When evaluating managers, it can be difficult to tell how effective they are. There are, of course, concrete measures of training they've received and outcomes of their initiatives, but how can you best gauge the intangible qualities that make great leaders great? One of the best ways, it turns out, is to look at their employees, and one of the first questions to ask is if they are learning new skills. Unfortunately, according to a recent study, 52 percent of employees say they are never, rarely, or only occasionally learning new things at work. Good managers learn to tap into their employees' proficiencies and level them up with new skills. In the same vein, great managers are adept at removing roadblocks that frustrate their employees. Often this takes the communication skills to understand what stands in the way of employees and their success. Finally, great managers can communicate the rationale behind company strategy and get buy-in from their team. Taking high-level strategy and translating that into words and actions employees can embrace is one of the hallmarks of great leadership.