Human Resource & Payroll Services And Solutions - Houston, Dallas, Austin - Texas www.hrp.net. What kind of managers do employees admire the most and what can you do to get them? The answers may prove critical to your ability to keep your organization growing and profitable in 2013 and beyond.

1. Toll Free: 877.880.4477
Phone: 281.880.6525
Building Good Leaders: The Role
of Coaching
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2. » Employees will walk over hot coals, figuratively speaking, for a boss they
admire and respect. Such leaders can be hard to find, however. If you
aren't already over-supplied with them, you can play a role in turning that
around. But your own ideas about what makes a good boss might be at
odds with your employees' -- and their opinions matter.
» Robert Goodsell is a seasoned coach on the faculty of leadership
consultant WJM Associates who has spent many years studying the
matter. He has asked employees to describe the generic characteristics of
the "best boss" they have ever had. Their answers fell into four themes.
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3. Good leaders:
1 Treat their subordinates as "valued colleagues." That involves showing
1
respect, trusting subordinates, taking a genuine interest in their
opinions and showing a willingness to take risks on their behalf.
2 Create an environment that fosters learning and professional
2
growth. Employees experience that when bosses showed patience even
though workers made mistakes, viewed mistakes as chances to learn,
took time to answer questions and encouraged subordinates to take
advantage of training opportunities.
3 Set an example. Employees respect bosses who have knowledge, skills,
3
experience and passion that both show their dedication to success and
reveal their qualifications for their leadership role.
4 Provide structure and guidance. Most workers appreciate concrete
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goals and expectations, and a vision that inspires them to excel.
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4. Some additional characteristics of good leaders as told to Goodsell don't fit
into any particular category. Good leaders exhibit high personal integrity,
set high expectations, show consistency, empathy, flexibility and maintain
an optimistic outlook.
What Does it Add Up to?
Goodsell's take- always from his
polling include the observation that
good leaders are comfortable in their
own skin. According to Goodsell, good
leaders "have realistically faced their
limitations and have found that the
gifts and talents that they have are
quite sufficient to build a very
satisfying life."
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5. Transforming Employees
» Good leaders, he believes, are focused on "lifting up and encouraging others
in the service of a worthwhile endeavor." By creating the right environment,
leaders transform employees from simply doing what they do to obey orders
and protect their paycheck, to people who want to do their best and are
largely motivated from within.
» Unfortunately, such leaders can be hard -- but not impossible -- to find. That
means you need to be sure to know what to look for when hiring managers
(or future managers), Goodsell says. "By sensitizing those who do the
selection to the value of these characteristics, we can gather evidence from
candidates of the extent they have developed these instincts," he suggests.
» How to do it? One suggestion from Goodsell: Don't limit your questions to
the applicant's own triumphs. Also ask managerial job candidates to talk
about the success of their subordinates. If the candidate responds with a
blank stare, perhaps you need to move on to the next one. Of course, if the
candidate comes from within your own organization, be sure to get input
from his or her current direct-reports.
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6. Speeding up Maturation
» Chances are, you have managers in place who aren't bad enough to
demote or terminate, but don't resemble the "good boss" that Goodsell
describes.
» Can they evolve? Yes, he says. While the key attributes of good leaders
involve personal maturity ("experience is the best teacher because you
get the test before you get the lesson," Goodsell observes), maturation
can be speeded up with coaching.
» It's accomplished by encouraging the manager to experiment and then
draw lessons from the new management approaches that are tried.
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7. » Goodsell once worked with a senior manager who was regarded by his
superiors as "self-absorbed, deferential to superiors and a pompous
micromanager of subordinates." Through assessment, coaching and on-
job assignments, the manager tried new ways of interacting with others.
As you might predict, the story had a happy ending.
» The upshot was a dramatic improvement in the manager's interpersonal
skills, better coaching of his subordinates and "taking a more engaged
role with superiors," Goodsell recalls. Teamwork and cooperation within
his department grew, and the department became viewed more as a
partner to other units of the company. "Even his personal life and
friendships changed," says Goodsell.
» His bottom line: Transforming someone is harder than hiring smart by
knowing what to look for in a good boss when you recruit. But when
dealing with an existing situation, "it certainly is possible for a poor leader
to become a good leader with the help of a coach."
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Phone : 281.880.6525
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