A company must have management in place to ensure that things get done properly. If you are in a managerial position, you are responsible for the successes and failures of your team. As a manager, you may not be doing the work yourself, but you are in charge of making sure it gets done properly. This requires a lot of different skills.
If you want to be the best possible manager, you need to be self aware about your own personal strengths and weaknesses. In order to do that, you need to understand all of the different duties and skill required for effective management. Once you understand what you are in charge of, you can emphasize the areas you excel in and train yourself on the others.
Management Duties and Skills
- Knowledge of Products/Services
- Motivating Employees
- Delegating Work
- Communication
- Emotional Intelligence
- Disciplining Employees
- Assisting Employees
- Relationship Building
Knowledge of Product/Services
As a manager, you should know your product inside and out. When an employee has a question, you should be able to answer the question without having to turn to additional resources most of the time. When you answer questions confidently, your team will have confidence in you. It’s not just enough to learn about your own products. You should also research your competition and your industry in general. You may even look for classes if available. Learn everything you possibly can and stay updated.
Motivating Employees
Let’s face it- most employees don’t necessarily want to be at work. They would rather be in bed sleeping or spending time with loved ones. There may be times where people lose interest. It’s your job as a manager to motivate your team, especially the ones who seem to be lacking interest at the moment.
You can motivate your team by getting to know them personally and appealing to employees individually with something that will inspire them. You can also motivate with your own positive attitude. Also try putting up inspirational posters and leading the group in a quick pep talk every day. Of course, the best way to motivate is with money. Create contests or a bonus structure that rewards employees who work hard. You’ll notice a difference right away.
Delegating Work
Assigning the right person to the right job can help increase efficiency and quality. An effective manager knows who to assign what task. They learn this by paying close attention to the strengths and weaknesses of each employee. This can be done by simple observance as well as with different universal metrics. Take a look at your team to determine how to best switch things up. Of course, a manager must also take each employee’s preferences into consideration as well.
Communication
A manager needs to be able to communicate well with both employees, superiors, and customers. Good communication involves being clear, professional, confident, approachable, and accurate. Communication also involves body language, so be mindful of your appearance, gestures, and cultural differences.
Most employees rely on their manager to relay information about the company and the job. A manager must communicate updates and changes effectively. The message needs to be clear, and it should be grammatically correct. Also, there should be directions on where employees can go if they have questions or concerns.
Emotional Intelligence
Work can get stressful. We’ve all had those days where we wanted to scream or cry on the job. As a manager, though, you need to be able to demonstrate high emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to control their emotions for the greater good. A person with high emotional intelligence will avoid getting frazzled, angry, or sad at work since they are able to push emotions aside to focus on the task at hand. A manager must demonstrate high emotional intelligence in order to get the job done throughout the day and also as an example for their team.
Disciplining Employees
Not all employees are going to follow the rules at all times. An employee may use the schedule as a suggestion instead of an actual schedule or use their cell phone inappropriately throughout the day. When an employee breaks the rules, other employees can see this and think they can do the same thing. As manager, it’s your responsibility to maintain order in your organization.
First, you should establish a clear list of rules and consequences for breaking the rules. You should use this guide to keep punishment consistent. Be sure not to turn your head the other way when you notice something to avoid confrontation. It’s your job to speak up when you see a rule being broken. Punish when necessary but remain positive throughout the interaction.
Assisting Employees
A good manager isn’t only there to keep employees in line- a good manager also helps solve employee problems. Some of the most common employee problems include:
- scheduling conflicts
- questions about benefits
- problems with another employee
- questions about processes
You need to be available and approachable in order to ensure employees are able to come to you when necessary. You should also be prepared for all problems that might come your way.
Relationship Building
Business is all about people. You need to work with others in order to be successful. For this reason, a great leader will have elevated social skills and relationship building skills.
You will need to develop relationships with your team in order to get to know them and increase motivation. You will also need to develop relationships with your superiors. When you are close with your superiors, communication will be easier. They will be able to explain exactly what they expect from you. Finally, you’ll need to be able to develop relationships with customers.
It’s not enough to simply know the different functions of management. Now that you understand the requirements, you should look at your own performance. If you notice that you could improve in one or more of the areas mentioned, it’s time for you to take some action. First, find a mentor who can give you advice. You can also look for leadership development training in your area that focuses on the areas you want to improve on. Just as you expect your team to continue to grow, you will need to grow as a leader.
