Why Don’t the Most Productive People Always Make the Best Managers?

by | May 14, 2020 | Leadership

Six hands are collaborating to fit white puzzle pieces together on a wooden table. The puzzle pieces are scattered, and each person holds a piece, contributing to the shared goal of completing the puzzle. Much like the best managers, they coordinate seamlessly. A notebook and pen sit nearby.

While looking for a team supervisor, the senior leaders commonly pick up the most productive member. Although few of them achieve a new milestone in this new role, many others tend to fail. Moreover, they even cause more financial burden on the organization or may leave the job. This scenario does not just lead to the loss of a manager, but may also cause suffering due to the loss of the best individual performer.

Now, the big question in your mind must be about why these efficient performers fail while working at the profile of a manager? To find the best answers for this, we at Global Investment Strategies analyzed several workers while focusing on their behavioral characteristics and work efficiency.

Usually, most of the productive people are observed as capable enough to drive the most excellent results, stretch goals, showcase technical expertise, solve problems, take initiatives, and promise effective results in the long run. But there is one important characteristic that makes a huge difference when they are appointed as a manager; it is “being collaborative.”

All other beforementioned points represent individual effectiveness and individual skill levels, but the ability to work with teams is the most critical asset of successful team managers. If they do not find themselves comfortable while dealing with other people, they cannot keep them organized.

During our recent research, we prepared a list of skills that make great managers; few of them are listed below:

They are open to feedback and accept changes: The most critical skill of an effective team manager is listening to the feedback given by other team members. Instead of considering keeping their viewpoint on priority, they prefer to quest for the better. More importantly, they are ready to accept change, not just in the people around; instead, at the personal level as well.

  • They support the development of the entire team:

Instead of staying focused on personal growth and well-being, good leaders are always curious to motivate others. They make efforts for the development of others, and to do this, they know how to give valuable feedback.

  • They are innovative and organized:

People who focus on productivity always try to find innovative ways to execute the processes more efficiently. Best leaders stay organized, and they are open to creative ideas. They understand the new opportunities and act accordingly.

  • They have fantastic communication skills:

One of the most critical aspects of being a good leader is being polite and genuine to others. When you know what to say, when to say, and how to say, it becomes easier to convince the team members to work more effectively. The best managers have excellent interpersonal skills that make them highly productive in the long run.

While analyzing this data, we observed that not all productive individuals have all these qualities. Although they can manage their work effectively, they lose efficiency when working with teams. Hence, every organization needs to put more effort to develop leadership skills among its employees so that they can be capable enough to handle supervisory positions whenever required.