How to Become a Better Manager
Being a manager requires a lot of responsibility, and it can be challenging to balance the needs of the team, your personal life, and your customers’ needs.
By learning how to manage people, you will have a better chance of maintaining performance.
According to a recent Gallup survey, 70 percent of a team’s engagement is dependent on the manager, emphasizing the importance of professionals knowing how to guide and coordinate the actions of their colleagues to achieve results.
Here are seven tips on how to be a better manager. They will help you become more confident and effective if you want to advance your career and reach your managerial potential.
Tips On How To Be A Better Manager
1. Improve Your Decision-Making Process
It’s also essential to avoid an emotional reaction to a decision so that you can make the best decision possible.
A decision-making process comprises three elements: a thoughtful analysis, an in-depth discussion of the problem, and a comparison of different options.
A good decision-making process is implemented at the right time.
It’s essential that your team fully supports the decision being made, as it is necessary to be on time with decisions for them to be well received by the people who will make decisions after you.
2. Set Clear Goals
Setting goals is a fundamental management skill. One of the top behaviours of great managers, according to Google research, is having a clear set of objectives for their organizations.
Goals can not only provide a roadmap for what is needed in work that needs to be done, but they can stimulate motivation and help employees achieve their goals.
By setting goals, they must be linked to a set of deliverables—small, actionable tasks—so that employees have a clear view of how their individual contributions are tied to more significant organizational outcomes.
A great way to keep track of your projects is by periodically reviewing the progress of each project and setting goals on how close you are to meeting them.
By connecting the work of your team members to a larger purpose, your team members can be more effective at their jobs and more satisfied with their work.
This can help you achieve better outcomes in your organization.
3. Delegate
You need to delegate tasks to the right team members. It’s your job as a manager to assign tasks that enable your team members to maximize their strengths.
It’s vital to ensure that those you delegate have the appropriate skills, knowledge, education, and training.
If you delegate tasks to others, they should have the necessary skills and expertise to complete the assigned work.
The best way to become a better manager is to have a strong sense of trust in your team and your ability to manage them.
This trust is based on having the ability to recognize that all of your team’s best work comes from a common goal and not from comparing yourself to other teams.
However, being able to do this does come with pressure as well.
4. Engage Your Employees
Employee engagement is critical for the long-term success of any business.
You can do this by providing them with a reward such as a good-sized bonus or by asking for feedback from employees when you’re conducting an operational measurement.
A Gallup study revealed that highly engaged businesses generate 21 percent more profitability when compared to companies without highly engaged employees.
This is a golden opportunity for managers to find ways to increase engagement in their business units and improve profitability.
It would be best if you let your team’s voices be heard. You’ll need to ask your team members for their input regarding any decisions you’re making.
This is an excellent opportunity for your employees to help you make important decisions and implement new ideas.
5. Give and Receive Feedback
Engaging in the decision-making process can be invaluable for your team.
The power of peer-to-peer interaction is one of the most overlooked aspects, and it can help you connect with your team members more directly.
Take pride in your team’s ability to be honest, and critical. Knowing how to get and give feedback effectively is crucial to your team’s development and your own.
It’s also important to not blow up when you don’t get what you want from a team member, especially if you’re a junior person on the team.
When giving feedback, it’s essential to provide specific feedback and not simply tell your employees what they did well.
Giving constructive feedback to your employees is crucial for their growth.
It is essential to have feedback and suggestions from those with who you work daily. For example, a manager who consistently makes poor decisions or has good ideas but does not know how to implement them.
To be able to respond to these people, it is essential to be open as well.
6. Have Time for Reflection
Reflecting on what you’ve learned is a vital part of becoming a capable manager. It’s also one of the most effective ways to learn from experience and avoid making costly mistakes.
Self-awareness can help you make better business decisions. As a result, you can apply to your organization’s successes and failures and gain insight into your weaknesses.
By analyzing your success and failure points, you can see how to improve or stay on the right path.
When evaluating team members, be mindful of how they interact. Encourage openness and debate and find ways to create a positive atmosphere on your team.
Taking regular breaks can help you and your team stay focused and improve your performance. Periods of reflection and review can help you and your team become more efficient, productive, and cost-effective.
7. Participate in a Management Training Program
By attending a training course, you can learn new management skills and strategies that will help you become a better manager whether you’re experienced or new to management.
A management training course can teach you about leadership frameworks and improve your decision-making skills. It also teaches you how to use business analytics to guide the strategy you use.
Online training programs are great for busy professionals who want to improve their skills. You can learn online from any computer in your home or office, and you can take your management skills wherever you go.
Conclusion
Being a good manager is an active process and requires skills beyond the obvious things like being able to multitask and be in control. You need to be able to think critically and be creative to manage your team effectively.
You also need to be able to communicate well and organize your work to facilitate productive dialogue and collaboration with others.
About the Author
Eugen Spivak is a multi-award-winning author, business strategist, and a business coach. Eugen is the founder of the Canadian Institute of International Business, an organization focused on a better way to learn business!
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