What is the secret to having a successful team?
One part of it is harnessing the diverse personalities and skill sets that make up the team. The other important part is the manager who plays the pivotal role of steering it in the right direction.
Managers play an impactful role in any organisation every day as they interact and coach their teams.
When employees choose to quit a position, the reason is often their immediate manager.
“People quit their bosses, not jobs” is a common refrain for a reason!
Therefore, it is vital to identify and develop effective managers to create a people-centric organisation.
Unfortunately, most managers are ill-equipped to be successful and influential in their roles. This is where the HR department can help managers cultivate the right behavioural skills to set them up for success. A successful manager has a positive domino effect on the people of the organisation and acts as the building block that shapes the company culture.
Essential Traits of Efficient and Popular Managers
The most successful managers tend to score high in the following aspects:
1. Great Communication
A manager with strong communication skills is able to listen proactively and put across instructions effectively. Managers who communicate well can easily process information and relay it to the team clearly.
On the other hand, managers who lack communication skills rely solely on one-way communication and fail to share the right message with the team. Further, they don’t listen, thereby missing out on feedback from their teams.
2. Leadership Skills
The best salesmen don’t necessarily make the best manager if they are promoted primarily based on individual results. It is vital to identify if the candidate possesses leadership virtues such as inspiring, delegating, and directing the team.
A good leader should also be a good coach who is invested in the well-being of the employees and the overall development of employees.
3. Emotional Intelligence
It is highly important how managers act under pressure. Do they remain calm and productive under the pump and cope well with change? Managers with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they are feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect others.
It is their behaviour in challenging circumstances that matters more and subsequently can have a significant impact on their team. Emotional intelligence is a valuable social skill that successful managers should have.
4. Candidness
A managerial position is a no-no for dishonesty. The best managers tell their team what they need to hear and not what they want to hear. They provide candid feedback to employees periodically to help them progress in the right direction.
A transparent culture and open communication channels dispel dishonesty in everything from deliverables to deadlines, cliques, and creativity. Click To Tweet5. Accountability
A well-rounded manager takes charge of their own actions and on the same note, takes the responsibility of employees’ actions as well. Especially when things don’t go according to plan, they choose to avoid playing the blame game and instead, own up for the failure.
This will, in turn, help to build a culture of accountability so that the employees understand the importance of their contribution and role.
6. Decision-Making
If managers aren’t confident decision-makers, how can they guide their teams towards the finish line for projects or goals? They can’t. That is why managers should have the ability to make smart decisions based on the right information at the right time.
A strong decision-maker should adopt a cognitive and analytical approach to maintain a good overview of the workforce and in turn, make better decisions. Click To Tweet7. Developing Others
The best managers don’t just focus on routine work and results; they also put equal emphasis on the career development of their employees. Managers should exhibit a genuine interest in the employees’ career trajectory and provide the right opportunities to improve their skills.
Rather than just demanding that employees focus on deliverables, managers should also take the time to discuss their long term career goals and help them progress professionally.
8. Relationship Builder
Effective managers strive hard to build positive relationships within and with their teams. Trust is a significant element of leadership excellence. When the managers establish a relationship with the team, it builds a culture of trust and employees also feel valued.
Managers should build a work culture of mutual trust where employees feel safe coming up to the managers with innovative ideas and risky experiments without the fear of being dismissed.
9. Recognise and Reward Good Work
According to a study, employee recognition “not only boosts individual employee engagement, but it also increases productivity and loyalty toward the company, leading to higher retention.” Recognising people for their good work consistently goes a long way toward transforming the entire team’s attitude to work.
It sends a powerful message to the recipient of the reward or recognition, their immediate work team, and other employees through the grapevine.
10. Optimistic Outlook
A positive can-do attitude in the manager is passed on to everybody around them. Managers should refrain from complaining about finishing up the project or getting work done. Instead, they should take the challenge head-on and finish tasks with a positive outlook.
Good managers are able to cultivate happiness at work, as well as project the enthusiasm and joy of working as a team on their colleagues.
11. Fair Treatment to All
One of the most important qualities of a manager is avoiding favouritism or leniency towards a specific employee in the team and always be fair to all. They should acknowledge good work when it is done and allocate tasks keeping in mind the employee’s capacity.
They should strive to build a balanced and inclusive team with a diverse school of thought so that every employee’s views, opinions, and ideas are heard.
12. Vision and Goal Setting
Last, but definitely not the least, a manager should always work with a clear vision that is in tandem with the greater vision of the organisation. At the same time, they should be able to translate the vision and convey it to the team by setting measurable goals or milestones.
This will help set the stage for success so that everyone clearly knows what they should be doing and work in the desired direction.
All in all, technical skills and experience should not be the only criteria for assessing the effectiveness and popularity of a manager. The above traits are equally important in ascertaining the hands-on ability of the manager to lead a team.
As employee transitions from the role of individual contributor to a manager, it is vital to cultivate these traits and be a leader and coach that is able to run the show without any glitches.
