One of the most crucial relationships an employee has is the one with their manager. A good manager guides, they support, defend and so much more. However, the manager’s job isn’t only to deal with employees. Their job entails working with peers and seniors as well.
In this article, we discuss 7 qualities of a good manager that enable them to interact successfully with all the parties they work with. Whether you are a brand new manager, are aspiring to a managerial role or you are a seasoned one looking to polish your skills, this article is for you.
Good managers are excellent communicators
Show me a good manager and I will show you an excellent communicator. Without the ability to communicate well, managers are not able to let people know what to do, they cannot correct mistakes and as a result are unable to produce results.
Good managers not only take their time to learn how to communicate clearly, concisely and with purpose, they recognise that their employees need this skill as well. You will likely find good managers instating communication training sessions for their teams.
They share the blame and the praise
Another quality of good managers is they are very much part of their teams. When the team wins, they share in the praise. However, when things go wrong, they also share in the blame. For instance, a manager will ensure that his team gets communication training because their failure to communicate well with clients will be his failure as well.
Sharing in joys and pains alike encourages team bonding and good managers know this is important for a range of things including wellbeing and productivity.
The have the ability to delegate
One of the qualities of a good manager is the ability to delegate. By handing some responsibilities to their team members, managers achieve a number of things: They help employees learn new skills and gain new experiences which can then be channelled back into the work.
Delegating helps to build trust between managers and employees. A manager will know that they can rely on their people to take on certain responsibilities.
Don’t worry if the first instance of delegation doesn’t go according to plan. Remember, one of the qualities of good managers is that they are good communicators. They will be able to discuss what went wrong with the process and try it again.
Finally, delegation frees up managers to take on other tasks. When a manager doesn’t have to oversee everything, they will have the time to do more. These might be directly related to the business or they could be tasks related to the personal growth of the manager.
Image: Pexels
They are not afraid to say no
Being a good manager means being supportive, giving your employees room to explore and to make mistakes. It also means being able to say no when it is necessary.
Managers who are able to say no are decisive. They are able to weigh the variables in a given situation and make the choice to say no. A failure to say no can result in long term losses.
Sometimes, there is also the social fall out of saying no. For this reason, managers may be reluctant to say no. Here’s a handy guide for how and why leaders should say no.
They keep learning
Managers need to be skilled at their jobs. Employees will likely go to them with questions about how to solve particular problems so it is essential they have the skills and know how. However, good managers go a step further and continuously improve their skills.
They attend new courses, get certifications and follow industry leaders. Good managers are not only open to learning, they also remain open to whom they learn from. They know that ideas can come from anyone in the company and that any employee can teach another.
Another aspect of learning pertains to managing people. Managers may need to take into consideration the personalities of the people they lead. Given the fact that the team members may change from time to time, managers should continuously seek to understand their employees.
Having a growth mind-set is one of the essential qualities of a good manager.
They advocate for themselves and their teams
A manager acts as a bridge between their team and senior management. This role is not only limited to sharing communications, it also involves advocating for their team and themselves.
Good managers are skilled negotiators and should learn how to present concerns and suggestions from their teams to upper management. However, not all proposals shall be approved by upper management and good managers need to keep their teams morale up when this is the case.
They prioritise themselves
As seen in the article, the role of a manager is wide. Not only do they have to be skilled at their role, they have to have a wealth of other skills. A managerial job can result in long hours and little time for self. Good managers know that their wellbeing will affect the team in the long run. For this reason, they make self-care a priority.
They are able to delegate, they take their mandated leave and are able to spot burnout before it hits and they take time to eliminate it. When employees see managers do this, they are likely to model this behaviour as well.
In Summary
A manager is required to do a lot. They are a leader, a friend and advocate. It is essential that they have the skills necessary to serve all the people that rely on them without compromising their own wellbeing.
While it is true that there are a lot of qualities of a good manager, those aspiring to a managerial role shouldn’t be daunted. Remain open to learning and you will be able to grow from one skill to the next.
