We all strive to be a truly great Manager: a Manager who earns the respect of many, someone who is inspiring, in short, a pleasure to work for. But it’s not easy, and as many of us know, great managers are few and far between.
So what are the Top 10 Qualities that make a Manager effective?
- Integrity
Integrity fosters trust, which in turn builds
loyalty. A manager with loyal staff has the capability to be very effective.
They have staff that they know they can rely on and, in turn, their staff are
confident in their abilities to deliver knowing they have the support of their
manager.
- Empower
An effective manager empowers his or her staff to
perform at their best. This means creating an environment for success: setting
boundaries so that people can take responsibility, creating opportunities that
allow people to challenge their abilities, motivating people to find new and
innovative ways, all while also ensuring support structures are in place.
- Motivation
People perform at their best when they are happy
and motivated. But there is much more to motivation than salary or bonuses. A
manager that understands his or her employees can set challenging yet
achievable goals and rewards in a variety of ways. People can be motivated by
interesting work, by being part of an effective team, by the prospect of
learning new skills, or by the knowledge that their hard work will be recognized
and appreciated.
- Delegate
An effective manager understands the skills and
abilities of his or her staff, and knows how to delegate. Effective delegation
is selecting the right person to do the work, given the constraints of skill
requirements and time. Delegation is entrusting the person with the
responsibility to complete the work. It includes setting clear guidelines and
expectations as well as boundaries for decision-making responsibilities.
- Adaptable
The business environment is an ever-changing one.
All managers must be able to quickly adjust, understanding the implications of
the changes and adjusting goals and strategies accordingly. An adaptable
manager sets an example to his/her employees and leads the way in demonstrating
new ways of working and/or behaving.
- Takes action
An effective manager takes action. If they see a
problem they address it. This may seem obvious, but all to often there are
decisions that many managers find to difficult to take, so they put it off
until a later date. Or perhaps they move the problem for someone else to solve,
such as the poor performing employee that gets moved around the organization.
- Networker
Anyone can obtain the organization chart, but what
is more useful for any manager is to understand the real network within the
business. Who are the key people that can make things happen? It’s about
understanding who affect the decisions you make today and in the future, and
ensuring you have a good relationship with them.
- Understands the Business Culture
For any manager to be successful in a business they
need to understand it’s culture. This means they understand the goals and
strategic drivers, they appreciate the future vision for the business, and they
know how things happen. Understanding how the ‘wheels turn’ within a business
helps a manager work more effectively and equally helps them contribute to the
overall strategy and goals.
- Role Model
An effective manager sets an example, to all staff,
of appropriate behavior and performance standards. It may seem obvious, but it
is extremely difficult to expect others to behave in a particular way, if you
yourself do not set such an example.
- Value people above all else
A job well done is not about systems or processes
or figures; it’s about people. An effective manager recognizes the importance
of people in business, and shows everyone respect regardless of the role that
they play. An effective manager listens to people; is fair and understanding.
This doesn’t mean they can always keep everyone happy; because as a manager
this simply isn’t the case; however if a decision is reached though a fair
process people understand how the outcome was reached even if they don’t
necessarily agree with result.
There are many qualities, which make a Manager effective. These top 10 qualities are good starting points and should provide guidance in improving your management skills.
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