If I’d ask you: ‘did you ever have a bad manager?’, the answer is likely to be “yes!”.
Maybe followed by: “And I’ve also had a great one.”
The difference in impact between the two is huge.
What’s strange is how few managers see themselves as “bad,” even if the people around them do. If bad managers are so common, why do so few managers see themselves that way?
Because of this strange paradox: often the more people need to improve, the less they are aware of that. It’s not denial, but a lack of self-awareness.
If you don’t reflect, you don’t notice. And if you don’t notice, you don’t improve.
Meanwhile, leaders with strong self-reflection tend to do the opposite. They see their gaps and actively work on them. That’s why teams experience them as better managers over time.
So how do you find out what people really think of you? Not easy. People rarely tell the truth to your face, especially if you’re higher up.
Anonymous employee engagement surveys can shed some light. But there’s a better and simpler way. Ask several people, including your direct reports, peers and manager: “What’s the one thing I should work on?”
Listen. Find the pattern or theme among the feedback. Create a plan. Measure progress.
I’ve seen managers transform just by working on one repeated piece of feedback. Within months, their teams went from frustrated to regaining their trust.
With time, such a plan can flip the narrative: from being the boss people talk about behind their back, to the one people are grateful for.
→ What feedback has shaped your leadership the most?
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