The Optimal Way for Managing and Leading Others

Some managers are content with just getting by. But most stop making progress because they don't understand how to become a great boss, what great bosses actually do, or where they currently stand in comparison with where they should be. This is the topic of the book Being the Boss, which was written by Harvard Business School's Linda Hill and executive Kent Lineback, and which was recently reviewed by Soundview Executive Summaries  

There are, according to the authors, three approaches to managing. The first is to manage on the basis of authority — basically, the "because I said so" approach. In today's work environment, this approach rarely produces compliance and certainly not commitment. Another approach is the "let's be friends" approach, which can also be ineffective. Managers need to develop working relationships even with those they don't like and they need to keep some distance with those they do like.

The third and most effective management approach, the authors write, is to build a relationship on a foundation of trust, which is based on two beliefs: people's belief in the competence of the boss as a manager and people's belief in the character of the boss as a person. Character is key. People want to know that their managers value them as people and have a strong sense of self. These are the traits exhibited by managers who successfully manage themselves.

This references to character and competence come directly from FranklinCovey's work on the Speed of Trust and our experience echoes that of Hill and Lineback that they sit at the heart effective management and leadership. Where FranklinCovey progresses this thinking is to further defining the component elements of both character and competence so that leaders can look to assess and develop themselves in these areas. Most powerfully, perhaps, we then work with leaders to consider how these elements inform the approach they take in hiring, developing, reviewing and rewarding people so that over time these characteristics come to infuse the culture of their organisation.