There are a number of qualities that make up good manager. When searching for those that have potential to take on more responsibility, here is one trait to make sure they have: A healthy discontent.
What is the difference between a griper and complainer and someone who really wants to make things better? What's the difference between being critical and contructive?
The answer to that question is one of the measuring rods in finding potential managers and leaders.
How can we find out the difference in an individual? When you hear them say something like "There is a way to do this that is better," that's when you find out if they're leadership material by asking this, "Do you have any ideas on how it can be made better?"
If they answer no, it is simply one of those employees that are critical but not really wanting to find constructive solutions to the problem. If they answer yes, it means that they care and have a healthy discontent that can result in making the business better.
The one who makes these kinds of reponses are the ones that are always trying to improve things and has the potential to be management material.
This is one tool that can be used to find great people to lead. Do you have any favorite techniques you use to uncover leaders in your midst?
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With respect, this is advice likely to be abused. The stupidest thing I hear in business is "don't come to me with a problem unless you have a solution." In other words:
1. no one can identify a complex problem for fear of being forced to "solve" it or come up with some approach or "idea" to do so, when it may defy such sol'ns
2. even reporting simple problems become s impossible or dangerous to your career since you will be asked to "solve" them
3. you reward fawning sycophants who look around for "problems" that probably aren't, or aren't what they say they are, that they can quickly "solve" for the boss, will get ahead of those more honestly considering what is going wrong and how to do things better
4. everyone who knows that solutions do not match up to problems one to one, will eventually leave in disgust
A real leader would list 1-4 for you, and then say that s/he couldn't be sure it was a problem, really, until there was some validation from others doing the same job. And even if a bunch of people saw it as a problem, it might take a while to think of a solution that would not make other problems worse. If any existed. But that it was fine not to be satisfied with the way things were done, and that they were going to think about it, and get back to you if they came up with any way to make the process better. They'd feel no pressure one way or another. They could express discontent with how things are, without feeling that they had to fix it all right now.
And if you couldn't handle that, they'd tell you that you shouldn't be managing.
Posted by: Craig Hubley | June 26, 2006 10:06 PM | Permalink to Comment