Being a Good Manager – How to Become One?
A good manager is a bit of a subjective goal. What being a good manager means? What behaviors, values, attributes, and skills are required for that? How do you measure “success”?
When you become a manager, you start looking back at managers you have worked for and try to do the same things. You also try to not repeat those things that you didn’t like. But you should find your own way of being a good manager. Approximately 70% of a team’s engagement will depend on you, highlighting why you should know how to guide and coordinate yourself and other employees.
How to Become a Good Manager?
Becoming a good manager isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a time-taking process that requires personal and professional growth.
1. Work on Your Decision-Making Efficiency
The ability to make smart decisions is paramount to being a manager. Instead of focusing on the outcomes of your choices, it’s far more significant to explore the process that determines a certain course of action. A good decision-making process consists of three elements:
Quality (Is there an in-depth analysis of a problem or a comparison of different options?)
Executability (Is there a guarantee that the decision will be well executed?)
Timeliness (Can it be implemented on time?)
By using these elements to examine the way you take working challenges, you can refine your decision-making skills. A process for guiding your team to success also needs some attention.
2. Set Clear Business Goals
Goal-setting is a great practice of effective management. According to Google research, good managers have a clear vision and strategy for their teams.
Establishing goals will build a roadmap that will keep the whole working process more organized. It’s necessary that objectives are well-defined and connected to certain deliverables so that employees have a clear understanding of their individual contributions to the company.
3. Delegate Tasks to the Team Members
Management is about getting work done within a team. As a manager, you should assign tasks to team members based on their skills and experience. Handing off tasks to the right people is a key to success. Ensure that those you rely on are appropriate for the work you give them to do.
While it can be challenging to handle every project aspect yourself, becoming a good manager means developing a trustful relationship within your team and finding a proper application for employees’ talents.
4. Keep Your Employees Engaged
Employee engagement is crucial for the long-term success of any business. A good manager is able to successfully engage and motivate employees, ultimately increasing their satisfaction and positively affecting productivity levels. You should get everyone engaged in the working process, without focusing on the more productive employees only. To foster employee engagement, you let their voices be heard. This contributes to their self-confidence and professional attitude to work.
5. Give and Receive Feedback
Being a good manager doesn’t mean being perfect in what you are doing. There are always some areas of improvement. And employees happen to be the most objective judges. Their feedback can help you improve your approach to work. To keep the working environment clear, you may keep feedback anonymous.
Your employees will also need your feedback to know how good at work they are. Apart from official QA reports, you can give them a smart piece of idea of what they can do to boost their working potential. They will appreciate your intention to improve their performance.
6. Join a Management Training Program
Regardless of your managerial experience, you should always work on improving your performance. A management training course can help you improve your competence. It can equip you with effective leadership frameworks and communication techniques. It can also help you become a more data-oriented manager who uses business analytics to build your strategy. Fortunately, it’s not a problem to find a management training program today.
Work Hard to Improve Your Leadership Skills
If you want to become a good manager for your team, you should constantly develop leadership skills throughout your career. Professional development is a lifelong process. Make sure to pay special attention to the key soft skills that will help you be a goal-oriented leader. Active listening is a soft skill that helps leaders accept the ideas and concerns of their team. Empathy helps leaders have a clear understanding of how the team feels about their job. If there is something you can improve, you should take an effort.