It is best to work with a supervisor who. What is a good boss? The most important quality of a leader is the ability to make decisions

What leadership skills are of greatest interest to companies? What has changed in this set over the past decade and what will change in the next? To find out, I surveyed five of the world's most famous executive search companies in 2010. Experienced HR consultants interview hundreds, if not thousands of job seekers, assess their leadership skills, track their clients' careers over the years, and often help them move up and down to third place. They also observe how these executives negotiate, which clauses of the contract are most important to them, why they decide to change the company (for the priorities that top managers are guided by, read the April issue of HBR “Leader: People and Function”).

As a result, we were able to identify seven skills or traits that are most valued by companies:

Leadership inclinations. This quality is considered essential for all senior executives, not just the CEO. One HR specialist described the search for the chapter information department: "Previously, special knowledge would come first, but now they pay more attention to leadership skills than technical skills." What kind of leadership is required - on this issue, experts disagreed, who called "inspiring leadership", who called "non-authoritarian leadership that matches modern leadership talents", "responsible" leadership, "leadership as a combination of sincerity, respect for others and the ability to build trust in the team." There was also a "strategic leadership" option. Ethical leadership was mentioned. Some experts noted that the type of leadership is determined by the needs of a particular company. “If a firm is growing rapidly, exploring new horizons or strategies, it needs a visionary leader,” replied one of the respondents. Another clarified: "Responsible leadership is the ability to raise an organization as a whole or some of its functions to new heights." There were also predictions: for example, that in 2020 companies will look for "the same [the same qualities as in 2010] and value even more the" indelible "qualities of a leader and the experience of saving businesses in difficult times."
Strategic thinking and leadership. Often referred to as "strategic foresight," the ability to think strategically and globally. One consultant highlighted the ability to "set strategic direction," another identified strategic thinking with "integrated leadership." It was also emphasized that strategic thinking also presupposes the ability to fulfill a vision or a dream (one respondent called this quality “executive ingenuity”, the other “high standard of work”). One human resources specialist recalled that strategic thinking is a relatively new requirement for senior managers, and another confirmed that interest in this quality has flared up relatively recently: in the last decade, in 2000-2010.
Technical and technological skills. In third place among the most sought-after qualities of a senior executive, technical skills are mentioned, in particular full knowledge of a specific area that is in their competence - for example, in the field of law, finance or IT. In particular, the respondents emphasized technical and technological literacy. “The top manager needs to understand the role technology plays in his organization and how to apply it,” said one specialist. Others insisted on "industry-specific" financial knowledge and skills. Contrary to popular belief, the importance of many technical skills is not diminishing, but rather increasing.
Ability to build relationships and build a team. Many consultants look out for qualities in applicants that contribute to the organization of an ideal team: the ability not only to collect, but also to lead people so that the team works harmoniously. “A world-class leader must assemble a team that is exceptionally strong in leadership qualities and lead it further. Nobody wins alone, ”warned one of the respondents, while the other added that modern leader must "focus not on their own interests, but on the development of the team." “Bosses don't sit in offices anymore,” said one consultant, they need to become “team-oriented, multitasking all the time, leading without ranks and regalia, withstanding the stress, making sure that subordinates do not burn out, and all this with a wide smile on his face, in a general and open office for all. " Another respondent described the modern firm as a whole as a well-coordinated team, and main responsibility the leader called "to lead and develop her team, starting with the senior management, and ending with" privates "."
Ability to present oneself and communicate. All experts agreed that the ideal leader should have the gift of persuasion and the ability to present himself and his ideas: “the intellectual ability to communicate with the widest range of stakeholders,” as one of my interlocutors put it. The task is not easy, because now interested people much more than before. Convincing a wide variety of audiences, both knowledgeable and non-knowledgeable, inside and outside the company, friendly or skeptical, requires a lot of mental flexibility and style. Some experts believe that the best job seeker should be ready to serve on the board of directors, while others emphasized the ability to "influence the development of the business and the work of the client department" or add "value to the organization" as such. Also, senior executives must maintain good relationships outside the company. “The ability to present oneself has become the key to success,” argues one of the respondents, “and in the future its importance will only increase, since the life of big business is interested in both the media and state bodiesand employees, and shareholders, and legislators. " There was also a warning: leaders will have to "speak to an unyielding audience." Finally, senior managers need to be receptive to new information and be able to analyze it.
Change management. There is a growing demand for the ability to manage change - a quality that until recently was not recognized and appreciated as such. HR specialists noted that they are increasingly being asked to find a candidate who would become a “driver of change”, could carry out “transformations or reforms”, would rally a team for “decisive changes”. One thoughtful consultant said that “change management” for this position usually refers not so much to a willingness to make radical, company-wide transformations, but rather to live in a fluid and transitional state. “The leader has to be an agent of change,” he explained. “He must be tuned in to continuous improvement, constant networking, process and system improvement, business relations improvement, market share increase, leadership development.” Another consultant suggested that a company looking for a change creator often prefers an outsider because he will "bring new skills and a new worldview, which will contribute to significant positive change and growth."
Honesty. Of course, honesty is not a special skill, but the reputation of a person who always observes ethical standards is valued, according to the experts we interviewed, very, very high. One of them even said that "ethics beyond doubt" is required. Another recalled that earlier there was no emphasis on this, but now the issue of reputation has come to the fore ":" Personal honesty, compliance ethical standards... have become much more important, because information has spread much faster. " Another comment: "Organizations test the 'eligibility' of candidates for leadership positions from the perspective of investors, legislators and government agencies."

We also asked recruiters what they think has changed in this range of leadership skills and what changes they foresee. The responses brought a global approach and international experience to the fore. Another interesting observation: the cult of the stars is a thing of the past. It is more important now to be a team player, to play with others - and over time this will be given more and more importance. Team skills and change management are tied for second place among the leadership qualities that are valued today but were neglected ten years ago. One consultant illustrated his thought with an example from life: “Recently I was assigned to find a manager for a branch international company... The previous one was fired because he was considered overly authoritarian, he did not provide his team with opportunities for growth. The managers filed a complaint with the management and a decision was made to replace it. "

Many consultants say that technical skills, which were previously hunted in the first place, are still important, but have become only a starting requirement, which has become standard: as the arsenal of skills necessary for a leader has been replenished, the scope of mandatory requirements and wishes has expanded accordingly. But a manager who neglects technical knowledge hardly has a chance to slip through: in a rapidly changing global economy, outdated information is pushing to the wrong strategic decisions and a waste of resources.

What skills do you consider important for leaders now, and what skills will they need in 2020? How do you prepare to be the best candidate in ten years leadership position?

Methodology

In search of answers to these questions, we interviewed several dozen employees from the five largest recruiting agencies in the world. 57% of the group were men and 43% were women. They were engaged in various market sectors, including: industry (28%), finance (19%), consumer goods (13%), technology (11%), corporate governance (6%), organizational practice (6%), education and social programs (4%), biology and medicine (4%). These consultants worked in 19 countries of all regions of the world, including North America (34%), Europe (28%), Asia (26% including India), Australia and New Zealand (6%), Africa (4% ) and in South America (2%).

Even if there are two or three people under the leadership of a person, he is a leader who must organize their work. And if the life of a whole team depends on you and your actions? What should be the leader? What qualities should you have? Is it easy to lead, or can not everyone become a leader? We will talk about this in our article.

Do you know what the word "leader" means? Leading by the hand. And the essence of the leader's activity is to follow the whole. Not to deal with specific specialized tasks, but to monitor the entire process as a whole so that it is effective.

A leader is a leader followed by people

Is it possible to learn efficiency

How do you understand the word "efficiency"? The answer is quite simple - it is the correct implementation of the assigned tasks. The same is an effective leader. He can be endowed with excellent mental abilities, have best knowledgebut show ineffective work in practice.
Therefore, the ability to manage people, to be a leader is not given to everyone. The ideal leader in specialized literature is described as a person with the following abilities:

ability to analyze;
decision making and responsibility for them;
ability to work with people;
creative thinking;
good knowledge of mathematics;
understanding of the management structure and characteristics of your enterprise.

There are catastrophically few people with all these qualities. But this does not mean that you cannot develop them in yourself. Yes, this is a lot of work, but possible. The leader, about whom we can say that he is in his place, knows how to achieve results in everything. To be effective, a person in a leadership position needs five qualities that can be developed:

Skill manage time... Spend it correctly.
Concentration needed for the final result.
Developing strengths not only for themselves, but for all members of the team. Start solving those tasks that are feasible. It is better to postpone tasks that cannot be solved at the moment.
Skill define priorities.
Skill make the right decisions... You have to understand that the right decision is not one action. These are the right steps in the right sequence.

How to manage your time

Time is priceless. Take care of it

Everything on earth can be replaced with something, but not time. Therefore, you must definitely learn how to manage it. Determine what it is spent on. And if productivity is low, reduce the time for this process as much as possible.

Time management can be divided into three stages:

check in

A certain amount of time is spent on performing any work. And you need to learn how to analyze it. By recording the time spent, it is possible to identify ineffective actions that need to be eliminated.

Control

Useful and necessary things must be done according to plan. Your poor management of the entire production process takes a lot of time. And a good leader should not have this.

Read also: Payment of compensation to working pensioners in case of layoffs

Consolidation

Don't divide things into small blocks. Thus, you will waste too much time. Time blocks can be enlarged by planning all your affairs in advance. Save your time. Conversations with clients, holding meetings, issuing required documents - takes much time. Your assistants can do this work so that your time is spent on more productive activities.

We talked about how to manage our time so that it would be enough for creativity and implementation of plans. Consider what qualities a leader should have.

Personal qualities

Productive work at the enterprise is possible when the appropriate psychological climate is created in the team. And here the role of the leader is great. If he is confident in himself, then he commands respect from his subordinates, and a desire to carry out all his orders.

By respecting your subordinates, you will receive respect from them too.

Resistance to stress is also important. During production process problematic moments can also arise. And if in such circumstances the leader loses his self-control, authority is also lost.
Leadership skillsare undoubtedly important to lead people. It is important to be strict but fair. People look not only at the professional qualities of a leader. They also see little things: what an example their boss sets. And if he is demanding of himself personally, is not afraid of responsibility for his actions, employees will try to correspond to him.

Human qualities are very important. Nobody canceled the human factor. Respect for subordinates, understanding them personal problems, belief in their strength will generate a return feeling of respect and a desire to do their job better.

An interesting survey was conducted of a large number of ordinary employees various companieswho were asked how they would like to see their leader. Most of the answers coincided. Everyone would prefer a boss who is able to come up with new ways and new ways of organizing the production process. So that his decisions are consistent with the opinion of his team, provide freedom and be supportive of employees' initiatives. So that he sees in them not only employees, but also people, being interested in their requests, helping to solve their problems.

To summarize: the personal qualities of a leader are:

high moral requirements both to yourself and to the people around you;
good health;
the presence of an internal rich culture;
kind, caring and responsive attitude towards employees;
confidence in your strength.

Professional quality

These qualities should characterize the manager as a specialist, experienced and competent:

availability of appropriate education and, of course, experience;
competence;
erudition, self-improvement;
the ability to critically perceive reality and rethink it;
search and use of new technologies in work;
training your staff;
work planning.

But with these qualities, you may not be the perfect leader. Because in addition to the above qualities, business qualities are of great importance for a good leader. It is thanks to them that he leads people to success. These qualities can be combined into three blocks.

Ability to solve assigned tasks

Practical intelligence

Logical thinking. Using your knowledge, skills, experience in solving production problems. The necessary qualities, but the effectiveness of management does not always depend on the correct thinking and work with information. This happens in conjunction with the ability to establish the right relationships with people. And here the second block is no less important.

The opinion of a Microsoft evangelist in Russia.

To bookmarks

Alexander Lozhechkin, who is in charge of technical evangelism in Central and Eastern Europe at Microsoft, wrote on his blog on Medium about two types of leaders - those who know how to work with employees stronger than themselves and those who cannot cope with such a task.

Alexander Lozhechkin

There are many criteria by which one can evenly distribute workers on a scale from one extreme to the other. For example, height: there are people of small stature, there are people of large stature, and there are people of medium height and all possible heights from small to large.

With many character traits the same: there are people with a good sense of humor, there are people with a bad sense of humor, there are those who are in the middle. But there are some character traits by which the division of people is very black and white: either this or that - and nothing in between.

For example, once I was told about a very good attribute of managers, according to which they are all divided into two distinct and absolutely immiscible categories, between which there is no "50 shades of gray":

Leaders who give energy.
Leaders who take energy.

At first I myself did not agree with the categorical nature of this statement, but then, having analyzed all the leaders that I had and all the leaders whom I observed from the outside, I was somewhat surprised to find that this is really so: each leader either gives or takes away energy. There are no neutral ones, it's like a plus and a minus for a battery or like the north and south poles of a magnet.

Recently I realized that there is another attribute of leaders, according to which they are also very clearly divided into two categories. It is the ability to work with people stronger than yourself. There is a fairly well-known rule that you should always hire only people who are stronger than you. And there is also a rule related to the first:

Type A people hire Type A people. Type B people hire Type C people.

It seems to me that the ability to hire people stronger than yourself is only one very important component. In fact, even more is needed:

1. The ability to evaluate people stronger than yourself. It's like growing. It is very easy to compare the height of people who are shorter than us - “we can see everything from above”. It is always more difficult to evaluate people taller than ourselves - everyone who is taller seems to be equally tall.

So it is with the mind. Comparing the minds of people is more stupid than us. But comparing the minds of those who are smarter than us is much more difficult. In general, it is very difficult to understand that someone is smarter than us, since our mind is no longer able to appreciate it. This is one of the problems that prevent many from working with those who are stronger. But you can learn. there is good exampleslike basketball coaches, who are usually short for some reason. From the outside sometimes it turns out better.

2. Ability to hire people stronger than yourself. This is even more difficult. It is often very difficult for a leader to imagine a situation that he is not the most competent member of the team. “How then to lead? After all, this smart guy will constantly jeopardize my authority? "

Such leaders do not understand, and are not able to understand that their authority is determined not by the fact that no one argues with their opinion, but quite the opposite - by the fact that they are not afraid to bring their opinion up for discussion.

3. Ability to attract people stronger than yourself. And this is even more difficult. Even if the leader is capable of having someone stronger than himself in the team (for example, he inherited them from his predecessor), it is far from a fact that he will be able to attract such people to his team. After all, every employee, especially if he is a good employee, wants to learn something new, wants to develop. And he must understand that he can learn something from his leader.

How do you learn from someone who is less competent? This is where the real qualities of a leader come to the fore. His ability to work with those who are stronger than himself is already good qualitythat can be adopted. If he is able to attract people stronger than himself, then his team will strive the right people - to learn, if not from himself, then from those whom he could attract to himself.

4. Ability to develop people. Another way to attract stronger people to your team is to grow them internally. Take a person with good potential and develop him until he outgrows you. Here someone may think that I am contradicting myself (after all, I wrote in the article "On the Development of People" that it is not necessary to develop people), but in fact, no. It is not necessary, and even impossible, to develop people "by force", but you can create conditions for development by giving interesting projects and tasks, helping with advice.

And here it is already very important for a manager not to be jealous of the success of his employees (a very rare skill). I once heard a very good executive interview question:

What is an example of your employee who was ahead of you in his career?

If a manager can give several examples of such employees, this is a very good sign. If not, then this should be alarming.

5. Finally, the ability to work with people stronger than yourself.You shouldn't forget about this either. And don't think it's easy. In general, good is seldom simple and often requires effort rather than not.

Of course, every leader wants to be applauded and accepted for execution for all his ideas. So that all employees admire him and do not mind. I want to too. And sometimes it is very difficult to reconcile yourself with disputes and objections. Which sometimes upset and even annoy.

But everyone is wrong, and if you do not build a culture in your organization that allows everyone to ask questions and criticize, regardless of the number of stars on the shoulder straps and the width of the stripes, then such an organization can be very unstable and very ineffective. And good employees are unlikely to want to work with such a leader and will leave such an organization at the first opportunity.

And here we come to the most important thing.

How these two types of leaders (those who are able to hire, attract, develop and work with those who are stronger than them and those who are not) manifest themselves when employees leave. Voluntary or compulsory.

The first type of managers (who are able to work with people stronger than themselves) are left (by themselves or forcibly) mostly by bad employees.

And from the second type of managers (who are not able to work with people stronger than themselves), mostly good employees leave (themselves or, unfortunately, forcibly).

Here is an observation. The most interesting thing is that there are almost no managers in the middle between these two types. Unless it happens that the leader has not yet matured to learn how to attract people stronger than himself, but if he inherited such people, he may well continue to work well with them.

Well, another dimension by which these two types of leaders are divided is their ability to help the growth of their employees. Of the first type, good employees can easily outgrow. Good employees have only one way out of managers of the second type - out.

Thus, even if a bad leader suddenly gets a good team, he will very quickly lower it to his level. And so you can even formulate a rule that any team and any leader is determined by their best and their worst employee.

The best employee in a team determines the leader's ability to work with those who are stronger than him. And the worst employee determines his ability (or inability) to get rid of those who harm the team (and this is also a very important skill, which should be written separately).

Being a real leader is incredibly difficult. And not only because of responsibility, but also because in large teams, the leadership is always treated with indignation. In addition, it just so happened that managers do not hesitate to ascribe impartial traits, for example, excessive self-confidence. Of course, in most cases, leadership is respectable. Nobody is born a good boss, and they have to go through a thorny path to become.

Before a person is appointed to a leading position, his candidacy is considered for the presence of certain qualities. Psychology of management helps to understand what qualities an effective leader should have. First of all, they always look at individual character traits. If these traits coincide with the psychological portrait of a good manager, then the person can count on a quick career growth and the coveted chair of the manager.

Key personality traits of a boss

Self-assessment

It is unrealistic to become a good director if you are unable to control your actions and are not able to evaluate them from the outside. In working with people, one cannot do without critical self-esteem, it is needed for normal relations with their subordinates. A leader who has this quality will not demand the impossible from his people, because he perfectly understands what is possible to do and what is not.

Abmicity

This is one of the key factors that keeps a person moving forward, making their way to the top of the food chain. All actions of an ambitious employee are aimed at improving their own work. This is exactly what allows him to stand out favorably and get an enviable promotion. Ambition is essential in private business. If a person does not have it, then he is unlikely to advance further and will remain the owner of a couple of small shops or cafes.

Persistence and determination

If a person is afraid to make a mistake, pliable to the opinions of other people, he is unlikely to be successful. Of course, it's silly to argue, we are all human and we all have our own fears and thoughts about possible mistakes. But you don't need to give vent to your fear either. A good boss is also afraid, but despite this, he still moves forward and achieves his goal.

Patience and composure

A leader who is unable to control his emotions and loses control after the first failure, or breaks down on subordinates - will never gain respect. Any boss is respected for his calmness and composure. You must lead the team by your own example, inspire them to new labor exploits.

A responsibility

A real leader understands that he is responsible not only for himself, but also for all his subordinates. You cannot distance yourself from the team, so you cannot effectively manage it. If people feel that their boss has moved away from them, then they will work carelessly, and this will negatively affect productivity.

Exactingness

All subordinates must clearly and quickly complete the assigned task. If you allow them to work, as mentioned above, carelessly, then you can forget about efficiency and discipline. Each boss must remember that he is also responsible for team discipline. In order for all instructions to be carried out efficiently and in a short time, orders must be given without shouting, and all subordinates must be treated fairly. Shouts, threats, raising the tone are the wrong tactics.

Equality

It's no secret that different people treat their employees differently. But we must not forget about the fact that people do not like it when they single out one of them. Do not have favorites; all subordinates should be treated equally.

A sense of tact and mutual respect

IN big company Any employee can expect respectful treatment, even if it is a night guard. There is no need to belittle the dignity of people, on the contrary, help and support them, then you will definitely win their love. All psychologists assure that good boss will not forget to ask about the well-being of his subordinates, empathizes with their grief or loss, etc. The ideal leader is always perceived by subordinates as not a stranger, which has a beneficial effect on the quality of work.

Personal professional qualities

The success of the organization directly depends on the knowledge and skills of the chief. Therefore, the manager must meet the following requirements:

Advanced knowledge

Any leader, as the captain of a ship, must know the answers to all questions and be a role model. Also, do not forget about such qualities as: the desire to go forward, self-education and all-round development, the skill of detecting and quickly solving problems, the ability to listen to others.

Organizational skills

The skill of organizing work is one of the most important for an effective leader. After all, the well-coordinated work of subordinates is the key to the success of any business.

Fast decision making

The leader is obliged to immediately solve critical situations, to be able to calculate everything several moves ahead. It often happens that procrastination is like death, because the boss is responsible not for material and production values \u200b\u200balone, but primarily for his subordinates. Therefore, you need to clearly understand what to do in critical cases.

Business qualities

Do not discount the manager's business qualities. The key features are:

Full responsibility for decisions taken... Simply put, the leader himself must make important decisions, and not delegate it to his deputies;
Develop yourself regularly and monitor the development of the skills of your subordinates. The leader must find new options that will help increase the efficiency of the work process. It does not matter in what area the company operates, if you forget about the constant movement forward and the use of modern technologies, then you can forget about success.
The ability to adapt to modern trends and the ability to change the field of activity, if the company did not succeed in this.
Ability to select management methods suitable for assembled team... After all, achieving this goal is not always possible. Therefore, set only realistic and feasible goals for your subordinates.

The team regularly has a variety of conflict situations, therefore, the boss must act as a kind of "father of the family", be able to encourage and punish. Just don't forget about justice. Sometimes, the leader has to become a general on the battlefield and make difficult decisions to get out of this situation. But do not forget that you yourself are responsible for all the decisions you make. Sometimes you need to know how to become a friend to support your colleagues. Just do not forget that you are the boss, which means that the interests of the company are above yours.

If you have most of the above qualities, do not hesitate, soon you will definitely get promoted up the career ladder. And if not, then try to develop them, starting with your own ambitions. Moreover, now there are enough various trainings where people are helped to develop certain qualities.

The success of an enterprise depends to a large extent on who is at the head of it. A qualified leader will help promote the business through the correct organization of the work of his subordinates.

Being a good leader is not easy. A person who has a leadership position is obliged to combine various qualities of a professional and personal plan.

Leadership qualities that lead to success

The main qualities of a leader are divided into three groups:

1. Professional quality... This group includes qualities that characterize a person as a competent specialist. These qualities are the basis that allows a person to carry out leadership activities. This group includes:

education, work experience, competence, knowledge of one's own and related areas activities;
related skills: knowledge foreign languages, ability, possession of computer skills.

In general, this group includes the skills and abilities that are usually listed on the resume.

2. Personal qualities of the leader. This group includes the qualities that every employee must possess:

honesty;
a responsibility;
psychological health;
poise, ability to control oneself;
responsiveness, benevolent attitude towards others.
In addition, this also includes such personal qualities that not everyone has, but which the leader must have:
an optimistic outlook on life;
self-confidence;
sociability and desire to communicate;
stress tolerance;
charisma;
interest in people;
organization;
purposefulness and ambition;
justice.

3. Business qualities of the leader. This includes organizational skills labor process, self-organization and managerial qualities of the leader:

the ability to plan their activities, knowledge of time management;
striving for self-improvement;
critical perception and ability to rethink situations and the surrounding reality;
erudition;
the ability to teach others;
openness to everything new, the ability to look for new forms and methods of work;
skill to work in team;
the ability to support and ignite people with a new idea;
the ability to create a work team with a favorable psychological atmosphere for work;
the ability to manage people, the desire to lead people, together to achieve the set goals;
the ability to distribute attention, to keep tasks of different directions in the head;
logical and critical thinking;
initiative;
efficiency in solving emerging issues;
the ability to highlight the primary goals and objectives;
desire to succeed at any cost.

5 qualities of an ideal leader

The qualities of an ideal leader will differ depending on what kind of leadership we are talking about. For example, a low-level executive must be a good organizer, and a senior executive must be a strategist. In general, such basic qualities of an excellent leader can be distinguished.