10 traits of a great manager, according to Google

10 traits of a great manager, according to Google There are many reasons that Google has been successful in its bid to become a globally dominant company. (Its onetime motto, â€Å"don’t be evil,† probably didn’t hurt.) But one of the most important factors is one you can’t see by going online and using one of their many tools, or asking your Google Home to tell you: effective management. You don’t build a company that big and that successful without quality people at all levels.In its regular Project Oxygen studies to analyze how to improve management and leadership at the company, Google has come up with a number of traits that make a good manager.1. â€Å"Is a good coach†A coach is only as strong as what his or her players produce. A high-quality manager supports the team, always working closely with team members to provide guidance, motivate them, and make sure that everything is moving along as it should.2. â€Å"Empowers team and does not micromanage†It may seem like getting the outcome you want from employees means micromanaging their every move. In reality, it’s a fast way to take power away from individuals and make them less likely to grow and change in ways that make the work better. A great manager knows when to step back and let team members take agency and initiative, building their own confidence and leadership skills while getting the work done. Trusting your team to do what they need to do is a morale booster, and helps create more productive, more satisfied employees.3. â€Å"Creates an inclusive team environment, showing concern for success and well-being†If employees don’t feel supported, work is likely to suffer and you start losing talented people. A great manager makes sure that each team member feels valued and supported in their work. Knowing that your manager cares about you, and not just the work output, improves morale and helps employees feel like a necessary part of the team’s goals.hbspt.cta.load(2785852 , '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});4. â€Å"Is productive and results-oriented†Setting goals and making sure everyone is working effectively toward them is a key part of managing well. It’s up to the manager to set those expectations, and show that he or she is just as committed to them as everyone else.5. â€Å"Is a good communicator- listens and shares information†Nothing causes frustration in the ranks faster than poor communication to and from the top. There’s a reason that communication skills are on just about every job description under the sun. It’s not just about passing information, it’s also about knowing how to hear and understand what’s going on, react appropriately, and communicate outward. That means being able to navigate sticky work politics, as well as take feedback and concerns from employees.6. â€Å"Supports career development and discusses performance†A great manager doesn’t just see team members as faceless worker bees doing the same job over and over indefinitely. A great manager works with team members to find opportunities for improvement and define job goals in a way that pushes them forward. Performance reviews (whether formal or periodic â€Å"how are things going?† check-ins) can identify ways employees can grow and let them know you’re there to support that.7. â€Å"Has a clear vision/strategy for the team†Another morale killer: not really understanding how or why the work is being done. Managing well includes coaching employees toward a particular goal or strategy. Sometimes those are handed down from above as part of a larger corporate mission, but other times it means defining what your group hopes to achieve. Having a clear strategy and communicating that to team members shows how everyday work is contributing to the company’s larger goals or mission. It’s your job to make sure everyone’s seeing the forest and t he trees.8. â€Å"Has key technical skills to help advise the team†It may be that your job is assembling and cultivating experts- not being an expert yourself in a particular process or skill set. You don’t necessarily have to be better than your employees at everything, but you should definitely have enough technical skill to be able to speak intelligently about it, and be ready to provide guidance or support when necessary.9. â€Å"Collaborates across Google†No team is an island. (Okay, that’s not quite how it goes, but you get the gist.) No matter how specialized your team may be, chances are you have to get information from other teams, communicate with other teams, or collaborate on projects with other teams. It’s important to make sure those connections with other groups and colleagues across the company are valued, and ensure that communication is smooth between your team and others.10. â€Å"Is a strong decision maker†Being the boss means having to make the decisions, tough or not. Getting input from others is important, but if you want to push your managerial skills to the next level, that means owning the decision-making process and backing your decisions with as much information and education as possible.If you’re looking to boost your bossing, paying attention to these 10 qualities will help you become a well-rounded manager.

4 Icebreaker Activities for Use Year Round

4 Icebreaker Activities for Use Year Round A positive school climate improves outcomes for students, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. A positive school climate also contributes to academic achievement. Creating a positive school climate that offers such benefits can start in the classroom, and one way to start is by using icebreakers. Although icebreakers do not outwardly appear academic, they are a first step to building a positive classroom climate. According to researchers  Sophie Maxwell et al. in their report The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement in Frontier Psychology (12/2017), the more positively students perceived school climate, the better their achievement scores were in the numeracy and writing domains. Included in these perceptions were  connections to a class and  the strength of relationships with school staff.   Fostering feelings of trust and acceptance in relationships is difficult when students do not know how to talk to each other. Developing empathy and making connections come from interactions in an informal environment. An emotional connection to  a classroom or school will  improve a students motivation to attend. Teachers might use the following four activities at the beginning of school. They each can be adapted to refresh classroom collaboration and cooperation at various times of the year. Crossword Connection This activity includes visual symbols of connection and self-introductions. The teacher prints her name on the board, leaving some space between each letter. She then tells the class something about herself. Next, she picks a student to come to the board, tell something about themselves  and print their name crossing the teachers name as in a crossword puzzle. Students take turns by saying something about themselves and adding their names. Volunteers copy the completed puzzle as a poster.  The puzzle could be written on paper taped to the board and left up in the first-draft form to save time. This activity can be extended by asking each student to write their name and a statement about themselves on a sheet of paper. The teacher can then use the statements as clues for class names made with crossword puzzle software. TP Surprise Students will know you are full of fun with this one. The teacher welcomes students at the door at the start of class while holding a roll of toilet paper. He or she instructs students to take as many sheets as they need but refusing to explain the purpose. Once the class begins, the teacher asks students to write one interesting thing about themselves on each sheet. When students are finished, they can introduce themselves by reading each sheet of toilet paper. Variation: Students write one thing they hope or expect to learn in the course this year on each sheet. Take a Stand The purpose of this activity is for students to survey their peers positions quickly on various matters. This survey also combines physical movement with topics that range from the serious to the ridiculous. The teacher puts one long line of tape down the center of the room, pushing desks out of the way so that students can stand on either side of the tape. The teacher reads a  statement with either-or answers such as, I prefer night or day, Democrats or Republicans, lizards or snakes. The statements can range from silly trivia to serious content. After hearing each statement, students agreeing with the first response move to one side of the tape and those agreeing with the second, to the other side  of the tape. Undecided or middle-of-the-roaders are allowed to straddle the line of tape. Jigsaw Search Students especially enjoy the search aspect of this activity. The teacher prepares jigsaw puzzle shapes. The shape may be symbolic of a topic or in different colors. These are cut like a jigsaw puzzle with the number of pieces matching the desired group size from two to four. The teacher allows students to select one puzzle piece from a container as they walk into the room. At the designated time, students search the classroom for peers who have puzzle pieces that fit theirs and then team up with those students to perform a task. Some  tasks might be to introduce a partner, to make a poster defining a concept, or to decorate the puzzle pieces and make a mobile. The teacher may have students print their names on both sides of their puzzle piece in order to facilitate name learning during the search activity. The names could be erased or crossed out so the puzzle pieces can be reused. Later, the puzzle pieces can be used as a way to review subject content, for example, by joining an author and his novel, or an element and its properties. Note: If the number of puzzle pieces does not match the number of students in the room, some students will not have a complete group. Leftover puzzle pieces can be placed on a table for students to check to see if their group will be short members.