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According to a recent Monster survey, 76% of employees describe their boss as toxic. That’s a ton of people laying in wait to do what many workers fantasize about: telling off their boss.
But the real question is: does your manager have redeemable qualities or contrasting personalities just not gel in your current remote work scenario?
For those who have never been a manager, identifying these qualities or navigating a managerial position may seem foreign. It’s a difficult job and requires a bit of trial and error, especially for a company transitioning from a traditional office setting to the remote realm.
So whether you need justification and confirmation about whether your boss is actually a poor manager or you’re deciding how to approach management as a first-time boss, recognizing and applying strong managerial qualities are ideal for success.
Is your boss actually a jerk?
If you’ve had a boss that you consider a jerk, you may not have analyzed exactly what makes them that way. Is it personality-based? Or is it more deep-rooted in style and communication? Furthermore, you may fear becoming this type of manager if you’ve just been promoted to a similar position.
Either way, identifying the qualities of what makes a poor boss is almost as important as applying the qualities of a good manager. Once you have a strong sense of what not to do, you can then focus on better, more efficient alternatives.
Failing to create a support system or positive work culture
Poor management is a product of failure on many levels. More specifically, it’s the inability or unwillingness to create a support system or foster a positive remote work culture. In a remote sense, it’s typically the result of a lack of communication or knowledge that’s imperative to the success of each employee.
Without a support system, projects can fall behind and time is wasted. Some employees may feel a lack of inclusion. This can also lead to a work culture that’s devoid of a cohesive goal.
If your employees don’t have the resources they need or the commonality of working toward an end result, how can staff be expected to excel at what they do?
Applying the wrong leadership style
Management styles varied greatly in the pre-remote work era. For example, directive leadership is an iron-fist style of leadership that doles out responsibilities and makes all the decisions without input or creativity from employees. In the digital age, this just won’t work as it ignores the human element of work.
Other leadership styles may vary in their approach to work or employees. But if they create a toxic work environment or a lack of cohesion, they’re doing more harm than good.
Favoritism
Managers aren’t always aware of favoritism, as it can exist on a subconscious level. But it exists in the digital workplace just as readily as it was in the office. However, its effects are far-reaching.
According to a Training Magazine study, companies that lose employees as a result of favoritism can lose as much as 213% of each employees’ salaries in turnover and retraining costs. That’s an awful lot to lose because a manager likes one person on a personal level more than another.
Creating a system of managerial dependence
Tying in with leadership styles is the idea of managerial dependence. In an online setting, this is even more problematic than ever. When a manager has to sign off on every minutiae of a project, it’s not only annoying for employees, it’s also a huge time-waster.
Qualities of a good manager you need to adopt for digital leadership
If you’ve just been promoted to a managerial role, the fear of being the manager that your employees loathe can feel paralyzing. Therefore, becoming a great manager requires a take-charge attitude. Knowing the qualities of a good manager can make all the difference, especially when you apply them on Day One. Here are some you should implement from the start.
Admitting when you’re wrong or asking when you don’t know
A level of arrogance isn’t an attractive quality as a manager, especially if your staff considers you a know-it-all. Don’t ever think that you have all the answers. The reason you hired your staff is to support a common goal. If you don’t know something, ask. There’s a human element to asking for help that can endear you to others. Admit when you’re wrong, learn from others, and you’ll add one of the best qualities of a good manager.
Empathy
An empathetic manager is one that understands the plights and issues of workers. In both the COVID era and beyond, this becomes crucial to superior management. Yet empathy isn’t just an air of apathy; it’s your responses to employee concerns and their personal lives.
Tone is perhaps the most critical aspect of empathy, but it’s not always easy to apply in a remote workplace. As a result, knowing when to hold video meetings or even adding emojis to your correspondence can have a profound effect on your employees’ view of you. When all else fails, understanding becomes paramount.
Trusting your employees
You’ve hired a staff because you believe in their work ethic and skills. Now let them get to work. Trusting your employees isn’t just a sound ideal in itself. It actually helps you avoid some of the qualities of a bad manager.
When you trust your employees, you avoid dependence on your every word and leadership styles that don’t work in the digital office. It can also build a culture of independence that allows you to concentrate on your own work rather than tackling every single small task on your own.
Being a role model
The adage “be the change you want to see in the world” is cliched, but it may have some relevance as a manager. You can’t preach ideas that you don’t practice yourself. In some ways, your company mission and vision isn’t as tangible to employees as seeing someone put them into practice. By demonstrating discipline, pragmatism, honesty, and more, you can become a role model that your staff looks to for direction and confidence.
The constant evolution of management in the remote world
The qualities of a good manager are constantly evolving based on your role within the company and a dynamic business world. Evaluation of policies and what works between you and your staff should remain a vital part of your job and role as a manager. Unfortunately, no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Staying cognizant of new trends in management and maintaining employee morale will always be integral to your success. With a proactive approach, you won’t get left behind.
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
According to a recent Monster survey, 76% of employees describe their boss as toxic. That’s a ton of people laying in wait to do what many workers fantasize about: telling off their boss.
But the real question is: does your manager have redeemable qualities or contrasting personalities just not gel in your current remote work scenario?
For those who have never been a manager, identifying these qualities or navigating a managerial position may seem foreign. It’s a difficult job and requires a bit of trial and error, especially for a company transitioning from a traditional office setting to the remote realm.
So whether you need justification and confirmation about whether your boss is actually a poor manager or you’re deciding how to approach management as a first-time boss, recognizing and applying strong managerial qualities are ideal for success.
Is your boss actually a jerk?
If you’ve had a boss that you consider a jerk, you may not have analyzed exactly what makes them that way. Is it personality-based? Or is it more deep-rooted in style and communication? Furthermore, you may fear becoming this type of manager if you’ve just been promoted to a similar position.
Either way, identifying the qualities of what makes a poor boss is almost as important as applying the qualities of a good manager. Once you have a strong sense of what not to do, you can then focus on better, more efficient alternatives.
Failing to create a support system or positive work culture
Poor management is a product of failure on many levels. More specifically, it’s the inability or unwillingness to create a support system or foster a positive remote work culture. In a remote sense, it’s typically the result of a lack of communication or knowledge that’s imperative to the success of each employee.
Without a support system, projects can fall behind and time is wasted. Some employees may feel a lack of inclusion. This can also lead to a work culture that’s devoid of a cohesive goal.
If your employees don’t have the resources they need or the commonality of working toward an end result, how can staff be expected to excel at what they do?
Applying the wrong leadership style
Management styles varied greatly in the pre-remote work era. For example, directive leadership is an iron-fist style of leadership that doles out responsibilities and makes all the decisions without input or creativity from employees. In the digital age, this just won’t work as it ignores the human element of work.
Other leadership styles may vary in their approach to work or employees. But if they create a toxic work environment or a lack of cohesion, they’re doing more harm than good.
Favoritism
Managers aren’t always aware of favoritism, as it can exist on a subconscious level. But it exists in the digital workplace just as readily as it was in the office. However, its effects are far-reaching.
According to a Training Magazine study, companies that lose employees as a result of favoritism can lose as much as 213% of each employees’ salaries in turnover and retraining costs. That’s an awful lot to lose because a manager likes one person on a personal level more than another.
Creating a system of managerial dependence
Tying in with leadership styles is the idea of managerial dependence. In an online setting, this is even more problematic than ever. When a manager has to sign off on every minutiae of a project, it’s not only annoying for employees, it’s also a huge time-waster.
Qualities of a good manager you need to adopt for digital leadership
If you’ve just been promoted to a managerial role, the fear of being the manager that your employees loathe can feel paralyzing. Therefore, becoming a great manager requires a take-charge attitude. Knowing the qualities of a good manager can make all the difference, especially when you apply them on Day One. Here are some you should implement from the start.
Admitting when you’re wrong or asking when you don’t know
A level of arrogance isn’t an attractive quality as a manager, especially if your staff considers you a know-it-all. Don’t ever think that you have all the answers. The reason you hired your staff is to support a common goal. If you don’t know something, ask. There’s a human element to asking for help that can endear you to others. Admit when you’re wrong, learn from others, and you’ll add one of the best qualities of a good manager.
Empathy
An empathetic manager is one that understands the plights and issues of workers. In both the COVID era and beyond, this becomes crucial to superior management. Yet empathy isn’t just an air of apathy; it’s your responses to employee concerns and their personal lives.
Tone is perhaps the most critical aspect of empathy, but it’s not always easy to apply in a remote workplace. As a result, knowing when to hold video meetings or even adding emojis to your correspondence can have a profound effect on your employees’ view of you. When all else fails, understanding becomes paramount.
Trusting your employees
You’ve hired a staff because you believe in their work ethic and skills. Now let them get to work. Trusting your employees isn’t just a sound ideal in itself. It actually helps you avoid some of the qualities of a bad manager.
When you trust your employees, you avoid dependence on your every word and leadership styles that don’t work in the digital office. It can also build a culture of independence that allows you to concentrate on your own work rather than tackling every single small task on your own.
Being a role model
The adage “be the change you want to see in the world” is cliched, but it may have some relevance as a manager. You can’t preach ideas that you don’t practice yourself. In some ways, your company mission and vision isn’t as tangible to employees as seeing someone put them into practice. By demonstrating discipline, pragmatism, honesty, and more, you can become a role model that your staff looks to for direction and confidence.
The constant evolution of management in the remote world
The qualities of a good manager are constantly evolving based on your role within the company and a dynamic business world. Evaluation of policies and what works between you and your staff should remain a vital part of your job and role as a manager. Unfortunately, no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Staying cognizant of new trends in management and maintaining employee morale will always be integral to your success. With a proactive approach, you won’t get left behind.
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
