth and development goals for themselves. Understanding and empathizing with why and how these goals fit in and benefit their performance is key when keeping morale elevated and employees engaged with the work and the company. A manager who organically cares about their team and creates an environment of caring will more likely have engaged and productive employees than one who does not. No one wants to stay in a place where they do not feel valued.

4. Setting expectations

One of the first things to do when starting a position, or as a mediator to reset any miscommunication, is meet to set clear and concise expectations. An engaged manager who checks in to ensure that understanding is maintained indicates not only a care for the quality of work, but also a care for their employees. Whether it is a more involved style of management, like micro-management, or a more hand- off and empowered version — clarified by setting clear expectations as to how the employee and employer work best together — a timely check-in and support where needed shows flexibility and team building.

A good rule of thumb for management is to never delegate based on an unwillingness to actively support on or perform a specific task. Understanding how and why work is performed is integral to understanding the outcome.

5. Accountability

A great manager will hold themselves accountable for their responsibilities and what they have said. Situations may change, so adequate and proactive communication around the situation is a form of accountability. A manager who is great to work for will ensure that any unprofessional criticism will not make it down to you. We’ve all felt thrown under the bus for something that wasn’t our responsibility at some point in our careers — and a great manager will try to keep this from happening. Blame will not fix whatever the situation is, and moving forward by fixing it and remaining professional can help minimize any issues.

A great employee

So this addresses the great manager, but what about the great employee? There are many views on what makes a great employee, and most of them are subjective when it comes to specifics. A manager who appreciates someone taking initiative to improve a process versus a manager who appreciates not having to reassess efficiencies in a process each can have very different perspectives on the benefits of the same accomplishment. Personally, I find writing to be a very subjective field when it comes to the amount of context a manager wants, or even a company. Many companies have their own unique “companied” style of writing memoranda. Keeping this in mind, staying flexible (within reason) and not taking criticism personally are under-rated attributes for both employees and managers.

A great amount of tension can be caused by whether the employee and manager are on the same page or have different styles. Any great employee can apply the same attributes listed above to their manager as well.

Genevieve Hancock is a technical accountant specializing in complex modeling and changes in accounting guidance as a senior financial reporting analyst for Disney Parks & Resorts Controllership based in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. She serves on the Disclosures Editorial Task Force and the Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC).