What do you need to do to let your employees thrive?

We asked members of the Apolitical community to share their secrets to successful management. Here, Ved Sharma, an Engineering Discipline Manager at the Canadian Public Works and Government Services, argues that compassion and trust are non-negotiable qualities for any effective manager.

Trust is the foundation of all relationships, and it needs to be earned, established, nurtured and maintained. A good manager enjoys the trust of their employees. The deeper the trust and faith in the leader, the more motivated and empowered the employees feel, such that they can deliver the toughest of assignments on one call of duty.

Now, the question to ask is what helps to build trust! Keeping things simple is important - it is not any different from any other relationship, such as a colleague, friend or family member. Transparency, integrity, compassion, genuine care, no faking (people can see through insincerity sooner than you realise) and empowerment are the key skills I would rate the highest. I have enjoyed working with the managers who have empowered me and given me the space to do my work independently, without micro-managing me. Also, keeping the team informed and aware is important. I don't believe a manager needs to worry about keeping an employee happy - rather keeping them informed. The trust and transparency will help them generate happiness from within their work. And happiness is contagious in the team.

The value of compassion and genuine care cannot be underestimated, especially in the post-pandemic world and with a faster pace of life. Investing time in knowing their team members, what their needs are, what their career aspirations are and helping them to achieve those dreams and goals would make an ideal manager. All great leaders produce other great leaders. Of course, this is easier said than done, as it depends on many other corporate and organizational challenges. A good manager asks and aims to understand the employees' needs and aspirations and empowers them to make their own choices and take ownership of their decisions. Pushing down orders is the worst recipe for a (poor) manager.

The value of compassion and genuine care cannot be underestimated, especially in the post-pandemic world.

Lastly, a good manager lifts the morale of the employees when they are down. They regularly provide recognition and positive feedback for improvements, together with training and development opportunities. Giving feedback in the right way with the right intentions is important. Is the feedback intended to empower and enhance the employee and is it delivered respectfully? Does the employee receive the feedback with happiness? If not, then some adjustment is necessary. I am a great fan of Spiderman's uncle/aunt - with great power comes great responsibility. The onus lies on the manager, not the employee. Are you ready to take on this responsibility?

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