Some 'common threads' among managers who succeed over the long haul - HR Update: News that Works - Brief Article

HR Magazine, Nov, 2002 by Terence F. Shea

The best managers, according to two business professors who have made a study of top performers, are those who demonstrate character and integrity, don't waste time--theirs or other people's--and put the necessary thought and preparation into getting the results they want.

Dr. Clinton O. Longenecker, the Stranahan Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of Toledo, says that 2,000 managers whose traits were examined "are superstars according to their employers...over an extended period of time." Yet they're not superhuman, he says. They are "methodic, focused, process- and people-oriented individuals who know how to get things done."

The study's co-author, Dr. Jack Simonetti, professor of executive education at the University of Michigan, says, "We found common threads in their approach to building long-term track records of success in both their organizations and personal careers.

Longenecker and Simonetti, authors of Getting Results (Jossey-Bass, 2001), say top managers communicate effectively, hire the right people, stimulate skills development in others, monitor performance and build relationships. And they maintain balance in their personal and professional lives to avoid burnout.

"What was most interesting about the managers in this study," says Longenecker, was that those regarded as results-oriented "tend to be humble, good-natured individuals who [know] the value of people, rather than draconian taskmasters who abuse people. But they could balance that understanding with the need for effective business processes and technology. They also practice continuous improvement on a personal level."