PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BY KATHY SIMMONS
Do You Have What It Takes—To Be a Great Manager?
Do you think management is a cushy job? After all, once
you have “arrived” into the portals of leadership you can
kick back and let others do the work—right? Think again!
In fact, a whopping four out of 10 newly promoted man-
agers and executives are either terminated, fall below
expectations, or voluntarily resign from their position
within the first 18 months.
If your goal is to attain a management position, you
certainly don’t want to be part of this dismal statistic.
Do you possess the raw talents of leadership? Great
managers have their own unique styles, but some traits are
consistently present. Following are four important qualities
great managers possess.
Strong Backbone
Managers with flimsy spines quickly lose stature in the eyes
of their employees. Great managers show conviction, tenacity,
and boldness. Managers have every right to expect solid work
and commitment from their employees, just as their
employees have every right to expect a leader who rallies
for them. If an obstacle stands in the way of employees per-
forming at an optimal level, the manager must have a strong
enough backbone to make it his or her personal cause. If
they don’t, who will? Staff rarely has the ability, clout, or time
to fight these battles. They depend on their leader to do so.
Some managers are overly concerned with conflict-
avoidance. Their desire to maintain harmony clouds their
judgment and renders them ineffective. Weak managers
“play both sides of the fence” by agreeing with the position
of whomever they are talking to at the time. This strategy
of being everyone’s buddy quickly unravels and leads to
disrespect.
To be a great manager, you must have a strong moral
compass. Are you true to your beliefs and willing to fight
(fairly, of course) for them? The responsibility you have
to your staff to enable their top performance is paramount.
Great managers are strong enough to go to bat for their
staff time and time again.
20/20 Vision
Imagine this: In one canoe there are eight weary rowers.
The crew captain, who is half-heartedly rowing in the
back, barks out a few instructions occasionally, “Row
faster! I’ll throw you overboard if you don’t want to be part
of this team!” The crew has no idea where they are going.
All they see is a vast expanse of water, and all they hear is
6 ■ Contract Management / December 2004
the irritating crack of their captain’s verbal whip.
In contrast, another canoe contains eight rowers and a
crew captain who is rowing vigorously. He is sweating just
as profusely as his team, but he is doing so cheerfully, as
he enthusiastically shares the goal, “Only 10 more miles!
We’ll reach the beautiful islands soon, so row steady—we
can do it in record time!”
What’s the difference? The second crew captain is
communicating a vision. Without a clear idea of where
they are going, your team is unlikely to rally behind the
goal. Furthermore, their job satisfaction is likely to be
modest at best, since human beings perform at their best
when they are striving toward a rewarding objective.
Are you able to generate enthusiasm and commitment
by communicating a vision? This is a fundamental respon-
sibility of managers. Without this talent, you become like
the pilot who announced to passengers that he had good
news and bad news. The good news was that they had
achieved a perfect altitude, and had tail winds cooperating
nicely as they traveled at the optimal 600 miles per hour
toward their destination. The bad news was that he had lost
the flight plan and had no idea where they were going! Great
managers “pilot” their staff confidently and energetically.
They have memorized the “flight plan” and welcome the
opportunity to communicate it to staff.
Appreciation for Diversity
Great managers realize that they cannot change people.
Rather, they focus their energies into bringing out the best
in them, understanding that all employees bring with them
a history of life experiences, values, biases, fears, and hopes.
Indeed, it is rather arrogant to think anyone (even the boss)
has the power to conform another person into a cookie-
cutter image of the “ideal employee.” And yet, many man-
agers consider it to be in their job description somehow.
Great managers tap into the raw potential of each
employee. They realize the fallacy of the outdated manage-
ment philosophy of “treating everyone the same.” This is
actually very bad advice. In fact, if you want a nervous,
unmotivated staff—be sure to treat them all the same!
While you may personally respond well to straightforward
feedback, for example, it is foolish to assume your entire
staff feels the same way. Dishing up powerfully direct
critiques to your more sensitive employees is a recipe for
disaster. You’ll break their spirit and create anxiety. Should
they react this way? Maybe not—but what does that matter?

It’s often wiser to stand on reality rather than principle,
and this is one of those times.
Smart managers take the time to discover what makes
each employee tick. They know who needs autonomy and
who requires frequent pats on the back. They have a knack
for recognizing when they need to listen, and when to
deliver a well-timed pep talk. In short, they have the basic
insight and genuine appreciation for human diversity to
treat each staff member like the unique packages that they
are! The reward? Employees who feel respected and
understood—an outstanding foundation for high productivity,
loyalty, and superior job satisfaction!
Team Player
The main reason new managers stumble is because they
are unable to form strong relationships. Remember the failure
rate of four out of 10 newly promoted managers failing within
18 months? The top reason for this failure, according to
82 percent of survey respondents who were contacted by
Atlanta-based Manchester Consulting, is a failure to build
partnerships with subordinates and peers. Other reasons
cited for new manager’s failure include lack of internal
political savvy and poor communication with their boss
of what is expected of them.
Management is not so much a job of intelligence and
textbook knowledge as people skills, the ability to choose
battles wisely, and the capacity to maintain the dignity of
others even when there is conflict. Great managers have
P r o D C O R N E R
learned to avoid defensiveness and unnecessary turmoil
with peers and others they work with. They are skilled at
successful negotiation techniques and manage to achieve
“win-win” solutions consistently.
Great managers maintain strong relationships due in
part to their high resilience level. The possibility of facing
scrutiny, pressure, and disappointment are pretty much
guaranteed in a leadership role. You can’t control these in
a position of visibility such as management, but you can
control your reaction to them. Will you be able to roll with
the punches, and try a different tactic when things don’t go
your way—or will you spend time feeling sorry for yourself,
becoming angry and cynical, and complaining to others?
Before you make a final decision on whether management
is the ideal job for you, it would be wise to consider the
above-mentioned qualities. If you are currently in a man-
agement position, and things are not going so well, it may
be time to do some soul-searching.
One thing is for sure: With a foundation of courage, clear
vision, appreciation for diversity, and people skills, your
chance for job success is quite high. Now that’s a great goal! CM
About the Author
KATHY SIMMONS is a freelance writer, who lives in Kennesaw,
Georgia. She is a frequent contributor of career- and management-
related articles. Send comments on this article to cm@ncmahq.org.
December 2004 / Contract Management ■ 7