Most of you have noticed that Google is doing quite well by just about every measure. It’s so ubiquitous that its very name has become a verb. Google’s stock price has risen over 900% since it went public nine years ago. It’s buying everything in sight and inventing what it hasn’t found to buy.
Google gets over 2.5 milion job applications a year, about 5 every single minute. They hire about 1 in 12 applicants. People are beating down the doors to work there.
How do they stay on top of things? Exceptional management that builds and maintains an exceptional culture. As with everyting at Google, they measure managers carefully which has led to their list of the 8 key behaviors of their most effective managers.
As listed in the Harvard Business Review article “How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management” by David Garvin, here are the skills exemplified by these top Google managers:
1. Is a good coach
2. Empowers the team and does not micromanage
3. Expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being
4. Is productive and results-oriented
5. Is a good communicator-listens and shares information
6. Helps with career development
7. Has a clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Has key technical skills that help him or her advise the team
Not a bad list for every manager out there. I was particularly intrigued that the very first one is: is a good coach. The most important skill for the best manages is coaching everyone else to be their best. Way down at the bottom of the list is: has technical skills that help him or her advise the team.
What struck me most about this is how the skills of the best Google managers are in the opposite order of how so many people hire their managers. First they look at technical skill and last…if at all…they worry about the ability to coach everyone else to greatness.
The most important things are the manager’s ability to build strong people, to empower people, to care about people. What happens? People respond and deliver superior performance.
Right people encouraging and guiding engaged and passionate employees and the results you hope for will follow.
