If you are currently working in a management role, pushing towards promotion, or aspiring to lead your coworkers, then you need to understand the qualities of a good manager and how to pursue them. Good managers help boost productivity, lower turnover rates, increase worker morale, and are paramount in the success of every good company. Recognizing the essential traits of a good manager is the only way to ascend to the upper echelon of leaders. If you are interested in becoming an excellent manager who is admired by your peers, then continue reading!
Understand Technology
One of the primary qualities that every manager should have is the ability to understand and adapt to the ever-changing technology landscape. We’re not saying that every manager needs to have the expertise of an IT professional. However, they should understand emerging trends and how to leverage them. Understanding technology will allow you to stay even with or ahead of the competition and understand what the implications of these advancements mean for your organization. Even if you are a manager that rarely utilizes technology in the workplace it is still important to understand it. You never know what new trends will make an appearance in your industry or which new applications will increase your overall workload. Keep up with it.
Proper Communication
Every good manager needs to have excellent communication. Whether you are accomplishing this in person, or via phone / email, proper communication is an excellent skill to have. If your employees understand their roles and have clear cut instructions on how to get their work done, it will boost efficiency and save company resources. A great way to improve your communication skills is to take an intro public speaking class. The ability to communicate in a productive manner will make you a valuable asset to whichever organization you work for. The key is to listen first, and having an open-door policy can help you accomplish this. The only way to truly fix issues in the work place is to hear what your employees have to say. Make it clear that you are there to help.
Motivate Your Team
There are several ways to accomplish this. First, you need to work on getting feedback from your employees. Understand what makes them tick. Be transparent and succinct. You don’t have to be their best friend, but at the very least you should understand how to boost morale. Also, providing perks can make a huge difference. Maybe you give a monthly gift card, or have a contest that measures productivity and the winner gets a half day once a month. Whatever method you choose, keep in mind that the important aspect of this strategy is to keep your workers as happy as possible. Just make it clear that the relaxed atmosphere should never equate to decreased productivity.
Delegating the Workload
Properly distributing the workload amongst employees is a great skill for any manager to have. This means understanding the scope of each project and how many man hours it should take to complete. There is nothing worse than an improperly scoped project, because it can mean excessive working hours, which will ultimately decrease morale. You should also know and understand how to troubleshoot issues and provide feedback. When you are giving an employee a new task that is foreign to them, you should be understanding but firm in your expectations. Allow them to ask questions while they learn and understand the material. It is your job to promote a productive environment, and you want to set your organization up for success. Once your employees prove they can handle these new obligations, you should gradually increase the workload as a test to see how much they can complete with a high level of accuracy. By pushing their limits you find out exactly how valuable each worker can be. Not only will you be creating stronger employees and setting them up for future success, but you will also be providing your organization with more overall value.
Being a good manager comes down to how you manage manpower. If your employees respect you they will naturally be more productive. You don’t have to be their best friend, but at the very least you should have an open door policy and be available to answer any questions people might have. You want your workers to continually grow and develop. At the end of the day, it’s your career, and if you are successful as a manager your advancement potential is endless. Prove yourself as a capable leader and good things will start happening for you.
Matthew Welch
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