Good Managers Are Rare

If you're considering leaving your current job, there is a 50 percent chance—according to research by Gallup—that it's because you want to get away from your manager. Managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement scores, meaning that they strongly influence how happy employees are in their jobs, and how likely they are to stay.

Gallup's research also found that the majority of managers in the United States today are wrong for their role. According to Gallup's State of the American Manager report, just one in 10 people has the natural talent to be a great manager. Gallup defines managerial talent as possessing a rare combination of five qualities: the ability to motivate others, overcome obstacles, hold themselves and others accountable, build trust, and make informed, unbiased decisions for the good of their teams and organizations. The report found that most people have some of these talents; the ones they lack can be developed through coaching.

Employees who participated in Gallup's research identified three behaviors that managers can adopt to rapidly boost employee engagement:

Be open and approachable. Your employees should feel comfortable talking to you about their work challenges and successes.

Help your employees set work priorities and goals.

Focus on employees' strengths and positive attributes. Research has confirmed that strengths—based management and coaching is associated with greater levels of engagement, productivity, and profitability.