I have got to the point where I am no longer willing to work for a manager that doesn't have my best interest in mind.
Your line manager is so important to how you view your job. Enjoyment, stress, and career progression can all be influenced by the relationship you have with your manager. I have had some managers that made my life difficult and actually made me dread work.
But one of the managers I had stood out from the rest. She really went out of her way to make sure I was respected and felt energized in my career.
Here are 4 things that made her the best.
1. Invested in me from day one
Despite being a contractor who joined for 6 months she invested in me from day one. She sent me on training courses in my first two weeks, which was specific to the job and made my life that much easier as a result.
I have worked in other contract roles and you tend to get limited training. They expect you to come in with a skill set and seem to be annoyed if you ask any questions. Here they actually invested in very expensive training courses. Instantly I felt valued and wanted to work harder.
2. Gave me responsibility straight away
After attending these training courses, I was set clear tasks and left to my own devices. I was sent to meetings as the sole representative of the team. Before I have had managers who would not have trusted me this early and would want to attend meetings for me and then make me do all the work with none of the credit. But here I was in the firing line and got to meet senior people in different departments. I found that I flourished because I was given the confidence to get on with things and deliver.
3. Actually cared if you were stressed and ensured you got support
As my manager was very senior, people respected what she said and if her team were overworked she would stand up for them. She did it in a non-confrontational way but people still listened to her.
Even in the busiest periods, she would reassure you and be so calm as she had seen it all before. This made us more confident to work towards even the most ambitious deadlines, without feeling burnout and overworked.
4. Talked about career progression
When we had our 1 to 1 meetings to talk about how things were going, there was always a clear focus on what I wanted out of my career. She asked what specific areas of the job interested me and what training would help me progress through the business.
Other managers, I had previously, just focussed on day-to-day tasks. They would all make out as if they want you in the business for a long-time. But talk is cheap. If I asked to attend training courses, we wouldn't have the budget. They didn’t want to invest in you. As long as short-term targets are hit and they get their bonus, they were happy.
One manager went above and beyond to make me feel like my career actually mattered.
My manager left a long-lasting impression on the whole team
When the company was making redundancies and she decided to opt-out of staying the whole team was gutted and the attitude completely changed from that point on. And never truly recovered.
She had created this great environment and although she didn't know the ins and outs of what we were all working on, it didn't matter. We wanted to work hard for her and do her proud. Can't say I have had the same feelings towards any other manager. It was very unique and a masterclass on how to lead and get the best out of your team.
If you are in a managerial position, make sure you have a positive influence on your direct reports and go out of your way to help. There is nothing worse than a selfish manager that makes employees' life a misery.