What does the good manager do?
Good managers seem to do the same things. Sometimes because they have been well trained, or because they learnt from a good manager, or because they’ve worked out what to do, or maybe a combination of these.
Whatever the reason, they seem to do the same things. One of these things is to push their team and team members.
Pushing the team means finding ways to help them to excel. It might involve saying to the team, it’s my job to help you be the best you can be. One way I’m going to do this is by pushing you. Sometimes gently, sometimes not so gently. This doesn’t mean I’ll be pushing you to work more hours, it will paean pushing you into new territory, to try new things, to extend you skill set, coach you into few competences.
It could mean pushing you forward to present to senior managers, it could mean taking the project leader role on the next international project, it could mean developing relations with other departments to increase understanding.
Pushing, in an encouraging positive sense, seems to be what good managers do. And their teams appreciate it, because it means they grow, are supported and have the interest and best intentions at heart.