Did you know that of the top eight skills of Google's best leaders, excellence in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) came in last? That's Google, a company with technology at its very core. What knowledge could possibly be more valuable than STEM to a company like that? Turns out, the key to success, at Google, and any workplace really, lies in the soft skills of its managers. You might be a genius at work, with vast reserves of technical and industry knowledge, but if you don't know how to be a reliable boss who inspires trust in team members, you'll be stuck with a revolving door at work - with people constantly quitting your team, as you try to hire fresh talent. Apart from showing your own bosses that you're not leadership material, having to go through the process of screening resumes and conducting interviews incessantly will become a massive drain on your time. If you've just recently been promoted and are tasked with handling a team for the first time, these six behavioural traits will help you immensely. If you've been a boss before but are wondering why your team operates as individuals, not a unit, maybe there's something you need to change in your own behaviour.
Showing empathy
Sure, you are your team's boss, not personal therapist to each one, but having, and showing, a little empathy towards the people you closely work with will invariably help you in the long term. How you treat your juniors while they're going through a rough time - a sickness, divorce, personal low - is something they will never forget. They might not be able to do or say much in the current scheme of things, but you never know where their career graph might lead them in the future. A person below you today could some day be the one making a hiring decision for your dream job. You don't have to care about them to be able to be empathetic, simply being nice is enough. And being nice is always a choice. Make it.
Standing in front of the bus
No one respects a boss too insecure to ever take the heat for something that goes wrong. In every workplace, there will come moments when things go wrong, and it may or may not be your fault. When that happens, whether you throw your underlings under the bus or take the heat yourself is what will determine how loyal your team will be to you, going forward. Remember, loyalty begets loyalty.
Recognising differences
Treating team members like replaceable cogs in a wheel is the fastest way to demotivate them and kill creativity and initiative. No one likes to be made to feel like they have nothing unique to bring to the table - and that is very rarely the case. Recognising the strengths and weakness of your team members will motivate them to hone their strengths, try to better their weaknesses and ask for help from colleagues when they need it. It will make your team work together more cohesively, which will ultimately lead to higher productivity.
Being humble
No matter how good you are at what you do, if you're a braggart, it's likely that that's all that people will remember you for. It's tough for people to respect bosses who leave no opportunity to toot their horn. The ability to wear your victories with dignity, and sharing the glory with those who helped you get there, is one of the most admirable qualities in a leader.
Setting clear but realistic expectations
It's good to be a demanding boss, but it's awful to set your team up for failure by setting unrealistic and unachievable targets. No matter how well your team is doing or how hard they're working, if they constantly feel like they're not able to meet the targets set for them, it will lead to despondency, which almost always quickly devolves into lack of interest or investment in work. Be ambitious in your asks but don't push your team into a black hole of dejection by setting them up to fail.
The ability to look at the big picture
Getting involved in, and pulling people up for, little things (especially publicly) will make you come across as a micro-managing and petty boss. A big part of being a leader is knowing what to ignore, so that when you do raise an issue, it carries some weight. If you develop a reputation for never being happy, no matter what your team does, they will grow accustomed to it and consider even important problems as just you being you. Focus on the big picture, while steering clear of the weeds.
