A number or organizations I have consulted/worked for have tended to appoint the most technically competent staff member to the role of manager. If this procedure is followed often the best salesperson (as an example) will become the sales manager. The downside risk of this approach alone is that you can lose your best salesperson and gain a lousy manager/leader. So what attributes do you look for to head a department, particularly when you are promoting from within.
According to Bobby Borg of getsigned.com “the most important qualities to look for in a manager are; in addition to being powerful, well-connected, a good negotiator, enthusiastic, committed and accessible, a good manager should be one who over-all inspires your trust and respect”.
Steve Aston commenting on hbswk.hbs.edu suggests picking individuals (managers/leaders) that have “a vision” who have “learned to engage people” and possessed of a great deal of “political savvy” who ‘know how to pay attention to, neutralize and/or convert these [political] forces quietly, ethically and effectively’. Finally he says leaders need to be able to “manage a healthy tension between patience and a ’sense of urgency’”.
Well that all sounds great on paper and perhaps you can test for those qualities or recognize them over time. Some of the more “top of the behavioral pyramid” observable traits that I believe can help and you could look for are:
– those who regularly tell others what they are doing and the results they have achieved on behalf of the company. I know they can be seen as braggers however better this sort, than the ones who are grumbling about the problems or spending there time explaining why things can’t happen based on their professional ‘competence’
- those that seem to be able get their workmates to help out when things need to get done, the characters that say ‘hey lets stay on and finish this off together’ and that don’t bad mouth others or complain about workmates
- those who 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
- those with 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’
- those that finish tasks on time without sacrificing quality or wasting resources
- 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 solve problems in imaginative ways and through negotiation rather than the ones that come to your office and say, ‘this is a foul up what do we do now’!
- those that listen and show they are listening and can communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively
Now you may see the above points as a little less serious than the more formal and recognized approaches however experience shows that often those that do demonstrate the traits above are also the natural leaders.
Finally Adrian Grigoriu also commenting on hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6103.html says:
“It is generally accepted that business management is about organization, control, planning and budgeting. Leadership is thought to be about motivation, mobilization, creating the vision and establishing culture. It demands charisma, the quality of an individual to attract followers for a specific endeavor by inspiring trust and respect . This comes from experience, education, leading by example and natural abilities such as self confidence and emotional control (EQ) to reassure and be credible.”
So can I suggest if you are gazing out at your staff compliment and wondering which is the best technical expert that you should make your next department head, before you decide, think about the above points and just maybe one of the lesser technicians is your best choice as the leader/manager.
Tags: how to pick a manger, how to select a leader, leader selection, managers as leaders, promoting managers