How to Know If You Are a Good Manager

If You Are a Good Manager, Your Team Will Tell You — Indirectly
We know from people manager assessment center data that the best managers genuinely care about the wellbeing, engagement, and performance of their team members. They:

• Stay closely connected to employees.
• Recognize problems early.
• Create environments where people can do their best work.

But what happens when the manager is part of the problem?

That is a far more difficult question to answer. Most managers want honest feedback about their leadership effectiveness, yet few receive it directly. Even leaders who are approachable and well-intentioned often discover that employees hesitate to share concerns openly.

Think about your own experience. How comfortable are you giving candid feedback to your boss — especially if the feedback is critical?

The Challenge With Management Feedback
One of the biggest obstacles for managers is that simply asking, “How am I doing?” rarely produces useful answers. Employees may:

• Avoid uncomfortable conversations.
• Worry about consequences.
• Assume that honest criticism will not be welcomed.

As a result, many managers operate with incomplete information. Small frustrations remain unspoken until they become larger performance, engagement, or retention problems.

So how can managers gather meaningful feedback without relying solely on 360 degree feedback, organizational health assessments, and employee engagement surveys?

Management training experts know the answer lies in how feedback is requested and how managers respond when they receive it. The following approaches can help managers — especially new managers — uncover practical insights and continuously improve leadership effectiveness.

If You Are a Good Manager, You Do These Things Consistently

1. Be Specific
   General questions almost always produce vague answers. Specific questions create space for honest and actionable feedback.
   
   For example, instead of asking, “What did you think of the meeting?” ask:
   
   — “Did today’s leadership meeting accomplish its objective?”
   — “What could have made the discussion more productive?”
   — “Was everyone who needed to contribute able to participate?”
   
   Targeted questions help employees focus on observable behaviors and situations rather than broad judgments. Research published in the Harvard Business Review shows that behavior-specific feedback is significantly more effective at driving improvement than generalized performance discussions.
   
   Equally important is how managers respond. The moment leaders become defensive, explain away concerns, or justify decisions, honest feedback quickly disappears. Strong managers listen carefully, ask thoughtful follow-up questions, and resist the urge to immediately defend themselves.
   
   
2. Open the Door to Honest Conversation
   Employees are more likely to share meaningful feedback when managers demonstrate vulnerability and a genuine desire to improve.
   
   For example, if you believe your situational leadership skills need strengthening, say so directly. Ask team members where they think you could better adapt your leadership approach based on varying levels of competence, confidence, or experience.
   
   Research from Google’s widely cited Project Oxygen study found that effective managers consistently create psychological team safety by showing openness, humility, and support for employee development.
   
   The key is authenticity. Employees can usually tell the difference between leaders who truly want feedback and those who are simply going through the motions.
   
   
3. Seek Input From Trusted Third Parties
   Sometimes employees feel more comfortable sharing concerns with a neutral and trusted intermediary. An HR partner, executive coach, or respected colleague can often surface patterns or issues that team members hesitate to raise directly.
   
   This should never become an unstructured complaint session. The goal is to identify constructive themes, leadership blind spots, and opportunities for improvement that are within the manager’s control.
   
   External perspectives can be especially valuable because managers often have blind spots about how their communication style, decision-making, or leadership behaviors affect others.

The Bottom Line
Great managers do not assume they are leading effectively simply because nobody complains. They actively seek meaningful feedback, remain open to uncomfortable truths, and continuously refine how they lead others. The managers who improve the fastest are often the ones most willing to listen carefully, ask better questions, and address issues before they become larger organizational problems.

To learn more about if you are a good manager, download 5 Management Misperceptions that Slip Up Too Many New Managers

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.