help wanted

In organizations, like in life, people want someone who'll be an advocate for them.

In particular, staff members want their supervisors to champion their ideas. They want to know their bosses believe in their ideas enough to present them to higher-ups. They want someone who'll amplify (but not usurp) those ideas, someone who will stand up for them in the face of skepticism -- someone who'll risk something of his or her own to move a good idea forward.

In other words, they want someone who believes in their causes and will take steps to help. Advocacy.

This is not to say that managers should latch on to every idea that comes out of the group. But I think a lot of managers forget that they're supposed to be advocates for their teams. They think employees exist to work for them.

It should be the other way around. The manager should be working for the employee.