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A Harvard Business School professor has highlighted the top eight behaviours of great managers according to Google.
Speaking at the Ray White Leadership Academy at Sydney’s Sheraton on the Park late last month, Harvard Business School Professor Boris Groysberg told Real Estate Business that one of the biggest issues facing businesses today is when people who are great producers take on management positions without proper leadership training.
“Many of them continue to behave like producers, and that does not make them great managers,” Mr Groysberg said.
“Now they are responsible for motivating others, keeping people engaged, running a complete business from A to Z.”
Asked what makes a great leader, Mr Groysberg said that is the fundamental question that is asked even by multinational corporations such as Google.
“At Google, it’s Project Oxygen. When you work for a great manager, it’s like breathing oxygen, but when you work for someone who is not a good manager, it is suffocating,” he said.
“What [Google] comes up with on the management side is eight attributes. That’s what they use nowadays to train 5,000 of their managers. Their issue is – how do you take engineers and make them into managers?”
According to Google’s Project Oxygen, a good manager:
- Is a good coach
- Empowers the team and does not micromanage
- Expresses interest/concern for team members’ success and personal wellbeing
- Is productive and results-oriented
- Is a good communicator – listens and shares information
- Helps with career development
- Has a clear vision/strategy for the team
- Has key technical skills that help him/her advise the team
[Related: Why attitude beats skill in the real estate business]
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