"Is a manager really necessary?"
Once, Google, a group of the world's top engineers, seriously considered this. They thought that if you have talented individuals, they should be able to act autonomously without management.
However, using their signature data analysis skills, they thoroughly analyzed tens of thousands of performance reviews, interview records, and surveys. The results revealed a surprising fact:
"Teams with the best managers are happier and significantly more productive than those without."
They named this study "Project Oxygen." They defined managers as "oxygen"—as indispensable to an organization as breathing is to life.
In this article, we will uncover the essence of the "10 Behaviors" that Google has continued to update over more than a decade.
Leadership that forces subordinates into a mold is now outdated.
What are the conditions for a truly "chosen leader" as proven by data? We will get to the heart of it.
◆ Be a Great Coach
A competent manager is not someone who gives answers.
They are a "coach" who asks the right questions so that subordinates can reach the answers themselves and accompanies them through the growth process.
Specifically, they value regular 1-on-1 meetings and devote themselves to supporting subordinates in solving problems rather than just checking progress. Can you take joy in your subordinates' success rather than your own? That is the first turning point.
◆ Trust the Team and Don't Micromanage
Leaders who say, "I'm anxious unless I give detailed instructions," are actually just pushing their own anxiety onto their subordinates.
Excellent managers delegate authority and give subordinates free discretion.
Respect them as professionals rather than moving them as hands and feet. However, this is different from just dumping work on them. While being ready to lend a hand whenever they are in trouble, they maintain a stance of "having their back."
◆ Build Psychological Safety and Wish for Success and Happiness
Is there a sense of security in the team that "no matter what I say, I won't be rejected"?
In Google's research, "psychological safety" was cited as the most important factor.
Create an inclusive environment (where no one is excluded) and show sincere interest in each member's personal happiness and career success.
"The trust that 'this person cares about me' is the strongest foundation for maximizing individual performance."
◆ Be Productive and Results-Oriented
Being a "nice person" is not enough to be a manager.
You must understand better than anyone why the team exists and what results it should produce, and set an example by working hard yourself.
Instead of having endless meetings, you need the ability to pursue efficiency and lead members to practical results so they feel they are doing valuable work.
◆ Be a Good Listener and Share Information
The basis of communication is not talking, but "listening."
Listen sincerely to the opinions of subordinates and sense what they are thinking and what they are struggling with.
On the other hand, openly share the background of what is happening at the top of the organization and why decisions were made. The higher the transparency of information in an organization, the more distrust disappears and the stronger the unity becomes.
◆ Support Career Development and Discuss Performance
Are you drawing a "future career" together, not just having them do "current work"?
Face subordinates' strengths and weaknesses head-on and provide constructive feedback continuously.
Tell them even the painful things with love, wishing for their growth. And, think together about what experiences and skills are needed to get where the subordinate wants to go and provide opportunities.
◆ Have a Clear Vision and Strategy
No one wants to board a ship without a destination.
Continue to talk about where the team is headed and what they are doing now in simple and powerful words.
Even in a storm, show strategic guidelines so that everyone can be sure that "we should go toward that light." That becomes the magic that turns scattered individuals into a single "team."
◆ Have Technical Skills to Advise the Team
"The idea that 'I only need to manage' is an illusion."
Having enough expertise to understand the technical challenges the team faces and provide practical advice is a source of trust as a leader.
You don't need to do the same work as your subordinates. However, you must never let go of the knowledge to understand the "structure" of the hardships your subordinates face and allocate appropriate resources.
◆ Collaborate Across the Organization
Managers who only think about their own team's interests (local optimization) hinder the growth of the entire company.
Actively cooperate with other teams and departments to achieve the goals of the entire organization.
Subordinates working under a manager with this broad perspective can feel that their work is connected to a larger world and work with pride.
◆ Demonstrate Strong Decision-Making
After gathering information and exhausting discussions, the manager finally needs to "decide."
Postponing decisions is the greatest evil that robs the team of time.
Even if you can't see the 100% correct answer, judge the best at the moment and take full responsibility for it. That clean decision-making stance allows subordinates to move forward with peace of mind.
What Google proved is that management is not an "innate charisma" but a "skill" that can be acquired later.
None of these 10 behaviors are magical tricks. It's about doing the obvious things, obviously, but with overwhelming thoroughness. That accumulation creates the best team.
A title gives you "authority," but it does not prove your "ability."
What proves your ability is the "brilliance" of the members working under you.
Were you good "oxygen" for the team today?
There is no end to the path of management.
Engrave these codes of conduct as your own inner guidelines and update them little by little every day.
It is under a leader who does not stop walking that great talent and the best results gather.
