How to Become a Great Manager

Most people become managers because they are good at the things they manage.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re great or even good at managing people. Management is a completely different skill set that many people don’t naturally have.

However you got your management role, I want to make you great at it. And the way to measure your greatness is by your people. Are they engaged? Are they committed? Are they productive?

Think about your employees. You probably have some people who aren’t engaged, committed, or productive. The easy way out is to accept that, but that’s not how you become a great manager.

The good news is that there are so many things you can do to increase your employee’s engagement.

Being Seen, Known, and Valued

To be a good manager, you need to make sure your employees feel seen, known, and valued.

“Carol, is that all?” I hear you ask. And yes, that is the base of it! It’s simple, but it’s also the most difficult step. For your employees to be at their very best in the workplace, they absolutely need to feel seen, known, and valued.

This can start in as little as five minutes a week - one meaningful conversation. Take five minutes each week to speak to each of your employees about something that’s not related to their work.

Focus on any question that allows your employees to expand just a bit on how they’re doing – as long as the conversation is meaningful and allows them to give you some real information about what’s happening.

Satisfied Employees Vs. Engaged Employees

Good managers want their employees to be satisfied with their work. Great managers want them engaged.

Satisfied employees really just make sure they have the basics covered. They hit the bare minimum expectations and are satisfied with their pay grade, benefits, working conditions, and amount of time off.

But you really want your employees to be motivated, engaged, and completely committed to their work and your company. 

One of the easiest things you can do as a manager is to build a positive relationship with your employees. Recognize your employees' outstanding work, make them feel like part of your organization’s culture, and help them understand their overall purpose with the company.

So, how do you get engaged employees? It all comes down to making them feel seen, known, and valued. And that starts with five areas.

The Five Areas of Employee Engagement

We can divide engagement into five areas, each contributing to your employees' feeling of being seen, known, and valued.

1️⃣Needs

Employees need to know and understand your expectations. This goes beyond sharing those expectations; they truly need to understand them. Checking if they understand is a great opportunity for your one meaningful conversation. They also need to have the supplies and materials to do their job. 

2️⃣Talents

Employees want an opportunity to showcase their best work. They want to do what they do best to feel truly engaged, and like they’re contributing to their company's future.

3️⃣Contributions

Employees want to be recognized for their work and understand how it makes a difference to their company. You can award them, give them a thank-you note, nominate them for an award or bonus, or just tell them. Remember that the larger an organization gets, the harder it is for employees to understand how what they’re doing makes a difference.

4️⃣Life

Your employees have a life outside of work. The best way to recognize your employees’ outside-of-work lives is to share a little bit of your own. Ask them questions. Talk about work/life balance. Give them an opportunity to share what they want to share about their lives.

5️⃣Future

Your employees want to know that they have a future in their organization. This can mean offering to help mold and grow them, providing them with future role development, or even just asking them questions about what they want for their future.

Start at the bottom of this pyramid and work your way up to help your employees feel seen, known, and valued. Think of at least one question you can ask your employees for each section. That’s how you’re going to get completely engaged, committed, and productive employees.

The Manager’s Impact

It’s easy to think that, as a manager, you have minimal impact on or control over your employees' engagement. They have personal lives, other teammates, and company rules and culture to abide by.

Research shows managers account for at least 70% of employee engagement invariance. You can make a huge difference in your employees' engagement.

The research also shows that 50% of employees quit their boss, not their job. Let that sink in for a moment: Half of all employees leave their jobs because of their bosses.

So, if you feel like your employees aren’t engaged, it’s not their responsibility to change that. It’s yours. You still have the biggest impact because people are engaged when they feel seen, known, and valued.

When your employees feel seen, known, and valued, they are willing to be engaged even when the circumstances around them are difficult. They’re willing to commit and do what you’re asking them to do. They’re willing to give it their all.

Next Steps

If you’re struggling with your team’s engagement, you don’t have to fix it alone. There are lots of resources available, including training and coaching. But I encourage you to think about what you can do today to help your employees feel seen, known, and valued so that they can continue giving you their best.

Please share this article with someone in your network who may be struggling with employee engagement. 

I offer individual training sessions as well as a Supervision Excellence training series that can change the culture of your organization for the better.  Book a time to chat with me here.