8 common behaviours managers display – but may not realise

When was the last time you – middle manager – thought about how you were leading your team?

Of course, you don’t need to look too far or too deep to know what kind of an environment you’re creating for your team. If it was a toxic one, you’d be facing high turnover, or worse still – complaints made by your current or ex-employees against you.

Every once in a while, it’s good to reflect on your ways of working, your leadership skills, and your areas of improvement. You don’t have to wait for formal 360-degree assessments or for half-yearly performance review meetings to hear from your manager and/or colleagues about your strengths and weaknesses.

Make it a more frequent exercise.

8 common behaviours

Here’s a list of 8 common behaviours that managers are guilty of, but don’t (or can’t) admit to.

1. Micromanaging – many managers are guilty of this one, but they just can’t see it for themselves. They over-instruct; they expect to be kept informed for every action to be taken; and they want to have a say in every decision related to a project. This was #1 in Forbes’ list of common traits found in bad bosses.

2. Overbearing – these are managers who check up on their colleagues (especially during the current work-from-home way of working), raise their voice and talk over them. They also don’t hesitate to cut their colleagues off mid-sentence – just because they think they can.

3. Not being there for their team – part and parcel of manager-ship is having a listening ear, and providing a strong support shoulder. By keeping an open mind and an open ear, managers can understand what’s really going with their team. They can render help when necessary, and in a timely fashion.

4. Lack of transparency – yes, managers are expected to make decisions on behalf of the team, but they can involve the team. They can do so by sharing important information and updates. Openness and transparency begets trust and a collaborative spirit amongst the team.

5. Letting team take the blame for mistakes – we know this one can ruffle a few feathers. Every individual needs to take responsibility for his project and mistakes if he wishes to develop in an organisation. However, there’s no reason for the manager to throw him under the bus. Managers should step up and take some of the blame for not steering the project when it began veering in an unintended direction.

6. Not giving team the limelight when they succeed – take some of the blame but none of the glory? Yes! A manager’s role is to lead, so when projects deliver results and perform well, most of the credit will go to the team. Some part of it will go to the manager – for leading the team well and stepping out of the way.

7. Unsupportive of passion – often an unconscious bias. Many managers are guilty of not encouraging their colleagues when they want to explore new things, try out an unrelated project, or head in a different direction. This could be exploring job rotations, transferring to other teams, or working on an idea that’s completely unrelated to the team’s day-to-day role.

8. “Absent” in meetings – present in body, absent in mind. They’re distracted and checking their mobile phones during meetings. They’re simply not paying attention to what’s being discussed. This does not reflect well on a manager.

Recognise a few of the above behaviours in yourself? What are some others that we’ve not listed?