In a recent review of management psychology, the Myers-Briggs Company, found that there can be a stark difference between managers - some seem to instinctively have a better grasp of "understanding their people", while others, not so much.

The study listed five positive qualities that set successful managers apart from others:

"1.     Integrity. Being an authentic leader is an important foundation for building team trust, but leaders must develop the ability to express their authentic selves in ways their teams perceive as genuine.

2.      Influence. Strong communication skills help leaders remove roadblocks and gather the resources to support their teams.

3.      Agility. Leaders need to be open to learning and change and have the courage to drive the right change.

4.      Empathy. Empathy, key to effective leadership, is ultimately a building block for inclusion, which leaders must infuse within their culture to tap the full talents of their team members.

5.      'Active' self-awareness. Leaders can only improve if they understand what needs improvement, therefore it is equally important for leaders to understand their strengths and areas of development and act upon them."

The study also pointed out several management behaviors that a successful manager should avoid:

• "Give only negative feedback – a constant negative outlook and feedback is counterproductive.
• Micromanage – employees do not respond well to feeling as though they have no autonomy in their work.
• Develop impersonal connections - employees need to feel seen and heard.
• Provide unclear communication – be concise and answer/encourage follow up questions.
• Promote or non-inclusive culture – refrain from judgment regarding employees or customers alike.
• Treating emotional intelligence as a flaw – by allowing incivility (i.e. bullying, rudeness and harassment), it will be hard to foster creativity and productivity among team members."

Bryan Robinson, "6 Things A Great Manager Never Does", https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/08/17/6-things-a-great-manager-never-does (Aug. 17, 2023).

Commentary

Of the positive characteristics, integrity is fundamental. Integrity can be seen as a wholeness, a completeness. For example, a spoked wheel with integrity is one with all the spokes in place. If one spoke is weak, broken, or missing, the wheel has no integrity.

Likewise, a manager should strive to maintain integrity in everything they do. A manager who is excellent at training employees, making schedules, tracking projects, but who doesn't keep their word when they told an employee they could have a certain day off or that they would be given (at least) a cost of living raise each year will not be perceived as a great manager. The strong "spokes" of training, scheduling, and tracking will be part of an overall damaged "wheel" if the "spoke" of keep their word is damaged or missing.

Does is mean a manager has to be perfect? Of course not, but keeping your word is vital. "Research shows that 91% of business leaders believe trust improves their bottom line. Yet the same research shows that members of the C-suite overestimate how much they're trusted … by 57%!" and "breaking your promise sends a message that you don't value the person to whom you gave your word. It teaches people that they cannot trust you." Ashley Stahl "Here's Why Keeping Your Word Is An Essential Leadership Skill" https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2023/12/05/heres-why-keeping-your-word-is-an-essential-leadership-skill/ (Dec. 05, 2023).