What Does It Take To Be A Great Manager?
If you have big plans for your career and aim at becoming a manager of your department or organization someday, you have to start planning now. You cannot just become a great manager from nowhere—it takes hard work and determination to drive your organization to success.
From Where Should You Start? Basically, you don’t have to have the gift of management—you can acquire or hone management skills with time. Below are some crucial skills that you need to focus on in order to be a successful manager.
Master Your Job and Do The Best Job Possible
If you work professionally and efficiently, you will inspire your colleagues and influence them to embrace your work culture. It will not be a surprise to be a role model for your fellow workers. When you perform your tasks efficiently and do an exceptional job, you will attract the attention of your seniors or boss. With no doubt, this is the first step towards becoming a manager. Therefore, you should learn everything pertaining to your job and do them the best way you can. You should also consult widely from resourceful people and ask for help from colleagues who are able to teach you to become a better person.
Can You Work Under Pressure
Most stresses in management result from very short and tight deadlines, insufficient or lack of resources, as well as demands from their seniors and supervisors.
You should work on yourself to enhance the ability to work under pressure. This gives other people the impression that you are dependable, confident, and solid. These qualities are exactly what your supervisors want to see to consider you for promotion.
Excellent Listening Skills
Having good listening skills is crucial to making critical decisions, especially when managing projects and people to succeed. Since managers tend to get information from both their juniors and supervisors, they need to have the ability to make appropriate decisions on which information is resourceful and which isn’t. You most definitely cannot achieve this wisdom without having good listening skills. As a manager, you will also need to earn trust and loyalty from your staff members—this can only happen if they feel that you listen to their opinions and views.
Ability to Take Responsibility
To become a good manager, you should have the ability to take full responsibility for your actions and choices. This also means that you should take responsibility for the choices and actions of your staff. For instance, if you are a departmental manager, you are fully accountable for its failure or success, and you have to be ready and willing to accept that responsibility. When you accept responsibility, you are motivated to do a better job. It also makes you a good management choice in the eyes of your seniors and supervisors. Hence, when you fail, learn from your mistakes, and turn the failure into success.
Ability to Motivate Others
When you are a manager, you are a leader. You should take the initiative, encourage, and support your colleagues. When you produce good results, your supervisors will take notice of your potential as an effective manager. You should be keen to identify the specific skills of your fellow workers and inspire them to deliver for their success and that of the organization. The difference between a great manager and one who simply completes the managerial task is that the former has the ability to motivate his colleagues to be better people.