Google spent a year studying managers — The most successful ones share these five characteristics
Google found that these five characteristics led to significant improvements in management effectiveness and performance
Becoming a successful manager is not easy; it requires building trust with team members and constant work to be better.
But, what exactly makes a successful manager?
In 2009, Google’s Project Oxygen was born with a fundamental mission: to build better leaders.
The Project Oxygen team at Google’s People Innovation Lab spent a whole year collecting data on managers from over 10,000 data points and over 100 variables.
They then interviewed managers to get more data and evidence to support their findings.
In the end, they coded over 400 pages of notes and interview data and shared their conclusions with employees.
Later, these findings served as the foundation for several management training programs.
In November 2012, with the program in place for several years, the company was able to highlight significant improvements in management effectiveness and performance.
The Project Oxygen statistics experts found that successful managers consistently possess eight qualities.
They are good coaches
Coaching is the process of engaging an entire team and bringing out the best qualities and skills of each team member.
The best manager-coaches are highly involved and care about each employee.
Their challenge is to organize the team so that everyone works in that “ideal place” where they can use their strengths and are highly motivated to contribute.
From there, the manager can challenge them to give their best. But to support their team’s work, managers need to get involved with them to help them solve problems.
That’s what great coaching managers do.
They don’t micromanage
What Google found in its best managers was more empowerment of people and less micromanagement, with “bosses” insisting on getting their hands on every aspect of the team’s work.
When micromanagers don’t trust the work of their team, the employee experience can become completely demoralizing.
They show interest in their people’s well-being
Most organizations establish a plan after an employee runs the risk of burnout.
Much more needs to be done.
Leaders need to have a more holistic view of the health of their employees, including mental and emotional health, stress management, and preventive care options for the employee as a whole.
To make well-being a priority, leaders should begin inquiring their employees to do a triage and measure them in all dimensions of well-being.
A Gallup study identified six dimensions of well-being: career, social, financial, physical, community, and purpose.
They’re effective communicators
Effective communication is crucial for any manager.
The best managers are able to clearly and effectively convey their expectations, goals, and feedback to their team.
They also actively listen to their team members, encouraging them to share their thoughts and ideas.
This open and transparent communication helps to build trust and a positive work environment.
They’re decisive
Effective managers are able to make decisions quickly and confidently.
They’re not afraid to take risks and they understand that not every decision will be a success.
However, they’re able to learn from their mistakes and move forward.
This decisiveness also allows them to respond quickly to changes in the business environment.
They’re results-driven
Finally, the best managers are results-driven.
They understand the importance of setting clear goals and working with their team to achieve them.
They are focused on delivering results and continuously looking for ways to improve performance.
Final thoughts
Google’s Project Oxygen found that successful managers possess qualities such as being good coaches, not micromanaging, showing interest in their people’s well-being, being effective communicators, being decisive, and being results-driven.
By fostering these characteristics, managers can improve their effectiveness and performance, and ultimately lead their teams to success.
