6 Qualities Every Continguent Worker Wants in a Manager

Being a great manager requires more than just experience in the field. You also need a particular set of traits, ensuring you can lead your team effectively. Employees look for traits such as a positive attitude, empathy, honesty, and effective decision making to help them be successful at your business.

Here are 6 traits continguent workers hope to see in their boss:

1. A Positive Attitude

Just as you prefer to work with employees who have positive attitudes, your contingent workers feel the same way about their managers. When company leaders are excited about their roles and the business, don’t dwell on problems, look diligently for solutions and inspire people with their mindset, your team is going to be at its best. Ultimately, positivity can be contagious, and it is certainly more pleasant than a workplace filled with negativity.

2. Focus

Managers often have to juggle multiple projects and priorities. While this can be challenging, a leader must be able to remain focused, ensuring they can execute the plan they have laid out and relay critical information to their teams to keep everyone on target. Without focus, your contingent workers may not know what tasks they should handle or where your priorities lie. This can lead a workplace to feel jumbled and disjointed, and that isn’t appealing to your short-term staff.

3. Empathy

While managers need to keep the company’s needs in mind, the best leaders also have a heart. Empathy allows leaders to adjust their approach and demands based on the situation, ensuring that expectations are realistic, even if they remain challenging. Now, empathy does not mean you have to accept a subpar performance. Instead, it is simply having the emotional intelligence to assess a situation and make changes if appropriate, ensuring no one is overburdened along the way.

4. Honesty

Nothing will send a contingent worker running for the hills like a dishonest manager. While some leaders try to justify hiding the truth by saying it is for the protection of their employees, not telling your team what they need to hear harms transparency and your culture. You don’t have to be harsh to be honest. Instead, just make sure to be straightforward and share information that impacts your team whenever the need arises.

5. Accountability

If you want to build trust with your contingent workers, accountability is a must. Following through on your promises and providing them with the information or support they require is essential. Plus, when you are accountable, it is easier to hold your staff accountable too. That way, everyone is adhering to the same standard, creating a uniform expectation at every level.

6. Effective Decision-Making

Effective decision-making is a vital component in fostering a productive and cohesive team environment. Contract workers, whether short-term or long-term, rely heavily on clear guidance to understand their roles and organizational priorities. A manager who can make decisions efficiently ensures that questions are resolved quickly, allowing the team to maintain momentum and focus on achieving their goals. This level of clarity and decisiveness builds trust, enhances productivity, and empowers your team to perform at their best, driving your company forward.

Building Your Team

Great managers possess the ability to inspire confidence, build mutual respect, and create an environment where contingent workers feel valued and supported. By demonstrating a postive attitude, focus, empathy, honesty, accountability, and decisivenes you can foster stronger team collaboration and achieve long-term success. If you’re ready to empower your workforce and optimize your management practices, explore our services today! Let’s help you build a stronger, more engaged team.