Everyone Deserves a Great Manager
The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team
byScott Jeffrey Miller, Todd Davis, Victoria Roos-Olsson
Book Edition Details
Summary
Master the art of leadership with FranklinCovey’s transformative guide, "Everyone Deserves a Great Manager." This Wall Street Journal bestseller is the quintessential manual for new managers stepping into their roles without a roadmap. Crafted from a decade of insightful research, this book unlocks the secrets to managerial success through four dynamic roles: leading yourself, people, teams, and change. Dive into skill-based chapters brimming with actionable tips—from conducting effective one-on-ones to nurturing a vibrant team culture. With over thirty innovative tools at your disposal, each section empowers you to tackle real-world challenges and avoid common pitfalls. Whether you're pressed for time or seeking comprehensive growth, this engaging read offers both quick insights and in-depth knowledge, all while maintaining your daily workflow. Embrace this indispensable blueprint and become the exceptional leader your team deserves.
Introduction
Picture this: you've just been promoted to your first leadership role, and suddenly you're responsible for a team of people who were your peers just yesterday. The excitement of advancement quickly gives way to a sobering realization—you have no idea how to be the manager your team deserves. You're not alone in this challenge. Research shows that most people take on their first leadership role at age thirty but don't receive leadership training until they're forty-two. That's over a decade of learning through trial and error, often at the expense of both your team's potential and your own confidence. The transition from individual contributor to leader represents one of the most significant career shifts you'll ever make, requiring entirely new skills, mindsets, and approaches. Yet organizations continue to promote their best performers into management roles with little more than a congratulations and a new title. This gap between expectation and preparation creates unnecessary stress, missed opportunities, and teams that never reach their full potential. The good news is that great leadership can be learned, practiced, and mastered when you have the right framework and tools to guide your journey.
Develop Your Leadership Mindset
The foundation of effective leadership begins with a fundamental shift in how you view your role and responsibilities. As an individual contributor, your success was measured by your personal achievements, your ability to complete tasks efficiently, and your individual performance metrics. However, stepping into leadership requires you to completely redefine what success looks like and how you achieve it. Consider the story of Carolyn, a record-setting salesperson who was promoted to sales manager based on her exceptional individual performance. When her new team members struggled during client meetings, Carolyn's instinct was to jump in and use her superior sales skills to close the deals herself. She believed she was helping her team by ensuring successful outcomes, but this approach actually prevented her team members from developing their own capabilities. While Carolyn continued to achieve short-term wins, her team remained dependent on her intervention and never learned to handle challenges independently. The turning point came when Carolyn realized that her role was no longer about her hitting the numbers—it was about helping her team hit the numbers. This mindset shift required her to step back from doing the work herself and instead focus on coaching, developing, and empowering her team members. She had to resist the urge to swoop in and save the day, instead allowing her team to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow stronger as a result. To develop this leadership mindset, start by examining your current paradigms about success, control, and your relationship with your team. Ask yourself what beliefs about leadership you've inherited from previous experiences and whether those beliefs serve you in your new role. Practice the "See-Do-Get" cycle by first changing how you see your responsibilities, then adjusting your behaviors accordingly, which will ultimately lead to better results for your entire team. Remember that your people are now your results. Every interaction, decision, and conversation should be filtered through this lens. When you truly embrace this shift from achieving results on your own to achieving results with and through others, you'll discover that your impact multiplies exponentially, and your team's potential becomes unlimited.
Build Engagement Through Regular One-on-Ones
The most powerful tool in a leader's arsenal for building engagement and connection with team members is the regular one-on-one meeting. These aren't status update sessions or performance monitoring checkpoints—they're strategic conversations designed to unlock each person's potential and strengthen your working relationship. Joanna was a superstar project manager who worked remotely and consistently delivered exceptional results. Her projects were always on time and on budget, making her appear to be the ideal low-maintenance, high-performing employee. However, when she unexpectedly submitted her resignation, her manager was shocked. During the exit conversation, Joanna revealed that while her manager was technically competent, their interactions felt purely transactional. Their brief check-ins focused solely on project status, with no genuine interest in her challenges, career aspirations, or experience working remotely. The contrast became clear when Joanna moved to a different team under a new leader who prioritized regular, meaningful one-on-ones. This manager asked thoughtful questions about her work experience, listened to her concerns about remote work isolation, and showed genuine interest in her professional development. He created space for her to share ideas, discuss challenges, and feel valued as a whole person rather than just a project delivery mechanism. To implement effective one-on-ones, schedule them as recurring appointments and protect this time fiercely. Prepare thoughtful questions that go beyond task updates, focusing instead on engagement, development, and removing obstacles. Practice empathic listening by giving your full attention, asking follow-up questions, and truly seeking to understand your team member's perspective. End each session by clarifying commitments and next steps, ensuring both parties leave with clear expectations. The key is consistency and authenticity. Your team members need to know they can count on this dedicated time with you, and that you're genuinely invested in their success and well-being. When you master the art of meaningful one-on-ones, you'll see engagement levels rise, problems get solved before they become crises, and your team members will feel truly supported in their roles.
Set Clear Goals and Delegate Effectively
Effective leadership requires you to help your team understand not just what they need to accomplish, but why their work matters and how it connects to larger organizational objectives. This clarity of purpose transforms routine tasks into meaningful contributions and empowers your team to make better decisions independently. The story of a luxury hotel in Paris illustrates the importance of clear expectations and trust in delegation. The experienced waitstaff knew their jobs well and took pride in setting perfect tables for VIP guests. However, a problematic pattern emerged: after the waiters carefully arranged each table setting, the supervisor would arrive and adjust a champagne flute. Minutes later, the assistant manager would appear and refold a napkin. Finally, the general manager would descend from his office to rearrange the centerpiece. This cascade of corrections sent a clear message to the staff that management didn't trust their abilities or judgment. Over time, the waitstaff learned not to bother with precision since management would inevitably redo their work anyway. What started as an attempt to ensure perfection actually created indifference and resentment among the team. The staff had little incentive to bring their best efforts when they knew their work would be overridden regardless of quality. To avoid this trap, start by aligning your team's goals with organizational priorities through clear communication with your own manager. Create specific, measurable objectives using the "From X to Y by When" framework, and involve your team in the goal-setting process to build ownership and commitment. When delegating tasks, clearly explain the why behind the what, provide necessary resources and guidelines, then step back and allow your team members to determine the how. Effective delegation requires you to define success criteria upfront, establish check-in points for support and guidance, and resist the urge to micromanage the process. Create a culture of "pre-forgiveness" where team members know they can take appropriate risks and make mistakes as part of their learning and development. Your role shifts from doing the work to removing obstacles, providing coaching, and celebrating both effort and results.
Create a Culture of Growth Through Feedback
Feedback is one of the greatest gifts you can give another person, yet it's often the leadership skill that causes the most anxiety for both givers and receivers. The key to effective feedback lies in balancing courage with consideration, ensuring your intent is always to help people grow and improve rather than simply pointing out problems. The author recalls his first experience receiving difficult feedback as a young waiter whose efficient system of taking orders without notes was creating chaos in the kitchen. When his friend was promoted to manager, one of his first actions was to address this disruptive behavior. The newly minted manager sat him down after closing and said, "I need to see a marked improvement in your teamwork," then wrote this exact phrase on an index card and handed it over. While the feedback was necessary and ultimately helpful, the delivery lacked the consideration and skill that would have made it more effective and less traumatic. This experience illustrates the two extremes many leaders fall into: too much courage without enough consideration, or too much consideration without the courage to address important issues. The most effective approach requires high levels of both courage and consideration, delivered with genuine care for the person's development and success. To give effective reinforcing feedback, be specific about the behavior you observed and its positive impact, connecting it to the person's intrinsic motivations and career goals. For redirecting feedback, prepare carefully by identifying specific behaviors and their consequences, then engage in a collaborative conversation about how to improve. Always focus on behaviors rather than personality traits, and work together to develop an action plan for change. Don't forget to actively seek feedback about your own performance. Model the vulnerability and growth mindset you want to see in your team by regularly asking for input on your leadership effectiveness. When you create a culture where feedback flows freely in all directions, you'll see accelerated growth, stronger relationships, and teams that continuously evolve and improve together.
Summary
Leadership is fundamentally about serving others and helping them achieve their full potential. As one wise leader observed, "Ten years from now, no one will remember if you met your second-quarter targets, but your legacy will be the lives you influence and the careers you grow." The practices outlined here provide a roadmap for becoming the leader your team deserves—one who develops people, creates engagement, sets clear direction, provides meaningful feedback, navigates change with confidence, and maintains the energy needed for sustained excellence. Start by choosing one practice that resonates most strongly with you and commit to implementing it consistently over the next thirty days. Remember that becoming a great leader is a journey, not a destination, and every small step you take toward better leadership creates ripple effects that extend far beyond your immediate team.
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By Scott Jeffrey Miller
