Take a moment to reflect on the managers you’ve had so far in your career. Think about the best manager you’ve had, or that one terrible manager. What stood out to you about him or her? Your experience working with different managers directly impacts your performance and your personal investment in a company.

As managers, we strive to build impactful relationships with our people to elevate each individual’s potential. Last week, our Global Talent Management (GTM) team hosted the company’s first “Elevate,” a development program designed specifically for managers, in Del Mar, California. Pack members from across the globe were brought together with the intention of increasing employee engagement — starting at the source with the manager community.

As a global organization, aligning our managers is essential to ensure engagement and consistency for hundreds of employees. Since we all work in scattered offices across three continents, we had never all gathered in one room prior to this event. Elevate was our chance to congregate and fully give ourselves to developing skills as managers. Kim Morrow facilitated and we dove right in. Three ideas stuck with me:

How to manage yourself.

I was recently promoted into a manager role and quickly realized that management skills are not a carbon copy of project management skills utilized on our implementation projects. Managing people requires a conscious management of self; to gain self awareness or mindfulness in the workplace, you must develop heightened awareness of how your actions, reactions, and mindset reverberates in your team. Practicing emotional intelligence is key — even during the most difficult times. When conflict arises, ask yourself, “Would you rather be right, or get the outcome you want?” Concentrate on the best outcome and lead others through the steps to achieve that outcome. 

How to manage others.

We all have something to say about our best managers — managers who take the time and care to get to know you and to challenge you to be extraordinary. They lead by example and give great feedback. They have honest conversations about progress and partner with you through the highs and lows. Under elite managers, we are elevated to realize our full potential. What about the behind the scenes efforts that often go unnoticed?

Take delegation for example. Many managers can delegate well, but how many teach their team how to delegate? Elevate provided us with a matrix that allows us to determine the right management approach: low or high skill paired with low or high will calls for managers to either guide, direct, entrust, or excite.

How to manage the big picture.

Harvard Business Review's article, “Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?” served as a framework for our discussions. Pack leadership taught us how to cascade our company's big picture — encapsulated in our strategic statement — to our direct reports in a way that helps them understand how their goals and actions directly align. A big component of employee engagement is ensuring that our people understand the overall strategy that their day-to-day work supports.

 

There is tremendous value in clearly defining the tools and skills a manager needs to hone. Employee engagement goes through the roof when people are actively aligned around a common goal: improving themselves, their colleagues, and their business. Companies that invest in the ongoing growth of their managers will ultimately reap long-term benefits that are felt throughout the organization.

How does your organization elevate engagement? Let me know in the comments below, or get in touch.