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Becoming a manager can be scary and if you’ve been recently promoted in your job then you may feel slightly anxious while.
You must make critical decisions, delegate tasks, and motivate those around you to work together toward a common goal.
If you’re new to management, you probably don’t know what skills you need to bring to the job.
By knowing what it takes to step into the role of manager, you’ll be more than qualified for your next promotion.
7 Must-Have Skills for Managers
Becoming a manager means acquiring new responsibilities, and with new responsibilities come new skills to learn.
A lot of people are surprised to find that they need to learn these skills, but the fact is, successful managers have them, and unsuccessful ones don’t.
If you’re looking to become an exceptional manager, here are seven surprising skills you should take up as soon as possible:
1. Delegation
Though delegation is considered one of those soft skills that most people believe they possess, it can actually be quite difficult. Unless you know how to delegate well, your employees might not be happy with their new assignments or with their jobs in general.
It’s important to remember that just because you’ve been given a certain task doesn’t mean that everyone will appreciate its importance or look forward to doing it—they may feel more resentful and like you’re putting more work on them. To ensure your employees are engaged in their tasks and enthusiastic about helping out around the office, learn to delegate effectively.
2. Responsibility
When new managers are put in charge of teams, they must move from being a doer to a manager. Now they’re responsible for their staff’s performance and they should keep track of their productivity using the best business tracking tools. That’s where problems often arise: Since new managers don’t yet have a lot of experience managing other people, it’s important for them to understand what differentiates great managers from good ones.
One skill crucial to all good leaders is personal responsibility, which simply means assuming control over your thoughts and actions—and not passing blame or bucking accountability when things go wrong. In short, good managers act like leaders rather than friends or servants.
3. Accountability
You’re now in charge of other people and must hold them accountable for their results. When a team member misses a deadline or doesn’t perform to expectations, it’s your job to communicate clear expectations and consequences, consider writing up reasons, and follow through with necessary actions. If you don’t enforce what you believe, others won’t respect your word.
Plus, no one wants to work for someone who lets things slide. Make sure they know they can rely on you to make things happen—and that if they don’t deliver, you will not accept excuses or allow yourself to be walked over. Demonstrate that you’ll show up even when it isn’t convenient for you. It’s an important part of creating accountability in your organization.
4. Team Building
It is important for a manager to build a team. A big part of building a team is finding people with complementary skills and encouraging their development. Helping individuals on your team become better at what they do will help them perform well, but also makes it easier for you to delegate work as a manager.
So, make sure you’re picking up new skills to help your team improve theirs by taking business and management training courses for example.
5. Empathy
As a manager, you don’t just manage employees—you manage people. To do that well, you need to understand what they’re going through and what they’re thinking. Empathy is also important when considering an employee’s work-life balance.
An empathetic manager can recognize when an employee is stretched too thin or struggling to find time for themselves. If an employee is not meeting standards, before writing down write up reasons, reach out to them to see if there is something they need help with. This is especially true if recent behavior seems out of line for their character.
6. Communication
It’s important to be a good communicator. A manager needs to know how to convey information so it can be understood and acted upon. Additionally, if a manager is unable to effectively communicate their vision, their team may become confused and unproductive.
One way to ensure you have good communication skills is through frequent one-on-one manager meetings with your team members. At these sessions, listen to their opinions and ideas; people will value your time together if they feel you truly care about them as people rather than just as workers on your team. Having great communication skills takes practice—and most managers get better at it over time.
7. Problem Solving
One of your primary responsibilities as a manager is to solve problems. Whether it’s an employee who is struggling or a business problem you can’t seem to figure out, solving problems will be one of your core tasks as a manager. Remember that there isn’t just one way to solve every problem, so don’t hesitate to experiment and get creative. You might even enjoy yourself along the way.
And with more remote working employees you will be expected to manage work from home arrangements competently too. Along with that comes the responsibility to conduct virtual job interviews and staff meetings, provide remote onboarding for new staff and much more, so make sure you are well-informed about new business trends.
No matter what type of industry you work in as a manager, becoming a manager means more than just putting more hours into your job and getting paid more. Keep this information in mind as you learn how to strengthen your managerial skills and never stop learning to perhaps one day be your own boss and start your own business.
