I'm often amazed when I find some large enterprise that spends tons of money and time to produce the glaringly obvious!
Take Google, for example. Apparently, managers there felt that that they were so special and different from ordinary mortal men and women that they spent a considerable amount of time and money investigating why good Google managers were good, and why bad Google managers were bad. Being different (at least in their own minds), they produced a list.
The project, called Google Project Oxygen, was written up in today's New York Times.
Here is the list... you be the judge. The ideas aren't bad at all, but would you spend a ton of time and money to produce them?
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Here’s the full list (in order of decreasing importance):
1. Be a good coach.
2. Empower your team and don’t micromanage.
3. Express interest in team members’ success and personal well-being.
4. Don’t be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented.
5. Be a good communicator.
6. Help your employees with career development.
7. Have a clear vision and strategy for the team.
8. Have key technical skills so you can help advise the team.
Here are the three pitfalls of managers:
1. Have trouble making a transition to the team.
2. Lack a consistent approach to performance management and career development.
3. Spend too little time managing and communicating.
