At Sensight Surveys, we help clients see where they are performing well and where they can improve to increase employee and resident engagement.  Our 15 years of research shows time and time again that communities with high engagement levels have a rock star management team.  The evidence is in the ratings they receive from their employees and residents as well as the overflow of favorable comments, each of which can serve as a powerful testimonial for the community.

When I’m talking to a client about a one of their communities that received an extraordinarily high or low engagement score, 9 out of 10 times the client isn’t surprised.  When the score is very low they say things like, “That community is between Executive Directors right now.” or “The Head Nurse there is really struggling.”  When the engagement score is very high, I hear things like, “Of course. That management team is A-MAAA-ZING.”

A rock star manager knows how to simultaneously serve as cheerleader for the company, their employees, and their residents all while balancing a stack of operating manuals and financial statements on their head.  They possess a good balance of people skills, organizational skills, and operational skills.  This combination of abilities is hard to come by.

A few mind-blowing statistics from the Gallup Organization:

  • Companies fail to choose the right candidate for a manager position 82% of the time.
  • Managers account for a whopping 70% of employee engagement levels.
  • Only 1 in 10 people possess the raw talent to manage other people.

WHO ARE THESE TOP 10%?

These 1 in 10 people who possess the raw talent to manage others have the innate ability to engage their employees and customers.  They know how to build a culture of mission, productivity, and recognition.  They have the raw talent to focus on each person’s needs and strengths, rally people around a cause, and run a smooth operation.

Specifically, research has found that great managers have these talents:

  • They have high emotional intelligence.
  • They know how to motivate and inspire their team.
  • They make decisions that foster productivity over politics.
  • They are not afraid of facing adversity.
  • They keep their people accountable.
  • They build trust, open communication, and transparency with their teams.
  • They support the personal well-being and growth of each team member.

HOW DO WE FIND THEM?

Now that we’ve identified the key characteristics of rock star leaders, how do we find them?  What should we be asking during job interviews to discover if we have one sitting right in front of us?

Validated assessments that measure emotional intelligence and other personality styles are a good first step in understanding if a candidate has what it takes on paper.  There are a few companies out there who specialize in leadership recruitment for senior living communities who will recommend the right tools and administer them for you.

But then, FOCUS ON THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.  Take your time.  Conduct more than one interview, each led by a different key person on your senior management team.  Ask questions that reveal the behaviors you are seeking in candidates using the stories they tell.  Then compare notes with other interviewers and look for consensus.

Here are some example interview questions that measure the key leadership traits we identified earlier:

Tell me about a time in your role as manager:

  • You did something you didn’t agree with to support the company.
  • You motivated your team to do something they didn’t want to do.
  • You made a difficult decision in the face of adversity.
  • You dealt with a team member who was struggling to keep up.
  • You were approached by a team member with a unique idea.
  • You had to deliver bad news to your team.
  • You supported the development of one of your team members.

Look for responses that contain a great amount of detail, including references to when, who, and what. And look for consistency in the stories they tell, as this will reveal their true behavioral tendencies and whether or not they have raw leadership talent.

Do you have a rock star manager you want to tell us about?  Comment below.

Contact Sensight Surveys at 630-237-4138 or lynn@sensightsurveys.com to learn more about measuring and improving employee and resident engagement and identifying great leaders for your organization.