Gallup‘s Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Wellbeing, Jim Harter rejoins Moe Abdou to discuss the distinguishing characteristics of world-class managers.
The Definitive Factor to Organizational Success
World class managers understand that management is both an art and a science – and it’s often the art component that most correlates with greatness.
For decades, Peter Drucker was unequivocal in his belief that management is about people, and as such it had to be deeply personal. Think for a moment about the last time a manager celebrated your uniqueness, or one who spoke an important Truth that you were afraid to confront; or still one who continued to show faith in you when others around you lost theirs. If you’re like me, few names come to mind – and that is precisely why the overwhelming majority of today’s global workplace continues to answer ‘no’ to the definitive statement from Gallup “there is someone at work who encourages my development.”
Few have a pulse on the modern workplace and the management of talent as the Gallup organization. With 80 plus years of research experience, and a database of 35 million employee engagement respondents; Gallup knows ‘more about the will of employees, customers, students and citizens than anyone in the world’. For years, they’ve been telling us why the overwhelming majority of employees are disengaged at work, yet the needle has hardly moved – why?
I recently had an important conversation with their Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Wellbeing, Jim Harter about the leadership imperative facing today’s modern organizations, and while what you’ll hear might not surprise you, it’s likely to challenge your management philosophy. Here’s a sample of what we discuss:
- The demands of the modern workplace.
- Why the practice of management hasn’t kept up with the science of management?
- What exactly is maximizing human potential/performance?
- Organizational purpose matters, but when does it have maximum impact?
- What doesn’t a modern manager do?
- Leaders have 2 non-negotiable(s) – Bring multiple teams together and make great decisions – what gets in the way?
- What does science tell us about getting a decision right?
- There’s one thing that correlates to consistently high retention – what is it?
- What do most companies get wrong about on-boarding? And, what’s a more effective approach?
- The real difference between a manager and a coach?
- The three ingredients of an effective diversity and inclusion strategy?
- Resources: