All executive leaders have many things in common: they all accept greater responsibility and accountability than non-management employees, they all exercise control over particular organizational functions, and they all focus on getting things done through others.
Yet, certain particular operating characteristics have been identified that are common to the best leaders, managers, and supervisors, the ones that are judged to be most effective in their roles, and are the most likely to succeed in moving up the management ladder. Martin Seidenfeld, Ph.D., a business consultant with specialty in Human Resources, identifies eight leader characteristics:
1) The ability to do it now – At least 80% of the things coming over the desks of most managers can and should be handled immediately. Effective managers toss it into the round file if it’s not useful, delegate it if appropriate, or do it themselves, as soon as possible, if necessary. Indecision and unwillingness to take calculated risks and fast, reasoned action are traits sure to block the career advancement of managers, and a tendency to procrastinate can be a manager’s career advancement death knell. Indecision and procrastination are the biggest thieves of time and among the most serious impediments to successful managerial functioning.
2) The ability to delegate effectively – This is not easy for most managers, who want to do what they can do well. Many managers, especially early in their managerial careers, are more comfortable doing than they are managing, especially since they were usually promoted up through the ranks because they were competent at their jobs. The effective manager sees that he/she has qualified people and selects an appropriate one for a given responsibility, delegates with clarity to ensure understanding, and follows up with regular progress reports, to make sure the intended results are achieved. Delegation must not be seen by employees as simply having an undesirable task dumped on them. The best managers use delegation both as a way to save his/her own time for other uses and as an invaluable tool for upgrading the skills of employees.
3) Willingness to expend time and effort to encourage employees – Supporting subordinates is at the heart of managerial effectiveness. Yet, many managers find themselves too busy. Evidencing concern for employees and encouraging, reinforcing, and showing appreciation for their efforts is a manager’s most important function. Successful and effective managers know that they can only succeed when their employees succeed and that their own performance rating will be based on how well his/her work unit performs so a well-trained, highly motivated set of employees is the requisite for success as a manager. Effective managers also recognize that a well-motivated workforce is a whole lot more fun to be around than one that simply gets things done because they are supposed to.
4) The ability to prioritize tasks – Effective managers avoid being trapped by trivia. They struggle against perfectionist tendencies that can draw them into expending time on unimportant matters. They can distinguish between tasks that are truly important to getting the job done and those that are merely urgent. They organize their work so that they are not constantly putting out fires, but concentrate on achieving the most important mission goals. The key to effective prioritizing is the ability to organize and to make decisions and always keeping the big picture in mind. Planning on a daily basis and establishing priorities for the day is the universally accepted practice of the best managers.
5) Strict adherence to policies of fairness – In reviewing and assessing employees’ performance, in considering the assignment of tasks, in administering discipline and in all other matters, the effective manager bases his/her judgment on objective observation and is totally impartial and scrupulously fair. In order to achieve such fairness the manager must be capable of objectively assessing performance and that means having objective, quantifiable data about each employee’s performance.
6) Commitment to strong team membership – Being committed to their roles as members of the team, effective managers listen carefully and respectfully to their teammates, contribute ideas as often as possible, take pride in the organization and support their teammates’ efforts in every way possible. At the same time as an effective manager helps to create a strong sense of team-play within their own work groups, they also actively involve themselves as team players in the larger organization.
These six traits have proven their value to managers over the years, at all levels and in all fields of endeavour. Consider carefully each of these traits and rate yourself on each. By frankly admitting where you may fall short you can wisely direct your efforts to improve. Only by continuous and conscientious effort can managers come to master these traits and successfully advance both themselves and their organizations into the unknown future.