These are the 6 Key Qualities of Highly Effective Leaders that even some of India's Best Managers are lacking

Good managers are essentially not the ones who hound their employees to achieve deadly targets. They don't need to be feared, they need to be the ones employees can get inspiration from. If they adopt the ‘right’ approach, managers can have a significant impact on job satisfaction and retention, without exception, across the globe.

Several studies have indicated that the behavior of best managers have helped attract exceptional staff; made the organization a preferred employer; helped increase the market share; added to profits and surpluses, and reduced costs. Most importantly, their staff is often more engaged, committed and ‘ready to go the extra mile’ to do tasks and deliver on targets. But a pertinent question to ponder over is the right approach for managers to deal with their teams, particularly for Indian managers.

We spoke to Pallavi Jha, the Chairperson & Managing Director at Dale Carnegie Training India, to understand the key behaviors of Indian managers that can get the best out of their team members. Drawing results from a global study by the firm, she told us - "Exhibiting these six traits that some of even India's best managers lack, they can truly inspire team confidence in their leadership, and be as effective as some of the greatest leaders": ‎

Sincere appreciation and praise are essential to motivating employees around the world. Words of encouragement play morale booster and develops a sense of gratitude in employees for their managers.

Encouraging employees to improve daily and being an active part of that process is another key trait that makes for a great manager. “Effective leaders both develop themselves and create a safe environment that fosters their employees’ capacity to grow,” says Pallavi.

Admitting their own shortfalls before criticizing others can help employees respect their leaders, and follow their opinions with a lot more devotion and commitment than those who do not respect their team leads. A lot of times, a manager who may appear to be too full of himself/ herself, leaves no opportunity to criticize a team member over the slightest of mistake, but may never reflect self apology for their own mistake. This behavior rarely goes unnoticed by team members, and it’s highly likely they can start looking down upon their leads for the hypocrisy. A little bit of self introspection before taking a yell at others is a good practice to keep you under check.

Recognizing performance improvement plays key part in springing up a feel-good factor among employees. The feeling of being lauded by your manager can go miles in motivating team members, the direct output of which shows in their ideas, commitment and quality of their work.

Being pointed out mistakes in an indirect and tactful manner saves team members unnecessary embarrassment for which they will always hold their managers in gratitude. Moreover, it helps employees take the soft criticism in the right spirit and act accordingly, which leads to better productivity.

Leaders who are externally-reliable as well as internally-reliable, meaning honest and trustworthy with others and true to their beliefs and principles, help employees feel a sense of satisfaction and also improve retention.

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