Welcome to part two of the attributes of a great manager. We must have only great managers because they, to a large extent, make or break the organisation. Usually, when people leave an organisation, they leave the manager and not the organisation per se.
To retain their teams’ support, managers need to be confident that their decisions are the right ones. After they have made a tough decision, managers need to convince their teams to move forward. Managers who project confidence are much more likely to inspire all of their workers, including those who disagree.
Clearly, from time to time, all businesses suffer setbacks. A new competitor might enter the market and gain traction, and a new product release might not be well-received by your customers. A pandemic may occur to throw everything up in the air. In any such situation, managers need to remain confident so that they can lead their teams forward.
Solid self-esteem, if not innate, can be gradually developed over time deliberately by both the prospective manager and the organisation. I believe, by the way, in home-grown managers. Hiring a manager is okay, but try and groom your management trainees to take up managerial positions when it is time.
Great managers should understand that they are the ones in charge, meaning they are responsible for everyone’s performance—the successes and the failures. To this end, they keep tabs on all of their subordinates to see what they can do to help them become better workers and develop professionally.
To a large extent, promotions and career paths are unclear to many employees, which is undesirable because many workers place a high value on professional development. Managers who are invested in their employees and committed to helping them grow professionally will almost assuredly keep their staff engaged.
Attributes of a great manager (1)
Back to the fact that people quit their bosses, managers need to be understanding. They need to put themselves into their staff’s shoes and imagine what it’s like to do their jobs. A manager must have emotional intelligence and use it. When managers don’t listen to their employees and understand where they are coming from, bad things like workers quitting will happen. Many senior people can see the link between this often overlooked trait and their organisation’s financial performance.
For businesses to succeed, managers can’t lose sight of something because they’re too busy dealing with something else. Once they have the right balance, other things follow. Increased creativity, putting client top of mind all the time. You stand out from the competition. Managers achieve both personal and business goals alike and build more robust networks and partnerships.
The efficiency of a manager/leader is in direct correlation to how well they’re able to stay focused on their tasks and goals. Managers need to be aware of the big picture while keeping a sharp eye on the more minor things, too. Great managers have a track record of successfully seeing multiple projects through from conception to completion.
A manager who has a knack for thinking outside the box and coming up with great ideas will take the company to the next level. Creative solutions are required to solve problems because not all decisions are black and white. Managers are known for thinking about new ways to improve operations and serve customers better while also making their employees happier.
If you consider candidates who have spearheaded projects, helped conceive new products or services and figured out ways to improve productivity, you’re likely to wind up with a great manager.
It’s easy to get frustrated at work. A manager should, however, not openly expresses disgust about something when everyone else is struggling. It can bring the team down even more. Great managers understand this, which is why they try their best to remain optimistic and positive at all times. Optimism is not about skills but behaviour and attitude.
A great manager must be committed and tend not to take flight at anything and everything. They are dedicated to the organisational cause and are looking to get promoted and move up the ranks. Most importantly, they set themselves up for success and become a model to those following them.
Delegation is the power to get rid of less pressing work to get more time to focus on essential tasks that require a manager’s full attention. A great manager must know how and when to delegate. Many leaders are hesitant to trust work because they think it will be detrimental to their image, making them appear weak, indifferent, or unskilled. All of which are untrue
Delegating is about knowing that there are better-prepared people to do a task than you and freeing up your calendar so you can bring your attention to those duties where your skills can shine. Examples of such studies are administrative tasks, project and time management tasks, recurring decision-making tasks, all activities where someone else on your team has more knowledge and expertise to take care of them and any of your tasks that other people with similar skills to yours will enjoy doing
Finally, every great manager must have a vision. Such a manager should ultimately share their vision and help the whole team achieve it as long as it aligns with the organisational goals.
All these attributes may not exist in one person. This list, however, helps to know how to allow any and every manager in our organisations.
