What does being a good manager actually mean?
By Viva Asmelash and Michael Gregor
As we've been working with leaders across different sectors this year, one question keeps surfacing—
"What does being a good manager actually mean here?"
It's a deceptively simple question that reveals something profound—management excellence standards must be defined.
This is especially true now, given the professional landscape and the number of different generations in the workplace.
This month, we want to explore how your organization can thoughtfully define what good looks like in your specific context:
Start with your mission and values as your north star. Your organization's purpose isn't just marketing copy—it should fundamentally shape how people lead. A climate advocacy nonprofit may define great management differently from a tech startup, and that's exactly as it should be. Ask yourself: How do our core values translate into daily management practices? What does it look like to lead in service of our mission? How do we evaluate leaders from this perspective?
Build from existing leadership competencies. Many organizations already have some framework for skills or behaviors they expect from employees, whether formal competency models or informal cultural expectations. If you have one, don’t start from scratch. Instead, examine what you've already identified as important leadership qualities and get specific about what these look like in practice. If "collaboration" is a key competency, what does a collaborative supervisor actually do day-to-day?
Center the voices of direct reports. Here's where many organizations stumble: they define good management from the top down without asking the people most impacted. Regular feedback from direct reports isn't just nice-to-have—it's essential data. Create structured opportunities for team members to share what support, communication, and leadership they need to thrive. Their insights will often surprise you and always inform better practices for managers.
Make it concrete and actionable—then implement accountability measures. Abstract definitions of good management are of no help to anyone. Once you've gathered input from mission, values, competencies, and direct reports, distill this into specific, observable behaviors that are integrated into manager hiring processes and performance reviews. Instead of "be supportive," try "schedule regular one-on-ones, ask about workload and priorities, and advocate for team members' professional development."
The goal isn't to create a rigid checklist, but rather to establish a shared understanding that enables managers at every level to understand what success looks like across the board and in your unique organizational context.
Do you need help defining what good management means to you?
We've been helping leaders and teams navigate exactly this challenge through our customized consulting and leadership development programs. Contact us to explore how we can support your journey to management excellence.