The Great Place to Work Trust Index survey identified the top 100 companies. The survey measured the level of trust an employee has in an organization and the consistency of employee experience within that organization (“Fortune 100 Best,” 2025). Out of the four companies I reviewed, employees valued culture, felt welcomed despite their position, were proud of where they worked, and believed management to be honest and approachable. The reviews demonstrated HR practices that have a people-first focus and create a culture that empowers employees to develop, maintain individuality, and strive for excellence. Through the GPTW survey, these companies show a high-trust culture that is proven to outperform competitors (“Fortune 100 Best,” 2025).
The practices of these organizations have many qualities of the type of manager that I strive to be. I believe that a great manager is someone who truly knows their people and can show them where they might develop while allowing each person to be themselves. As Michael implied in First, Break all the Rules, “everyone is different”, and what works for one person may not work for another (Buckingham & Coffman, 2020. P. 15). As someone who loves watching people develop and be engaged, a management position is a great position to be in. Especially providing that HR dynamics are changing to lean more towards “increasing the asset value of human capital” and not focusing as much on function (Breitfelder & Dowling, 2008. p. 40).
While the aspects of a great manager seem like they stem from simple human kindness, there are certain aspects that I could find challenging. I know that I have room for improvement in effective communication and not taking criticism personally. In order to work on those pieces of myself, I have been actively communicating needs and complaining less. I’ve also been writing down criticism that I receive and working through the why I might have been given it so that I may understand where it comes from. I hope to one day be as aware of necessary change as Sebastien Marotte from Google, who thought about what changes were possible, made a plan, and implemented it to be better than he was before (Garvin, 2023. P. 79).
Buckingham, M. & Coffman, C. 2016. First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently.
Breitfelder, M. D., & Dowling, D. W. (2008). Why Did We Ever Go Into HR? Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 39-43.
Garvin, D. A. (2013). How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management. Harvard Business Review, 91(12), 74-82.
Great Place to Work Institute. (2025) Fortune 100 best companies to work for 2025. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2025.