Google completed 10 years of research on what makes a good manager at a company. These 10 traits resonated with team NRPR, as they reminded us of our own CEO, Nicole Rodrigues. Over the next 10 days, we are running a special series on this blog with our reactions to the list and what it means to be a good leader. This is post 7 of 10
“No man is an island” and “teamwork makes the dream work” are two popular sayings that remind us that neither CEOs nor employees can do everything on one’s own. Each business has assigned roles ranging from entry-level to senior positions, each with specific tasks. A good leader has a collaborative style with a willingness to provide help to team members, while respecting everyone’s role, and giving staff a chance to develop skills and grow professionally.
The key to successful collaboration is giving each team member a chance to contribute to the overall goal. Regardless of their position on the organizational chart, each person has unique personal preferences and skills that can add to the success of a task. Each person may bring new ideas and new ways of doing things and task assignments can be adjusted, accordingly. The key is for leaders to be willing to listen to ideas, delegate tasks, and allow team members to spread their wings.
Many leaders do not feel comfortable delegating, feeling that they can do it better or more quickly themselves. The problem with that tactic is that you cannot work 24/7 and if you do not delegate tasks to other team members, they will not build their own capabilities. At NRPR, CEO Nicole Rodrigues has a coach mentality, rather than a commanding, authoritative approach, and guides staff toward the best solution. In this way, she can help staff to buy into a project and to understand why tasks need to be done.
Employees are inspired by a sense of independence and autonomy, backed by support and appreciation from their leader, which Nicole provides. Conversely, employee motivation declines with perceived micromanagement, public embarrassment and reprimand. A sense of accomplishment can motivate one to work harder to achieve more, which is what Nicole attempts to do when working to draw the genius out of her staff, making her a good leader.
Lynda Starr is Marcomms Director at NRPR Group.