Everyone has experienced working with good (and bad) managers and we all know how important a boss can be to workplace motivation and performance - not just individually but the team as a whole.
But what actually makes a manager great? Are there certain qualities that all good bosses have?
We looked at leading research to identify the key traits and practices that distinguish exceptional managers from the average ones.
Being an effective and inspiring manager is a multifaceted thing, requiring a combination of interpersonal skills, strategic thinking, and adaptability, and while it might be a stretch for a person to possess all these attributes, they are skills that can be honed.
1. Be a good coach
Google has been conducting management research for decades now, testing to see if managers matter and how teams perform without them. The tech giant set up Project Oxygen in 2009 and the multi-year research project has identified eight key attributes of great managers, and being a good coach is the top skill.
Coaching employees is essential in any organisation and the best managers are adept at giving constructive feedback and support to help team members learn and grow.
It’s about understanding each team member and working with them to bring out their strengths, build passion, and improve skills. Without a good boss, Google’s research has shown that people can’t get basic help to solve problems, and lack guidance in important areas like career development.
2. Empower the team
Skill number two on Google’s list is empowering people and avoiding the pitfalls of micromanagement.
This is all about trust: trust that team members can do the job well without the boss hovering over them and employees trusting that their boss has their back and can let them get on with the work.
Giving employees autonomy fosters innovation, as employees are able to follow their ideas and instincts to find new solutions. It also encourages accountability, because people feel responsible for their efforts.
The flipside is a manager who tries to control every aspect of their team’s work and can’t bear to delegate responsibilities, which only damages morale and productivity.
3. High emotional intelligence
A 2024 research paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the US found that good managers are roughly twice as valuable as good workers, and the most effective managers exhibit strong interpersonal skills and can relate well to others.
This builds psychological safety in the team, enabling people to be more open to trying new ways of working and accepting critical feedback because they feel stable and secure in their job.
Google’s research backs this up. It concluded that the best managers are the ones that show empathy and a genuine interest in people’s success, regularly checking in with team members on progress and challenges - both inside and outside of work.
The NBER study found that people with a strong desire to be a manager typically perform worse than those randomly assigned managerial positions. They tend to be overconfident, especially about their social skills, which can lead them to focus too much on their own behaviour instead of the performance and motivation of their teammates.
4. Good communication skills
Being a good communicator underpins all of the traits we’ve listed so far, and perhaps could be at the top. It seems obvious that to get the best from your team you need to be able to communicate well, but not all managers are good at it.
Communication is not only about clearly framing objectives and delivering feedback, it’s also about being transparent and available, actively listening to people, and building open dialogue within the team.
The NBER research concluded that good managers don’t have to be the most vocal leaders, they can effectively assist and motivate the team in quiet ways.
5. Analytical thinking
NBER’s study found good managers have roughly twice the impact on team performance as good workers, consistently getting their team to produce more than the sum of its parts.
A large part of that success is being able to take a step back to assess the bigger picture and make informed decisions.
Great managers are adept at delegating work and organising resources, identifying team members’ strengths and deciding where their efforts should be focused to maximise success. That analytical thinking also extends to the way the organisation does things and being open to different ways of working, whether it be taking advantage of new technology or adapting approaches to address challenges.
6. Provide strategy and vision
Another global, multi-year study by Gallup found that managers were responsible for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores across surveyed business units (the study measured the engagement of 27 million employees in 2.5 million teams).
Unfortunately, the research also concluded that the majority of people given managerial roles don’t have the necessary talents, and instead of being able to overcome adversity and make decisions based on productivity, they deal with workplace issues through manipulation and unhelpful politics.
A big part of keeping employees engaged and motivated is translating the organisation’s goals into a compelling mission on the ground. That means aligning team efforts with the overall strategy and breaking things down into actionable tasks.
This is a common thread in all the research and having a clear vision provides team members with direction and purpose, guiding their efforts towards common objectives.
7. Be productive and results-oriented
The research by Google and Gallup both found setting clear goals and maintaining focus on outcomes is a big driver of team performance.
Gallup’s study found that the best managers were assertive in driving outcomes and had the ability to overcome adversity and remove barriers, while less effective managers struggled to create change or stimulate improvement in employee performance.
A leader needs to set an example and assume responsibility for their team’s performance, creating cohesive systems, structures, and support to enable people to excel.
8. Help with career development
We mentioned career development earlier, and supporting employees with their career aspirations contributes to higher satisfaction and retention.
In such a rapidly changing work environment, with technological advances such as artificial intelligence becoming more commonplace, many employees worry that their skills will become outdated or they will lose their jobs to automation.
Savvy managers understand these concerns and provide team members with real opportunities to grow and develop in their careers. That requires not only offering training and new responsibilities, but ensuring they are targeted to the person’s preferences and goals, and are part of an ongoing programme of development.
Bonus tip: Make sure you choose the right people and don’t forget managerial training
It’s clear from the studies that the people who make it into managerial positions aren’t always the best for the role. Many organisations hire managers for reasons that don’t predict their ability to actually manage other people, e.g. as a promotion or because of technical experience or long service.
But rather than choosing managers based on service or a preference for leadership, it’s better to select people based on the range of management skills we have outlined.
While few people will have all the traits necessary to be an effective manager, there are skills that can be learned and developed, so don’t overlook the importance of managerial training. Investing in leadership development can equip managers with the qualities needed to lead effectively and foster a productive and positive work environment that delivers success.
