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Whether you were just promoted to a management position or you’ve been a manager for a while, if you want the people you lead to deliver great results on your behalf time and again, you’ll need to find ways to keep them happy, motivated, and successful. Five business leaders give us their best-practice tips for being a better manager.
1. Show your vulnerability
Zarah Al-Kudcy, head of commercial partnerships at Formula 1, says great managers are honest — and that’s something that was crucial during the pandemic and continues to be pivotal in the post-COVID age of remote-working strategies.
“I think over the last few years, being able to be vulnerable, and being able to say, ‘I didn’t get that right,’ or ‘I may not know that,’ has become key,” she says. “I think it’s more reflective of who we are as a society now and how we challenge each other.”
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Al-Kudcy says people respond well to managers who are authentic and who show their own vulnerabilities. She accepts when she’s made a mistake, she’s open with those in the organization, and she encourages others to reflect on lessons that they might learn, too.
“So, it’s about demonstrating that I’m able to say, ‘I’m not perfect, I did get that wrong, I own up to that.’ And that level of honesty just breeds a better working environment for other people.”
2. Recognize that good is better than perfect
Jeff Singman, executive vice president of technology at Arkos Health, says effective leaders understand that everyone in their team has individual strengths and weaknesses. An effective management style comes from putting people in the right kind of position, where they can work with confidence and start to excel.
“No one is perfect,” he says. “It’s important that people learn that good is often good enough when it comes to the work they do. I’m a big subscriber of ‘good is better than perfect’, because perfect takes too long and is unachievable. So, set an achievable goal that people can grab on to — providing a sense of accomplishment is key.”
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Singman also believes that leading people effectively is about more than just setting broad-brush goals. His experiences suggest management style is likely to differ slightly according to the personality and the persona of the individual you’re dealing with.
“You’ve just got to tailor your environment,” he says. “You’ve got to set boundaries, guidelines, and rules. We’re agile, we’re innovative, we’re a unicorn healthcare business. And the way we achieve innovation is through flexibility and creativity, working together, and showing mutual respect.”
3. Celebrate success
Prakash Rao, group head of supply chain projects at retail and hospitality giant Landmark Group, says good managers recognize that their team is their strength.
“You have to start with building your team to get the right people,” he says. “And when I say the right people, they have to be in sync with the culture of the company, the ethos of the company, and the principles and the values of the company.”
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Rao says good managers ensure their staff continue to receive training and development, so they can learn new skills and deliver great results. And when those staff members achieve something, it’s vital to build enthusiasm through rewards, recognition, and a supportive, happy culture.
“Every month, we celebrate success,” he says. “We call out people who have done well to keep the team motivated. Ultimately, managers need to have a sense of humor. Your team should be happy to come in to work every morning. A happy employee means a happy customer.”
4. Engage with people constantly
Cyril Pourrat, chief procurement officer (CPO) at telecoms giant BT, says traditional, top-down management styles are unlikely to work in today’s modern business environment. The only way to ensure success is to engage with your staff as much as possible.
Pourrat says some of his previous C-suite roles came with the trappings of a senior executive position — a huge office, a car, and a chauffeur. In his current role as CPO, and as chief executive of BT Sourced, which is a standalone procurement company within BT Group, he eschews many of those frills because his priority is close engagement with the team.
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“I don’t have a car, I don’t have a chauffeur, and I’m using public transportation,” he says. “I’m wearing jeans and sneakers. And I’m sitting in the middle of the team — and anyone, at any point of time, knows that, if they have a question, they can just stop by and chat.”
Pourrat says earlier experiences helped shape his engaged approach. He worked in the Middle East as a CPO for several years. When he visited his procurement team for the first time in one role, they were surprised to see him take the time to leave the C-suite and engage in their space.
“They said, ‘That’s not the way it works in this business. Usually, we go to see the executive team and it’s rarely the executive team that are coming down to see us.’ And I said, ‘Well, you will have to deal with that, because that’s the way I’m working.’ And then when I left the role, several of them said to me, ‘The thing that we will miss the most is you coming to see us.'”
5. Be clear about expectations
Mary O’Callaghan, director of technology engagement at the charity British Heart Foundation, is another senior executive who believes that speaking with people on their terms is crucial to success. Her advice to other managers is simple: be engaged, clear, and concise.
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“I’ve always been quite empathetic and interested in people. It’s very important that you’re clear about what you expect and how you can help them. Then you must make the space for them to achieve great things,” she says.
“Good management is not about micromanaging and saying, ‘you must do this now.’ It’s about being clear about what’s expected, how you can help, and then leaving them to do their very best.”