As the world of work continues to change
so do the qualities and characteristics of the managers who are going
to be leading our companies. Work is not the same as it used to be and
we are seeing dramatic changes in both behavior and technology not just
in our personal lives but in our professional lives. This means that
just because managers were successful in the past doesn’t mean they will
be successful in the future. When it comes to evolving the way we work
managers need to possess five qualities to help their organizations
evolve and succeed in the future of work.
Follow from the front
The future management model is all about removing roadblocks from the
paths of employees in order to help them succeed. This extends beyond
managing people to empowering and engaging people.
The traditional idea
of management was based on leading by fear and the notion of command
and control. Employees used to work hard to allow their managers to
succeed and now it’s the managers turn to make sure their employees
succeed. As I’ve said many times, employees are the most valuable asset
that any organization has. In the past managers said “jump” and the
employees said, “how high?” Now, the managers are jumping with
employees.
Understand technology
This isn’t the same as technical expertise. I’m not
saying that it’s important for managers to all of a sudden become IT
professionals. However, managers do need to understand the overall
technology landscape and how it is impacting the way we work. This
means having a good pulse of what is happening in the consumer web as
well as understanding which social and collaborative technologies are
making their way into the enterprise and what the implications of that
are. Managers who have a good understanding of what is happening with
technology will always be able to adapt and evolve ahead of the
competition.
Lead by example
It used to be good enough for managers to say they supported
something. A manager would just need to approve the budget and say “go
for it.” When it comes to collaboration and the future of work that is
no longer enough. Managers need to commit to more than just funding
collaboration. They need to be the ones on the ground level using the
same tools that the rest of the employees are using. There is no way
that employees can change and evolve (nor should they) unless they see
their managers doing the same.
Embrace vulnerability
This goes hand in hand with being open and transparent. Our
organizations were modeled after the military and if there’s one thing
that a commander wasn’t, that was vulnerable. However, times have
changed and we aren’t running our organizations like the military
anymore. We go our whole lives (especially men) learning how to be the
opposite of vulnerable and we always have this “shield” up to keep
people from seeing us when we are vulnerable. However, Brene Brown,
author of “Daring Greatly,” says that vulnerability is about having the
courage to show up and be seen. According to Brown, “Vulnerability is
the absolute heartbeat of innovation and creativity. There can be zero
innovation without vulnerability.” Being vulnerable isn’t about being
weak it’s about being courageous; a key quality that every manager must
have going forward.
Belief in sharing
Traditionally managers sat at the top of the organization and had
access to all of the information required to make decisions. Managers
would dole out the orders and the employees had to execute on those
orders without asking any questions. Today managers cannot believe in
hoarding information but in sharing information and collective
intelligence. Managers need to make sure that the employees can connect
to each other and to the information they need to get their jobs done,
anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Managers now rely on employees to
help make decisions instead of isolating them from this process.
What other qualities do you think the modern manager should possess?
Jacob is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, The
Collaborative Organization: A Strategic Guide to Solving Your Internal
Business Challenges Using Social and Collaborative Tools (McGraw Hill).
Helping others should be a natural extension of every
business leader’s responsibilities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come as
easy as you would think. As leaders, we often get too caught up in
operations or our own problems to give people the help they need.
However, in the last year, I’ve realized that most of my best clients,
partners and relationships have come from me helping someone. Here are
10 thoughts that can remind you to help others.
- Sharing knowledge
One of the easiest ways to
help others is to simply share your knowledge. You don’t have to be in
front of a classroom to teach. Every day there is an opportunity to
educate someone about your area of expertise. The key is to keep
educating yourself so you can stay ahead of the curve.
- Finding out what’s valuable to them
The number
one rule of helping people should be to find out what’s actually
valuable to someone. You may spend time and effort helping someone with
something that they didn’t even want help with. Make an effort to ask
them where they need help, and keep that in mind when you see an
opportunity.
- Sharing your resources
Think about the
resources you’ve invested in and be mindful of whether they can help
someone else. Maybe a developer on your team has some extra time and one
of your contacts needed some help on a quick job. Or, maybe you have
Cardinals season tickets and there’s a game that you won’t be able to
attend. Keep those under- or unused resources in the back of your mind
and try to connect them to people who can use them.
- Making them aware of an opportunity
It’s
important to keep an eye out for opportunities. It could be good press, a
potential partner, or a general business opportunity. Once you see an
opportunity, think about who could benefit from knowing about it. One of
the ways I like to help my employees is to help their friends,
relatives or significant others if they’re looking for a job. A lot of
times I can use my business connections to find a potential good fit.
- Giving them transparent feedback
Transparent
feedback can be tough because some people don’t take constructive
criticism well. There is a difference between telling someone that they
suck and giving them good examples of how they can improve. Some
people won’t take it well but, in the long run, you will help the people
that you want to work with and improve the efficiency and success of
your company as well.
- Being a brand advocate
I was at a conference
the other day and an American Airlines employee was going on and on
about how she loved her Modify watch. She truly wanted to help the
company because she loved the product and wanted to see them succeed.
Think about the products and services that you love, and don’t be shy
about letting people know about them.
- Giving introductions
There’s a lot of big talk
out there. Someone knows somebody who is a great contact or client, but
they never actually make the introduction. Rather than making and
breaking promises, make an effort to actually send out several intros
each week. However, don’t let your credibility take a hit: make sure the
people you’re advocating are legit.
- Volunteering your time
Time is valuable and
most people understand that. When you take time out of your day to help
a friend, they remember it. I try and do a guest webinar every couple
of weeks for contacts so they know I’m willing to take time out of my
day to share my experience with the community. Even if it’s not
something as public as a webinar or podcast, set aside some time to help
a contact. It could be as simple as helping them move to a new home.
- Recognizing them
There are a variety of ways
to give someone recognition. You can include them in an article that
you’ve written or mention them in a speech or presentation. An easy way
to recognize someone is to nominate them for an award. There are
countless awards out there that could really help out your network. It
will mean a lot to the nominee that you thought of them and wanted to
recognize them. On a smaller scale, you can have internal recognition
within your company. We have an award called “the belt” that looks like a
WWF belt. Each week the current winner chooses the next winner. It’s an
easy way to make an employee feel good about the solid work they’ve
done for your company.
- Giving gifts
Gifts can be tricky because you
don’t want to “buy” peoples’ favor. You want to get them a gift that
makes sense and will help them. When Hurricane Sandy hit, we sent care
packages with items that survivors could use as they recovered from the
devastation. People tend to remember who helped them when they were in
need, so it’s important to make an extra effort during these times.
Helping others isn’t always easy. It can sometimes derail your
schedule and cost you time, money and other resources. It can even be
interpreted the wrong way. However, keep these tips in mind for some
easy ways to show your connections that they truly matter to you.
John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a
company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence
through products and services ranging from creating and publishing
bylined articles to facilitating in residence programs for brands and
much more. Influence & Co. is one of the leading providers of high
quality expert content to the world’s top publications.
