A boring manager is the best kind of manager

A boring manager is often the best manager you'll ever have. (Shutterstock)

A manager who can lead the company to success is a manager that is predictable and consistent, which is often seen as completely boring.

We’re often told that confidence is key; if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything you want. New research has shown that high confidence actually makes us less likeable, less employable, and less successful in the long run.

So, as a hiring manager, when looking for the best possible manager for your company, rather look a little bit further than just the typical confident, self-promotional or demonstrative people in the organisation. A manager who can lead the company to success is a manager that is predictable and consistent, which is often seen as completely boring.

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You should look at it as if you were building the perfect robot manager. You want it to be an objective, transparent, unselfish and apolitical person. This manager would be assigning the right tasks to the right people and reward personal- and team efforts, resulting in a culture of trust and improved employee morale, which obviously benefits the company. This manager would only make evidence-based decisions and work with data rather than intuition. In other words, this manager is more competent instead of simply confident.

This is exactly what Dr Tomas Chamorro, personality expert and professor business-psychology has argued in his book. Confidence is not the same as competence. Confidence is when you feel you are able to perform, while competence is when you are actually able to do something. Moreover, research has shown that 65% of the people who are confident about their abilities are not nearly as competent as they think they are, while lower confidence is significantly useful for gaining competence.

Low confidence can actually benefit the employee, and thus your company, in the long run. An employee with a lower confidence is more self-aware and more motivated to get ahead at work and improve their skills. When someone feels like they’re bad at something they will try harder and learn through experience, and confidence will follow more easily when it’s backed up by real accomplishments.

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Next to not being the most loud or confident person in the room or someone that has mastered the art of self-promotion and upward career management, a good manager is someone who can keep their employees on track. A leader needs to be calm and grounded so that they can respond appropriately to people’s emotions and not react in a highly sensitive or negative manner. A leader also needs to be consistent and work according to clear parameters so that employees know exactly what is expected and can do their job their own way but with clear set goals. Lastly, managers who display integrity and good ethics will benefit your firm as well; immoral actions will undermine the organisation in the long run.

If your company keeps this in mind it can help you to spot managerial potential in your staff, who then can help execute the company vision and ensure that other employees stay engaged and productive.

For more great tips to be the best manager, visit our Management Advice column.