Reflect on a great manager- what made he/she great? What does this tell you about yourself?
One of the best managers that I can recall working for was John LaTour. John was a straight-up, no-nonsense manager that was about empowering his team members to do there best in all they can do.
What made John great?
1. John supported me for advancing in the company and he allowed me to take any class to help my professional development.
2. John put his trust in me to make key decisions that were best for the team and not just for my own merit.
3. John would express his expectations up front so, there were no surprises that would blindside you when it came to review time or during 1-on-1 meetings to discuss performance.
4. Lastly, John was a true and genuine person who would look out for his team members when an issue would affect his team.
It made it really easy to work for John since he allowed me "free reign" to do what needed to be done to be successful and to allow our team to be great, too. Again, John understood that he was successful when his team was successful. Great managers are made when they allow their team to be great and not restricted "in a box."
At Microsoft, I had a pleasure to work for/with some of the brightest people in the world. I have seen some great management and some challenging management that allowed me to focus on what great, successful managers are like. Again, I am about business but, I realize that being compassionate about your people and empowering them to do their best is most rewarding as a manager beyond just getting paid monetarily.
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