Even if you aren’t currently a manager, understanding exactly what traits are necessary to make a good manager can help you get there. If you already are a manager, these are some of the traits that you should look for in yourself – and if you don’t see them, then it’s time to work on developing them.
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1. Ability to be influential.
If you want to influence people, the best way to do it is to lead by example. Effective managers set an example and show what a little hard work and concerted effort can do.
2. Ability to set clear goals.
Sometimes large efforts can have end results that are intangible or difficult to quantify. Nonetheless, it’s super important to make sure that you break the process up into small, concrete steps. If you don’t set clear goals, it can create tension if the people you manage aren’t sure about what your exact expectations are. Conveniently, setting clear objective goals also makes it easier to evaluate the people you manage.
3. Empathy.
Showing empathy is critical for creating trust and seeming approachable. It’s one of the management skills that it can be easy to underestimate the value of. As with number 5 on this list, empathy can help you understand what makes your employees tick, which can make it easier to get the most out of them as workers.
4. Willingness to delegate.
Although there’s a good chance that part of the way that you advanced to the point of becoming a manager was by doing things yourself, you also need to know when to let others take control. As a manager, your responsibility is a larger scale macro management, so if you micromanage, you do so at the peril of neglecting your actual duties.
5. Coaching skills.
As a manager, part of your responsibility is motivating your team and helping them understand how to do things themselves. You have to provide constructive feedback and support your team members. Sometimes that might even mean listening to issues about their personal lives, especially if it seems at all that their personal lives are affecting their work lives. Like a good coach, you need to know what makes your team members tick and you need to know how to get through to them effectively to make the most productive team possible.
6. Good communication.
Communication skills are critical for so many things in life, but as a manager having good communication skills will actually affect your bottom line. You need to know that every single employee understands exactly what the company goals are as well as what is expected of them.
