The organisation’s mission should not merely be to survive but to thrive. To do so requires managers with passion, compassion, humour and style. The first two attributes may be obvious and uncontested the last two less so.

I suspect most managers would however agree a sense of humour helped as in, “ if you didn’t laugh you would cry” as you deal with a bureaucracy that seems designed to thwart your every move. Employees also think a sense of humour in a manager is important putting it up there with fairness and compassion when it comes to identifying the top ten attributes of a good manager. “Style “ however may seem an odd requirement. I have never seen it in a Person Specification for a management post and it didn’t feature in a recent employee survey of the top attributes of a good manager. It may not be specifically stated in what organisations or employees are looking for in a manager but is it implied?

By style I am not referring to how managers dress for work although there are expectations which are rarely stated but almost universally observed. I am referring to how a manager goes about their business. Not the style of management as in autocratic, democratic or charismatic more about the ease and comfort with which they wear their role /authority/being in charge. Relaxed confidence is part of it and organisations certainly look for an air of confidence in appointing a manager. Confidence, not over confidence and defiantly not arrogance.

A manager with “style “ doesn’t feel the need to remind everyone who is in charge. Such a manager has an air of gravitas which isn’t dependant on their position within the hierarchy. People listen when they speak partly because what they say carries weight and influences thinking, partly because they tend not to feel the need to say much so when they do ….

This style is also associated with creativity , maybe a trendsetter, certainly an influencer not afraid to stand out by doing something different perhaps unconventional. They are clear about how things should look, how things should be done. They are decisive and willing to share their reasoning. They take responsibility if things don’t work out and give due credit where due. They know how to win and they know how to lose. In short they have style.