Google Spent One Year Researching Great Leaders. The Most Successful Ones Shared These 5 Traits

Becoming a successful manager is not easy; it requires their developing trust with their team members and continuous development to become better. So what exactly makes a successful manager? Back in 2009, Google's Project Oxygen was birthed with a fundamental mission: to build better bosses.

As only a data-mining behemoth like Google can do, the Project Oxygen team in Google's People Innovation Lab spent a whole year gathering more than 10,000 observations about managers--across more than 100 variables. They then interviewed managers to gather more data, and to look for evidence that supported their notions. Finally, researchers coded more than 400 pages of interview notes and data, and rolled out the results to employees. Later, these results became the source of various training programs for managers. By November 2012, the program had been in place for several years, and the company could point to statistically significant improvements in managerial effectiveness and performance.

Statisticians at Project Oxygen found that successful managers consistently had eight qualities. Among them, highlighted here, are:

1. Being good coaches

Coaching is the process of fully engaging a team and bringing out the best qualities and skill sets of each member. The best manager-coaches are deeply engaged and care about each team member. Their challenge is to organize their team such that everyone is working in their sweet spot--that role where they can use their strengths and are highly motivated to contribute. From there, they can challenge them to perform their best. But to sustain the work of your team, managers need to engage with them to help them solve problems. This is what great coaching managers do.

2. Not micromanaging

What Google found in their best managers was more empowerment of people and less micromanagement--bosses' insisting on getting their hands on every aspect of their people's work. When micromanagers don't let go and trust their team members to perform their work, as a result, the employee experience can be downright demoralizing.

3. Showing interest in their employees' well-being

Most organizations are set up to plan for what happens after an employee is at risk for burnout. Far more needs to be done. Leaders need to look at a more holistic view of their employees' health, including mental and emotional health, stress management, and preventive care options for the whole person. To make well-being a top priority, leaders should start by surveying their employees to screen and measure them on all dimensions of well-being. Gallup research identifies six dimensions of well-being: emotional, career, social, financial, physical, and community. All six dimensions are interrelated and crucial to well-being and a life well-lived.

4. Listening to the team

Strong active listening skills in conversation are the foundation for superb human communication. Few behaviors enhance a conversation as much as attending to what people have to say. It signals respect and a sense of curiosity for what they have to say.

Unfortunately, active listening is one of the least taught skills in leadership. Studies confirm that most of us are poor and inefficient listeners. When you talk to your boss, co-workers, or customers for 10 minutes, studies indicate you pay attention to less than half of the conversation. As managers, building up your active listening skills is crucial for solving problems, developing trust, and winning the hearts and minds of people.

5. Helping employees with career development

Managers hold the key here and must start believing in their team members by maintaining a high view of them, and by showing an interest in their jobs and career aspirations and creating learning and development opportunities for their people.

Marcel Schwantes

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