Managing a team is probably a career milestone for many people when they started their career under some manager. But to become an effective manager, you need various skills. Without those skills, it’s hard to manage a team effectively. Even though you do, it would be disastrous for both the employees and the organization.
Whether you are an inspiring manager or someone who is in the initial stages of managing a team, then this article is for you. We have listed down the top skills that can help you become an exceptional manager.
1)Communication skills:
Communication skills are necessary for almost any job, but a manager who is leading a team should be a master at communication skills. If you cannot express your thoughts and ideas clearly to your team, you cannot guide them effectively. Once you become good at communication, you’ll remove the confusion and ensure everyone in the team is working towards the same goal.
2) The ability to delegate:
To reduce the burden on you, you need to know how you can effectively delegate your team. Delegating a team means assigning the tasks to your employees who are comfortable doing it. If you micromanage every employee, it would be detrimental in the long run. You should be able to guide your employees to make their own decisions so that they will be self-dependent.
3) Adaptability:
Adaptability is the other skill that managers should develop to become good at their job. For instance, few managers leading a technical team might not have a technical degree themselves, they instead have a management degree which teaches how to manage business and people but not technology. So, in such cases, managers should be adaptable and learn at least the basics of technology. Whether you are managing a technical team or not, it’s important to be tech-driven as the world is rapidly moving in that direction.
Learning about technology doesn’t mean that you should know all the technical stuff. Learning the basics and finding a way to make the best use of technology is important. For instance, if you are providing employee training to your team with the use of an LMS, you need to know about its features like gamification, certification management, and about SCORM compliancy standards, to use it effectively.
4) Time management:
When you have lots of projects to finish, you need to know how to prioritize work and get the tasks done in time. Managers should be able to delegate tasks, do their work, and manage the team at the same time effectively.
5) Emotional intelligence:
Emotional intelligence is nothing but an individual’s ability to control or manage their emotions. As a manager, you have a lot of things going on simultaneously due to which you may lose control over your emotions if things don’t go right. If you remain calm and composed during high-pressure situations, you would be more approachable to your employees as well.
6) Problem-solving:
No matter how organized you keep your work, you never know what will come up suddenly. This could be a performance-related issue with your employee or a missed deadline. No matter the situation you are put in, you should be able to deal with it. The ability to think critically rather than going by emotions is the trademark of any successful manager.
7) Listen to your employees:
To manage a team effectively, you need to listen to your employees and know their perspectives on different issues. You have to be open to learning from your employees. The most successful managers know to stop talking and start listening. This is important because you cannot always be right, your employees might have a valid point. Thus, ensure you are a good listener as well.
Conclusion:
To wrap up, managing a team is not an easy task. You need a combination of various skills to be competent as a manager. We hope this article helps you find out the skills that are needed to become a good manager.
