Hire for Your Style of Management

Marcianne Kuethen

December 21, 2015

If you’ve been in the workforce long enough, you’ve probably met every type of manager there is…from one who was totally hands-off, trusting and expecting people to do their thing, to one who checks on workers constantly and gives step-by-step, minute-by-minute directions. The beautiful thing is, every type has its place, in the right environment. You are unique for a reason! But as a manager yourself, it can be tricky to combine your uniqueness with that of your future employees. To be an effective manager in your workplace, you must consciously hire for your style of management.

You can imagine (or you may have experienced!) what occurs when there is a mismatch–that dreaded phrase, employee turnover. Having been a recruiting agency since 1959, we’ve heard of everything from micromanagers who offended and discouraged independent thinkers, to hands-off managers whose lack of specific direction caused their employees to flounder and underperform. There are several reasons for why employees may not work out, but it can mostly be attributed to a mismatch in one of three areas: the job, the manager, or the culture. Fortunately, by understanding what type of manager you are, you can head off the mismatch of the managerial style before your next interview.

Lou Adler suggests one way to look at understanding how to match manager styles and personalities to those of subordinates. In a nutshell, below are the six types for both:

Type of Manager —— Type of Subordinate

Controller —————–  Dependent

Supervisor —————– Structured

Trainer ——————— Trainable

Coach———————– Coachable

Delegator —————— Manageable

Hands-Off —————– Independent

It’s worth your time to check out Adler’s chart and full explanation of these styles. Of course, there are other models that you may also find helpful. For a really good description and explanation of more than ten management styles and their pros and cons, read FitSmallBusiness’s Ten Best Management Styles and Ones to Avoid. What’s important is to identify your managerial style before you interview candidates, and then use behavioral interview questions to screen for candidates who are a good match. When you hire for your style of management, you’ll set up both you and your new employee for success, and get the most from your next hire.

We can help you screen for the right fit. Click here or call (714) 993-1900 to request an employee or discuss a workforce management issue.