Outstanding qualities you need as a manager

Being a good manager requires that you know and respect the abilities of the people under you and that you encourage them to excel. However, you must be willing to step in with a cool, dispassionate approach when there is trouble, ADEMOLA ALAWIYE writes

Almost anyone with company and job knowledge can become a good manager with time and practice. To be a great manager, you need sound approaches to leading and managing employees along with certain attributes that set you apart.

Managing people is not an easy task: the responsibilities are numerous. Supervisors readily admit that correcting flaws, optimising strengths and promoting commitment or motivating individuals are responsibilities that can overwhelm an individual. But considering the importance of a committed and motivated workforce, experts say managers must ensure that they surmount the challenges and get their jobs done. They explain that as difficult and unnerving as these responsibilities may appear, a manager can excel by continually seeking ways to improve his or her skills and coming up with clear expectations for employees, among other things. They say by taking the right things into consideration, supervisors will not only find their job easier, they will have fun doing it.

Managers are advised to consider the following tips in their quest to boost employee performance.

Be informed

According to experts, a manager who has little or no knowledge of company policies and procedures is unlikely to play his or her roles effectively. They stress that it is important for supervisors to stay informed not just about company policies, but also about best practices in the industry. By having relevant information and putting them to use, a supervisor stands a better chance of bringing the best out of employees and effectively playing his or her role. Without a good understanding of the organisation’s policies, a manager could be motivating the workers for the wrong reasons. It is therefore important that supervisors, apart from understanding these policies, are informed about policy changes.

Understand roles and responsibilities

For managers to carry out their duties effectively, experts say it is important that they have an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the employees they are to manage. Can an individual manage an employee to perform a task that he or she knows nothing about? Experts say the answer is ‘no.’ They stress that it is necessary for supervisors to have the ability to perform the task they are assigning to members of their team. This, they say, is partly why it is important for supervisors to rise through the ranks. According to them, by having the ability to perform the functions being assigned to employees under them, managers will be in a better position to analyse the job that has been done and to provide a useful feedback.

Be fair

Experts say good supervisors treat members of their team fairly and equally. They say when a supervisor fails to treat employees fairly and use the same standards in rewarding or sanctioning them, such a supervisor will end up with team members who are not motivated. Apart from this, they risk destroying unity and harmony in the workforce. This, experts say, is because once an employee is being given a special treatment without justification, that employee is likely to be isolated.

Among other things, managers are advised to provide equal opportunities for employees in their unit or department to excel. They should also have clear conditions for rewards and sanctions, which apply to everyone in the unit.

Have reasonable expectations

It is true that the job of managers is to bring out the best from employees by motivating them and ensuring that they are committed to their jobs, among other things. However, experts warn that no matter how motivated an individual is, there is a limit to what he or she can do. A good manager knows this.

This is why managers have to keep expectations reasonable. Setting expectations that are unreasonable may end up frustrating the employees, which is not the goal.

Even if expectations are reasonable, employees are likely to misunderstand them if they are not very clear. It is the job of supervisors to ensure this and to explain them to employees. However, human resource managers say many supervisors fail to do this, leaving employees virtually clueless about what to do. To make matters worse, when such employees fail to live up to such expectations, the supervisors are quick to sanction them when the reality is that the supervisor is to blame.

Go for training

For a manager to get it right, training is very important. From short professional training to in-house training, managers need to constantly seek knowledge and skills, which will aid them in the course of their duties. When it comes to evaluation or appraisal, many managers end up with a headache. They realise too late that because they did not have guidelines for appraisals, they failed to note specific performance details which would have made the process easier and transparent. This is something training can help to solve.

Mentor others

As managers seek additional knowledge and skills, they are advised to also make an arrangement for those they manage to get further training. Experts say good managers often provide some form of mentoring for people under them. By doing this, they can spot areas of weakness and help the employees to improve. Similarly, you can help them to optimise their strengths and get them to better understand policies and objectives of the organisation and the role they are expected to play.

By engaging them this way, and approaching the process as a team effort, employees are likely to become more committed and productive.

Be helpful

Good managers are helpful. This does not mean helping employees to violate company rules. It means listening to employees and providing the tools or environment they need to work effectively. If a manager discovers that employees have been unable to meet higher production target for instance, he or she should, in trying to resolve the problem, find out from employees the challenges they are having. It could be that they lack relevant equipment.

It is also important for managers to learn to communicate effectively. Feedback is vital to employees. They need to know when they are doing great and when they need to improve. Experts say through constructive criticism they are more likely to make the needed adjustments. But if criticism is the norm, it would only discourage them.