hilaryklassen
- Jun 20, 2022
- 3 min read

Newsletter #13: Great managers action these four things

👋 Hi there,

Is anyone else right now feeling a bit stressed or disillusioned or even…on the fridges of burnout?!?!

You’re not alone!

According to the newly released Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2022 it can be summed up on a global level that, “with only 21% of employees engaged at work and only 33% of employees thriving in their overall wellbeing, most would say that they don't find their work meaningful, don't think their lives are going well or don't feel hopeful about their future”.

I keep hearing from managers and employees that “work sucks”. Even comedian George Carlin once said, "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."

So what are we going to do about it?

FOCUS ON YOUR PEOPLE MANAGERS!

We’ve known this for years and after 10 years myself working with Gallup with large companies discovering engagement drivers and developing talent, the data points show that if your managers are great, your team is performing and attrition is low.

So let’s get started!

Here are my “must do” Manager actions and why the bestselfy team and I are passionate about helping managers focus on #1 (because it is the underlying framework for the others and it works!):

1️⃣ Coaches the team

Let your managers develop key coaching skills for them to use daily in coaching conversations with their team members. Simply put, coaching at work is, “Helping an employee find their best solution”. At bestselfy, we’ve been working with managers to develop these crucial skills which combine the ability to:

a) deeply listen

b) seek to understand

c) help the other person figure out their options and their next step

2️⃣ Gives growth opportunities

In 1:1s, managers need to put on their coaching hat, understand their employee’s strengths and align to tasks at hand AND focus on how to help their employees stretch. Offer challenges often and check in on one’s progress, providing essential feedback along the way.

3️⃣ Creates communities

Great managers don’t just lead their own employees, they connect them across the organization for exposure and mentorship opportunities. At the same time, they ensure a sense of belonging amongst their own team and to the company linked with the values, mission, and vision. Community building is about giving, not taking. Great Managers are not afraid to show up as their whole person and lean into having courageous conversations when things might go astray. This builds connection and trust.

4️⃣ Leads with the “why”

It’s hard in today’s changing world of work to keep everyone on the same page when priorities are changing quickly. Create transparency around why (share the rationale) priorities have shifted and ask team members for clarifying questions. Let the “why” become the North Star and allow team members the flexibility and freedom to adapt to any changes to achieve success in their own way (enter coaching again!).

📕READ: The Best Managers Don’t Fix, They Coach — Four Tools to Add to Your Toolkit

https://review.firstround.com/the-best-managers-dont-fix,-they-coach-four-tools-to-add-to-your-toolkit

🎥WATCH:

Leading a Team: The Managers Role in Teamwork

https://youtu.be/4z1azKiNPv4

https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/284042/leading-team-manager-role-teamwork.aspx

Want your managers to become great so your teams can be too?

We are giving for FREE a 3-month access to bestselfy in the month of June.