Hear me out when I say that having good employees is hard. But searching, retaining, and developing managers is even more challenging. During these recent times, employer and employees expectations towards managers have swiftly changed. The need for adaptable skills and better team support is preferred with the rise of a remote working environment. There might be new styles of leadership needed to be a manager in the pandemic era, but the basics to become successful managers remains the same.
Here are the core values of a successful manager in 2021:
Establish an open communication
Firstly, we need to learn the story about the tower of Babel to appreciate the importance of communication. The bible says, that long ago, the world had only one language. So, giving instructions was easy, and workers have done their tasks effectively. Only after God punished the people for acting so ungodly did they start talking in different languages. As a result, they were having a hard time communicating with each other that they could not continue constructing the tower of Babel.
Indeed, the story is a wake-up call for aspiring managers to be more effective in communication. You should give your instructions clearly and openly. Openly means being able to accept clarifications and not expect to give instructions only one time. Also, everybody should be given to speak up. When not everyone can speak up, we deprive good ideas from coming into our business.
With this in mind, establishing open communication will help boost the productivity of the team members. Be able to share any valuable information with your employees, and they will share their brilliant ideas. Be a strong communicator yourself so that it will be a work culture for everyone not to hide anything. And this is of primary importance as you become a manager of a company.
Listen to understand, NOT to reply
After establishing a culture of open communication, make sure that you are willing to listen to your employees. Be able to grasp the thoughts your employees want to convey fully. It will always be required for you to reply right away. Establishing good communication is essential in the present time where work is being shifted remotely. Nevertheless, remotely working won’t be an obstacle when you can establish good communication with your employees.
In addition, when trying to listen to your employees, never interrupt them when speaking unless there is an urgent need to.
For one thing, being a good listener to your employees means you are keen to support and help them. A well-supported employee means a motivated employee. Thus, productivity inside the company increased.
Make Firm Decisions
Although there might be changes in style of management in the digital age, one thing never changed – managers should lead in decision making. Bear in mind that employees will look up to their managers to solve issues, make suggestions and approve plans.
Moreover, managers should not be influenced by emotions when making decisions. Make your decisions with a rational approach. It is crucial to know that emotions are unreliable to be your primary driving force to make decisions. Also, emotions can cloud sound judgment. So being a manager calls you to put aside emotion and place facts in your vision.
On the other hand, a manager should make decisions with a systematic approach. A good set of supportive facts should be the basis for a good decision. Consider also suggestions from employees, but in the end, it should be the manager making the decisions.
Delegate the tasks among employees
Always make sure not to micromanage in your working environment. Micromanagement is the act of taking the majority of the task and delegating mundane tasks to employees.
The steps the manager takes in delegating important tasks to employees create an atmosphere of trust. When employees feel trusted, they have the eagerness to do the job diligently.
In modern times, project management tool softwares is available. The tools will help you schedule tasks, delegate personnel, and track progress. As a manager, you must master and take advantage of advanced project management techniques to ensure on-time completion and oversight of initiatives. You will be amazed how project management tools can assist you with your journey to be a successful manager.
Be an example of success.
A good point to always remember, a manager is always in the spotlight inside a working environment. Both your boss and your employees will be looking at you with high regard. You must be able to manage their expectations as you perform your duty as a manager.
Your boss has put you in that position, believing that you will lead the team to achieve success. Likewise, the employees will also expect you to lead them with the utmost professionalism and good morality.
Always set your best foot forward in the working environment. As the manager, you have to repress any offensive actions that can lead to the team losing trust.
Be responsible with the team.
Although, you are in the highest position. You are still part of the team. Whatever happens, you have to take responsibility.
The era for dictator-like management has gone to the past. It is inspiring to work in an environment where leaders are team players as well. More so, when managers are hands-on, errors are reduced.
Managers should have a high tolerance for mistakes. You should be able to correct it and make sure it never happens again without compromising the job of your employee. There will be certain conditions with this statement, but it will be up to you to be decisive on the degree of tolerance.
Likewise, it is primarily important to focus on the team’s goal rather than establish work politics. Always treat everyone with utmost respect. Work politics will bring out a toxic environment where there will be a gap between your team.
Conclusion
A successful manager understands that their part is to motivate the team and its efficiency and not about yourself. You have to work hard to develop the skills and take delight in the success of each team member. Slowly, you will be recognized as a valuable manager, and you will be able to refine your management skills. Follow the suggestions above, and you will be a successful manager this year and the next.
