The Boss Effect, how important is having a good manager? Probably more than you even realized.
You don’t need me or additional research to know that your manager can make or break the way you view your day and your work experience. You might be surprised on just how significantly you and those around you are impacted by your boss in the mist of your daily work.
However, Gallup recently wrapped up a study that showed that 70% of our engagement and attitude towards our work is determined by our manager. By the way, if you’re the boss this means you. This equals to the quality of your company, your actual work, your team, among others to just 30% of what motivates you. The boss is the overwhelmingly and biggest wildcard. It really doesn’t matter how great the company is or the products/services. If you don’t have a good boss you’re fighting an uphill battle daily and surely feel it. The good news is what happens when the boss is a good one.
Knowing that 70% of our engagement is based on our boss, regardless of industry, the rigors of the job, etc., you can have success and feel good about your work if the boss is a good one. Gallup’s research also found a bottom line difference. The same company in the same industry doing the same things will generally have 27% higher revenue if the management is generally good throughout the organization. That’s pretty rare, however, based on the research, only about 15% of companies have generally “good” management. That also helps explain why, for many people, the grass never seems to be greener on the other side.
How many people have you known who’ve jumped ship due to poor management only to continue to bounce around? For that reason, it’s probably best to find a good organizational fit, doing the best you can when management isn’t ideal, and positioning yourself to thrive when you are presented with good management.
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