Inside the latest issue... theHRDIRECTOR Issue 69
This issue we speak to
James Dalgleish
Head of HR - London Fire Brigade

The ideal manager revealed

The ideal manager revealed

Engaging managers are made, not born, as they learn from their own and others' mistakes and modify their behaviours accordingly, claims a new report.

Great managers are performance-focused and ready to tackle poor and challenging behaviour to effectively engage their teams. However, they still need to show honesty and openness when breaking bad news to be appreciated by their teams and their own managers.

These are some of the findings of new research undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies. ‘The Engaging Manager' paints a picture of the ideal manager, and builds on previous IES research that proved the critical role line managers have in employee engagement. It was carried out through interviews and focus groups with managers.

The research focused on behaviours as these can be learnt and unlearnt, and provides HR departments with useful information to help create the right environment for managers to do this. Researchers discovered that engaging managers learn through observing others and through self-reflection. They tend not to have a single role model, but adopt the 'good' parts of others' behaviour and discard the 'bad'.

Dilys Robinson, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies and one of the report's authors, comments: "The excellent and engaging managers we spoke to have very varied jobs, different spans of control and seniority. But one thing they have in common is how very focused they are on performance. They all manage teams that are known to be high performing within their organisations, which underlines how important engagement is in difficult times.

 "We asked team members to draw pictures of how they see their managers. Interestingly, several people drew smiling devils, indicating that not all engaging managers toe the company line. The most popular picture of all was of a sun or a smiling face. "The drawings gave us insight into engaging managers' characteristics. The teams value their managers' strategic vision, interest in them as individuals and fostering of positive team culture. Our engaging managers are challenging and approachable, and have good skills in communicating and listening. Their teams also expect them to be honest and development focused. But engaging behaviours can be learnt and that's good news for aspiring managers."