We’ve all heard the expression “the best boss I ever had”—but what does that actually mean?

What behaviors do great managers execute?

We draw on research by Marcus Buckingham, who examined Gallup surveys of 80,000 managers and studied a few top performers in depth.

There are as many styles of management as there are managers, but one thing is true of all great bosses.

They discover and capitalize on what is unique about each person.

That means they think carefully about people’s strengths—and their quirks—and use this knowledge to translate everyone’s talents into performance.

Think of it like this: average managers play checkers; great managers play chess.

In checkers, all the pieces are alike, and they all move the same way. In chess, there are many kinds of pieces, and you can’t win unless you put the differences to good use.

Like the pieces on a chessboard, employees are different. Great managers tailor individual roles so that people can succeed in their own way.

We share with you how to execute these behaviors so you can become a great manager!