Leadership: Good v. Great

There's usually a fine line between good and great.

But in leadership, the line's a mile wide.

What separates good leaders from the great ones? I wanted to know.

Over my 18 year career, I've had good managers and I've had great managers.

I wanted to know what separated them.

So I spent 20 hours writing down everything I could about all my managers.

Then I distilled what I learned into 4 things you can start doing today:

1/ OPPORTUNITY

The best managers went beyond talking about opportunity.

They went out of their way to create opportunity for me then made it happen. Some were small like presenting to senior stakeholders. Others were big like taking new roles in different countries.

But they all both promised opportunity and followed through.

2/ PROVIDE BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The best managers constantly talked about why they made decisions.

They provided context into their decision making to help me understand what goal I was working toward. Context lets people operate without micromanagement. Context lets people do their best work.

They hired smart people and got out of their way.

3/ OFFER VALUE-ADDED ADVICE

The best managers gave me advice based on my circumstances.

They were expert talent-spotters and suggested new ways of doing things. The advice went above and beyond simple 1:1s. It was highly relevant which proved they knew what I was good at.

Most the advice I received sticks with me today.

4/ MAKE ONBOARDING SPECIAL

The best managers built momentum and excitement for me coming into new roles.

Despite the challenges of navigating process, they kept the excitement high. We met in person and talked about the role before the start date. They gave frequent updates remove uncertainty.

This gets new hires productive fast.

Sprint the mile from good to great.

Inspire your team to do the best work of their lives.

What do your best managers have in common?