Good managers need to be excellent communicators and adept problem solvers, plus have great decision-making skills. Keep reading to learn more about the top managerial skills that will drive your career and organisation forward.
The best managers know how to juggle a lot of priorities. They create project management plans, set goals and timelines, organise workflows and build strategies for business success.
Successful managers also need to have the skills to help other leaders within the organisation mentor and guide their own teams. Great leaders are great at planning and have the foresight to keep the big picture in mind.
Many managers use software to help them organise projects and team members. For example, Samewave is social performance management software that allows teams to create goals and tasks, communicate about progress, upload and store documents and generate reports in one transparent place.
Even better, Samewave is free. Sign up today and become a better leader by organising your team more effectively.
No matter what industry you work in, excellent communication skills are a must. Teams feel empowered when they know what is happening and feel that their managers have their best interests at heart. Keep your team members in the know and informed with team briefings and informational meetings.
How well you communicate also affects how good of a presenter you are in a professional setting. Good team managers are able to easily communicate with different audiences, including internal staff, external stakeholders and customers.
A great communicator is diplomatic, tactful and credible. They not only communicate well, but they are known for doing what they say they are going to do and creating a reputation of integrity and trust.
Have you ever heard the phrase âif you want something done right, do it yourselfâ? Great managers know they can't succeed in the workplace with that attitude. They know they need not only the technical skills to get the job done, but they also need to be able to delegate work effectively to reach goals before deadlines.
Delegating is also known as directing. A good leader can take charge and guide a team toward their goals and assign what needs to be done without seeming bossy. It's one thing to have the right talent on your team who have the right skill set, but it's another thing to coordinate and delegate in the best manner to drive productivity and efficiency.
Effective leaders are able to analyse each individual team memberâs skill set, preferences, workload and capabilities and then map out the best plan for each project so the team can accomplish more in less time.
In today's competitive workforce, motivating and retaining your best talent is more important than ever. If team members don't feel motivated and engaged, they often start looking for new opportunities.
It's easy to motivate yourself because your self-awareness guides what you need to stay motivated. It can be more challenging to motivate others because you have to figure out what makes each individual 'tick.' Motivation is highly personal and managers need to spend time deciphering what motivates each employee on their team.
Get to know your team members on a personal basis. Have honest, candid conversations about their career development and goals. Create a working relationship that encourages them to them to speak up when there is a problem and allows them to express new ideas freely.
Furthermore, be sure to give your direct reports the feedback they crave. One of the most frustrating things any employee can experience is hearing negative feedback or criticisms about their work when the need for improvement has never been mentioned. Don't be afraid to have difficult conversations just because what you have to say might be hard to hear.
Lastly, make sure you invest in your team members as much as you invest in your products and services. An organisations' talent is the lifeblood of its success, so provide continuing education and professional development opportunities that strengthen your team to reach the next level.
No matter how great of a manager you are, sometimes individual employees struggle with performance or cause internal issues despite your best efforts. As a leader, you must deal with that conflict rather than ignoring it or hoping it resolves on its own.
You might have to put certain team members on probation or implement a performance improvement plan. Discipline is part of the job and you can't spare feelings when business results are on the line. Poor performance can impact internal relationships, the work of other team members and customer service.
When there is a conflict between team members you manage, it's important to act quickly. It's the leader's job to advocate for both employees and not pick sides. You have to actively listen to each side and work with both parties to find a timely, agreed-upon solution.
The best leaders help team members see one another's point of view, assume positive intent and speak in positive terms. Picking sides or becoming angry will never help. Your job is to resolve the problem, facilitate a solution and bring your team back to a high level of productivity.
Use these best practices to become the type of leader that others want to follow. Don't forget to invest in your own professional development and continuing education.
A manager's continual growth and development is just as important as an entry-level employee's professional development. Remember, the best leaders create the best team members that become future management potential for every organisation.
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