While there are some people in life who fall into managerial positions by chance or luck, there are others who work their way up the ladder to secure their dream role. No matter the industry or the size of a business, managers are a crucial component in keeping everything together.
If you’re interested in becoming a manager, or you’re already in a role and would like to enhance your skills, it’s important that you have the right knowledge and expertise behind you to help you flourish in your role. To help get the most out of your career, here are ten characteristics that every business manager should have.
Team Building
As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. When handling projects and tasks in business, you need to engage with the employees you’re in charge of to ensure everyone knows their place in the company and to boost morale and productivity in the workplace. Employees will come to you with problems, so it’s important that you listen to what your team say, and then pass this on to head office.
Performance Management
A business manager needs to provide performance feedback, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative. Letting employees know how they are doing and what changes they may need to make will help strengthen the company in the long term. One of the main roles of a manager is to oversee proceedings and nip problems in the bud, so letting employees know when they’re doing a great job and providing support and suggestions can help them feel more confident in their role. If employees are happy in their job, they’re less likely to leave, helping to reduce staff turnover.
Effective Communication
Communication is key in business. If you can’t instruct others and listen to other people’s points of view, the chances are you’re in the wrong field. Managers need their voices to be heard in the workplace, so employees take them seriously and listen to what they have to say. If you can’t communicate effectively with your team, lines can get blurred which can have severe consequences when working on projects and tasks. Managers must also possess strong listening skills and know how to effectively communicate in writing.
Credit Sharing
If employees in the business have gone above and beyond their call of duty to provide an excellent level of service, it’s important that you recognize and reward their hard work and efforts. If you as a manager have been recognized for your hard work, you should turn the attention away from yourself and point out that the success that has been achieved has been as a result of team effort. We all want to feel valued and respected in the workplace, so you need to remember that at one point, you would have been in the same shoes as the employees; so, offering praise when it’s valid can help keep your team being productive.
Accept Responsibility
When working on projects and tasks, it’s inevitable that problems will arise from time to time. While managers are in charge of delegating tasks and roles to employees, they can never delegate responsibility, meaning that if something goes wrong, it’s important that you come to the forefront and take responsibility for what has happened, especially as you’re the leader. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, try and see failure as a positive. Once you’ve worked out where you or your team went wrong, you will be able to make necessary changes to eliminate the risk of it happening in the future.
Financial Knowledge
A good business manager needs to have a strong understanding on the financial side of the business. Managers must be able to monitor and track budgets, as well as document progress within the company. No matter the business, higher management will want to generate as many sales as possible, so it’s crucial that you have an awareness of the business’s overall profitability goals.
Lead by Example
As you will be in charge of managing a team, employees will come to you for help, support, and advice, therefore, having good leadership skills is a crucial characteristic that business managers must have. Employees need to learn what is acceptable and appropriate in the workplace directly from those who have been assigned the role of leading the company. The best types of managers understand that their actions and words set the tone for what is deemed acceptable behavior within the workplace.
Drive & Determination
If you aren’t passionate about what you do as a business manager, you can’t expect employees to follow your lead. Having someone to look up to who is positive, upbeat, and driven will give them the motivation they need to strive for perfection. If there are any employees within the company who would like to climb up the career ladder, seeing someone who is driven and determined to succeed no matter what will spur them on. While there are lots of roles and responsibilities that managers face, it’s important that you put in 110% into everything you do. Higher management will monitor your performance levels, so showing that you’re an effective leader and can motivate and boost productivity amongst employees can only be a good thing.
Concern with Respect
Business managers need to understand that there’s a fine line between being popular within a company and being respected. Having respect and appreciation from employees can go a long way and set a mutual understanding of who is in charge. The last thing you want is for emotions to get in the way, especially if you have formed close friendships with employees and are worried about giving them negative feedback. There are lots of difficult decisions that you must make as a manager, so doing what’s in the best interests of the business is important.
Confidence
From the moment you walk through the door, it’s important that you exude confidence. Having belief in yourself and being confident in your role will help when it comes to making difficult decisions and overseeing day to day operations. If you aren’t the type of person who is willing to speak up or show authority, a managerial role may not be the best route for you to go down.
Gaining Skills
Now you have an idea of the types of characteristics that a business manager should have, you may want to brush up on your skills, especially if you’re applying for managerial positions at present. Undergoing management training can be a good way to learn more about what it takes to become a manager and what will be expected of you.
Without managers there to guide employees in the right direction, most businesses would lose custom and fail in the long run. If you would like to enter a managerial role, it’s crucial that you have all the key characteristics listed which can help give you a boost over other candidates and ensure you’re performing to the best of your ability.
