Google's Quest to Build a Better Boss
When Google wanted to know how to develop better leaders, the company went to employees and asked what they needed. After analyzing 10,000 observations about managers across more than 100 variables, reported the New York Times, the verdict was in.
What did employees value most from their managers? (Hint: Not technical expertise. That ranked last.) Turns out it’s the same as in other corporate cultures: being able and willing to develop others. More precisely, “Even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings; who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers; and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.”
The notion that employees sought a closer connection with managers was very different from Google’s former management approach, which was, “Leave people alone. Let the engineers do their stuff. If they become stuck, they’ll ask their bosses.” In fact, bosses didn’t need tech expertise as deep or deeper than their reports after all. What they did need was to be more engaged and accessible – pretty much the opposite of “leaving people alone.” Who knew?
Read the full article, Google’s Quest to Build a Better Boss
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