Back in 2009, Google created Project Oxygen to study and then create better managers. What did they learn?

1. Being good coaches – Organize your team so that each person is working in their sweet spot (where they can use their strengths and are highly motivated to contribute) – then challenge them to perform their best by continually engaging with them to help solve their problems.
2. Not micromanaging – Managers need to trust their employees and not get involved in every little detail. Needing to be informed and involved in every decision is a roadmap to demoralizing a team.
3. Show interest in employees’ wellbeing – Gallup poles indicate employee wellbeing has six dimensions: emotional, career, social, financial, physical, and community. Leaders should be aware of how each employee feels about each of these elements of their wellbeing before they become an issue of burnout.
4. Listening to the team – Strong active listening skills are the foundation for good communication. Managers that have good active listening skills are able to hear problems earlier, develop trust, and win the hearts and minds of those they manage.
5. Help with career development – Managers who believe in their team members maintain a high view of them by showing interest in the work they do, the career aspirations, and creating learning and development opportunities for their people.

Links:

• https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-management
• https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/google-spent-one-year-researching-great-managers-most-successful-ones-shared-these-5-traits.html