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I have spent a large part of my life trying to turn highly qualified technical engineers into managers, then I often get re-hired to turn inept managers into effective leaders. So am I a lousy trainer/facilitator or is the managerial candidature process flawed.

Yes we could (and mostly do) make the best engineer the next manager/leader however what do we get… DOUBLE TROUBLE… WHY? … We lose our best engineer and often get a lousy manager! SO WHO DO WE LOOK FOR? 

Can I suggest we all return to a process I used as a line manager and before I became a trainer… in future we should choose only those that…

- regularly tell others what they are doing and the results they have achieved on behalf of the company. Yeah I know they can be seen as braggers however better this sort, than the ones who are mumbling about the problems at home or type of boat they are thinking of buying

- seem to be able get their workmates to help out when things need to get done, the characters that say ‘hey lets all come in on Saturday finish this off and we can go to the pub for lunch together after’

- are willing to be in the spotlight… you know… the types that volunteer to plan a company event or activity or that will give presentations to other employees

- have a good network, they know ‘everybody,’ the sort of person you instinctively go to, to ask… do you know anyone that can get me a left handed widget for my ‘whats-it-thingo’

- finish tasks on time without sacrificing quality or wasting resources and are not forever complaining about why agreed targets are not reasonable

LOOK OUT OF YOUR OFFICE DOOR THERE MUST BE SOMEONE OUT THERE LIKE THAT… NO… OOPS

A few more handy attributes to look for when selecting leaders, choose…

- those that seem to make others feel good about themselves, the types that say, ‘he’s a good guy’ or ‘she’s a great help’ and that are comfortable paying compliments to others

- those that can sell the ‘no’ or a different point of view with tact and still maintain relationships by knowing what is common ground and strengthening that, rather than accentuating differences

- those that don’t bad mouth others or complain about workmates, ‘those idiots in accounting or the upstart pampered sales team’

- those that solve problems in imaginative ways and through negotiation rather than the ones that come to your office and say, ‘this is a cock up what do we do now’!

- those that listen and show they are listening

- and those that know how to sell rather than tell

Not a complete list for sure, however not a bad start OR is it back to… “AH FRED WHO’S OUR MOST SENIOR ENGINEER”?

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