We’ve all heard the adage: “People don’t leave jobs — they leave managers.” Of course, this isn’t entirely true; there are a lot of different reasons someone might need or want to make a career change. However, managers do have a powerful impact on employee engagement, career satisfaction, and team cohesion. An employee’s relationship with their manager is one key reason they might consider staying in or leaving a role.

Hiring a manager, then, isn’t just about the person you hire. By hiring the right person, you can also boost employee engagement, retention, and productivity. So how can you be sure you’re hiring the right manager? Start the hiring process by asking yourself these three questions:

1. What do your employees want and/or need?
   Bringing in the right person to lead a team starts with really knowing the team. What kinds of personality types are common among the employees? What are the existing formal and informal power dynamics at play? Keep in mind that there’s no need to guess here, however well you know your employees. Ask them directly and get them involved. What kind of manager would they like to see in the role?
   
   For example, you might have a current employee who is interested in the role but needs a little more experience before they’re ready to take it on. In that case, you might consider hiring someone with a lot of management experience and three to five years of career runway left. That experienced manager can mentor your up-and-coming employee, who can then transition into the management role when their mentor is ready to retire. In another case, you might have a wide variety of personality styles on the team. This can be tricky to navigate, and you probably can’t make everyone happy. However, you can hire a manager with strong communication skills, the ability to adapt their management style to suit employees’ individual needs, and the ability to get buy-in from employees when changes need to be made.
2. What are the company and/or team’s immediate challenges and long-term goals? What kind of management style would best meet those needs?
   There’s no “right” way to manage. The kind of manager who will be most successful with a company will be one whose management style and experiences align with both the company’s short- and long-term challenges and goals. For example, “autocratic” leaders are known for making top-down decisions and prioritizing project goals. This is often considered a toxic leadership style – but if a company is floundering, a team has been mismanaged, and there are time-sensitive issues going on, an autocratic leader who can make decisions, solve problems, and execute plans might be the exact kind of leader to get the team back on track.
   
   In that case, the company’s short-term situation (a crisis) and long-term goals (growth and productivity) are not the same. So, a company might consider hiring a manager with the skillset to right the ship on a contract or consulting basis, and then finding a manager with the drive and experience to lead the company forward long term. In other cases, where the company’s short- and long-term situations are much more aligned, a company might pursue a more transformational leader who can manage each part of the company’s growth plan. In either case, the company’s needs and expectations should be communicated clearly from the outset so that the new hire has what they need to succeed.
3. What personality traits and/or experiences are most relevant to those needs?
   Once you have a big-picture understanding of the company’s goals, the team’s needs, and the new manager’s role in meeting both, make a list of the personality traits and professional experiences that are most likely to help a management candidate be successful. Do you need someone with boots on the ground or a 30,000-foot view? Will their team benefit from a hands-on, active management style or a more relaxed, laissez-faire approach that fosters innovation and collaboration?
   
   As you read resumes, interview candidates, and perform reference checks, look for specific details and ask targeted questions that can help you understand how a particular candidate might fit into the company and bring their own skills and strengths to bear on the role. The key is to communicate the situation at hand to everyone involved — the candidate, the team, references — to get the best results.

There are some qualities that are almost universal in their appeal — great communication skills, a strong work ethic, and high integrity, for example. But in most cases, companies, teams, and employees will have a unique set of needs and challenges that will require a manager with a specific set of qualifications and experiences. The best way to ensure that you’re hiring the right manager is to get the team’s input, clearly communicate the company’s short- and long-term needs, and evaluate candidates on their ability to lead not just in general, but in the specific environment they’ll be working in.