Your Manager: Would you prefer supportive or effective?
That was the interesting question put last week at a conference that I was speaking at. They were using voting pads and so we got an instant response. There were 2 sessions, each with about 200 people, but the response was pretty much the same: in the morning 71% went for supportive, and in the afternoon 69%, so overall:

Effective: 30%
Supportive 70%

This was in a regulator body in the health sector, where getting a decision right is important. But people's views were clear. What was most important for managers was to be there for them.

As one participant put it "If they are supportive then we will cover their backs and make sure they look effective. If they aren't supportive, then they are on their own."

Now ideally we are both effective and supportive as managers. But which are you most focused on: being supportive or being effective?