Corporate leaders probably search online for how to be an effective manager now and then. After all, good management skills cannot be acquired overnight. While it’s true that the employees make up a successful brand or company, it’s also important to point out that team members require a great leader who can drive them to success.
Whether you’re getting promoted to the department manager or you’re already one and want to modify your management methods, this article is best for you. As you know, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to being a good manager of your team. Depending on your and your team’s personalities, work ethics, work styles, and other factors, there are specific approaches to apply.
So, here are some generally-effective tips and practices to manage your team more effectively:
Consider Getting Management Education
To become a good manager, you first have to realise that there’s still enough room to grow your managerial skills. No matter how far you’ve climbed the corporate ladder, you should always be open to more learning opportunities, such as enrol in recognised management courses. Being a manager requires you to fulfil many crucial roles, such as helping individuals, teams, and organisations achieve their full potential through guidance and support.
A good manager needs the right soft skill set to lead people. However, there are other things that only a management course can cover. After all, managing people and processes to achieve results in an organisation requires certain skills and techniques. Whether you are a first-time, aspiring, or experienced manager, determining exactly where you fit within the organisation can be challenging. By taking a management course, you will be able to understand directly what the manager’s role is, how you fit into an organisation, and how you can apply management techniques to achieve results continuously.
Also, enrolling in this higher education allows others to see how committed you are to your craft and industry. You become a good role model to the members you lead and become a lifelong learner who always accepts new and modern management practices. Simply put, the best option for your career and long-term growth is obtaining a management qualification, which has many benefits for you and your employer.
Offer And Be Open To Feedback
Feedbacks are important component in the workplace. As an effective manager, you should be willing to accept feedback as much as you offer them to those who need them. However, it’s understandable how the fear of hurting someone’s feelings or damaging a working relationship prevents many professionals from being honest and critical in conversation. But it’s all about doing it right to ensure they are delivered professionally and genuinely.
You and your team need feedback to develop and grow together. Instead of waiting for formal review periods, give your employees regular, informal feedback. Be specific and actionable when giving feedback by focusing on your choice of words. Remember how powerful they can be; they can make or break a person’s motivation. It’s not enough to compliment your member about a job well done; you need to emphasise their strengths more and provide advice on how to deal with their shortcomings.
Once you have given feedback, it’s equally effective to be open to receiving them. You may delegate some members who can evaluate and assess your performance as the manager. You can even anonymously send out a survey to acquire honest suggestions and opinions from your employees.
Ask them to point out specific instances where you displayed good and bad managerial behaviour. You can maximise such information to correct your methods and approaches. Thus, your action plan for improvement can be formulated based on those insights.
Consider Yourself As Among Your Team
Some leaders often overlook the gap or walls they build against their members. Instead of staying on top of your employees, a better leadership approach is to work alongside them. Consider yourself among your team members. It will allow you to be more approachable and yield more effective work relationships that can impact productivity.
Foster two-way trust with your employees and allow them to make decisions on their own. Giving them that sense of trust makes them more motivated and invested in contributing to the team. Micromanagement has never worked for any office. While it’s important to monitor their progress once in a while, breathing on their necks will only leave them feeling suffocated and restricted from working in their best condition and pace.
Know The Importance Of Proper Delegation
Another best practice for managers is to get task delegation right. It doesn’t simply mean assigning tasks to all members fair and square. To produce better team productivity, you as a leader should take more time in evaluating and matching each task and the specific talents and skills of members.
Take a look at each task and see who’s the best fit to generate the best results. Identifying potential team members can also mean assessing their abilities. By offering this opportunity to an employee, the task can get done, and at the same time, they can improve or nurture their skills even more.
To apply effective time management strategies, distribute skills, and develop employees, you need to be a well-balanced and organised manager. Observe the strengths and weaknesses of each member, and you can better match their skills and tasks more effectively.
Personalise Your Leadership Approach
Knowing your team is a crucial step to becoming a better manager. Knowing them personally and professionally is necessary to build strong working relationships. It’s ideal for instigating a personalised leadership approach for every member. After all, every person comes with different personalities and preferences.
It all starts with learning to call your members by their preferred nicknames. When communicating, always try calling them by their names. To understand your co-workers, no matter how large or small your team is, you must take the time to learn about them. Make time to study their backgrounds, job roles, and some necessary personal details.
It’s best to have a one-on-one conversation with your team member to build a healthy understanding between you. While you may have a team meeting scheduled regularly, provide opportunities for everyone to contact you directly if they need to ask something. Having a personal conversation with some of the employees may lead them to open up to you more about their roles, challenges, and how they seek your assistance.
Conclusion
No matter which companies you go to, it’s impossible to meet a perfect manager. Good management skills need time to master, which will require you to modify and switch your methods and strategies continuously. However, managers have one of the most crucial roles in every organisation. Applying the tips and practices above can help your company thrive while shaping every team member to be the best they can be at work.
