…Writer Rey Elbo posited this question, tongue in cheek, in a Manila Times editorial exploring “the idiocy of excessive management command-and-control that defeats employee empowerment.” Changing light bulbs aside, the real question is: how many hurdles does it take to find the right kind of manager?
Finding the right type of management talent is as old as time. Egyptian Pharaohs and Athenian aristocracy of the ancient world might not have been concerned about the welfare of those who built monuments that endure centuries later. But they had a buffer, a hierarchy of people who managed the masses to get the job done.
Fast forward some 2,500 years.
Today’s good managers do more than get the job done. They actively listen, mentor, team-build and support individual career development, ideally with inspiration and innovation. Bad managers hammer morale and hurt retention.
A 360-degree survey is a tool of today’s HR trade that shows on which side of the fence managers fall, and where training can help.
But what about taking on a new manager? Do you go shopping for the management skills you need externally? Or do you develop and promote from within?
Does the prospect have a commitment to their career? How are their learning, analytical and people skills? What do their social media postings suggest? Some other top considerations when on the lookout for management caliber people:
According to Robert E. Quinn and Kim S. Cameron, at the University of Michigan, there are four types of cultures:
Whether management talent is brought in from the outside or grown up in the organization, new managers can adapt more efficiently to their roles from the feedback of 360 degree surveys. When done properly:
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