Start networking and exchanging professional insights

Register now or log in to join your professional community.

Follow

In your opinion, what are the basic management skills that I should be focusing on in order to become a successful manager?

user-image
Question added by Dina Khatib , Brand and Communications Manager , Bayt.com
Date Posted: 2016/01/14
Duncan Robertson
by Duncan Robertson , Strategy Consultant , Duncan Robertson Consultancy

When I'm looking for a new manager the first thing I look for is motivation.  I want somebody wants to be there and lead their team in getting the job done even when they are cold, wet and miserable and their whole team is cold, wet and miserable and something important has just gone wrong.

The second thing I look for is organisation.  They must be able to organise themselves and others, as well as the administration, finance, etc.

The third thing is leadership skills.  They must be able to get along with people, help them when they are stuck and be firm when they are lazy.

The fourth thing is technical skills, which vary greatly depending on the job.  Ideally they should be able to do every task the team has to do, but it's not always necessary.

More generally, I'm looking for character: reliability, sense of humor, enthusiasm, intelligence, education, thoughtfulness, etc.

When somebody is already in a management position, doing reasonably well and are looking to improve their skills, the first thing I usually suggest is becoming master of the routine and technical.  If they need to produce monthly Excel spreadsheets with charts, then get good at that so that the monthly routine is quick and easy: f there is a critical process in their team's activity, then get trained up in doing that process so that if the person who is supposed to do it is off sick, they can take over themselves and keep production going.   

Another thing I sometimes suggest is learning the wider context - understanding better how their team fits into the whole.  Sometimes this produces excellent synergies. 

Having said all that, the direct answer to your question is simple.  The first skill you need is the ability to figure out what skills you need.  And posting vague questions on a forum doesn't count. :-)

Ahmed Khater
by Ahmed Khater , ID& Fit- Out Construction Manager , Harmony Atelier Interior Design& Decoration

Facilitation techniques are the basic management skills for leaders ( person who lead team of technical or skilled worker to perform tasks assigned by managers)

but managers in daily bases deals with a lot of decisions with high level of uncertainty, so good managers should be aware of strategic decision making tools& techniques

oh this imply that leaders cannot be good managers and manager should be a leader before? yes it is     

Muhammad Sherif
by Muhammad Sherif , Founder, Managing Director & Sr. Lead Business Consultant , New Directions Consulting, Training & Services

The basic management skills that you should be focusing on are: to be organized, welling tosuccess, effectively delegate , fair, honest, mange anger

Ismael Mandil
by Ismael Mandil , Procurement and Logistics Coordinator , Enviromena Power Systems

From my own experience, being a successful manager requires building on the following skills:

1-     Strategize and lead initiatives: This is required to meet the firm’s vision, mission and objectives, ie where to focus the efforts.

2-     Effective organization skills: Every employee needs to have clear defined roles and perfectly understand what is being expected.   

3-     Effective communication: Communication should flow within the organization and constructive feedback is a must.

4-     Empower employees: Motivating employees to increase their participation, involvement and commitment.

5-     Set workplace values: Lead by example, values such as respect, responsibility, honesty, and collaboration and comradeship are required to build up on teamwork and settle a friendly working environment.

RamaPrasad Aravindakshan
by RamaPrasad Aravindakshan , Project Manager , Sankya Virtusa Ness Capgemini Photon Infotech

The basic fundamental ability is PDCA  life cycle - Plan Do Check Act

Management points 

1. On time Deliverable with Quality and gain Customer Satisfaction

2. Build Strong team and gain trust and have smooth people management abilities

3.Mentor , appreciate the team and motivate them

4. Ability to foresee risks and mitigate them 

 

 

April Kinday Padong
by April Kinday Padong , Receivables Accountant , Al Mana Ventures W.L.L.

The basic management skills that i should be focusing on in order to become a successful manager in this type of business (nursery school) is communication. I need to build good relationship between me and my subordinates and between me and the clients (parents and children) and the best way in building good relationship is good communication to each on. Next is patience and trust, again this builds good relationship and good work flow. After that is fairness and proper execution of job when it comes to subordinates and clients and also being organize. 

Ridas Raicevicius
by Ridas Raicevicius , Executive Chairman , Bacmetall Norway

In terms of practicing stewardship and taking responsibility for your team, of particular interest is Google’s Rule No4:

 

Don’t be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented. Focus on what employees want the team to achieve and how they can help achieve it. Help the team prioritize work and use seniority to remove roadbocks.

 

The term "sissy" leans a little too cozily toward bro-culture Valley norms for my tastes, but the point is well taken: Don’t be wishy-washy. Be tough. Focus on the outcomes. Do not fear big decisions. Use your clout as a boss to shepherd your team to success.

 

Your mission is pretty simple: to make the people around you more effective. The study of management, the act of learning how to manage, is figuring out just how to do that, through experience and the purposeful development of your own skills.

 

It’s a bit counterintuitive to focus on what your employees want to achieve, but it’s an interesting practice: It turns you into a better listener and places you first in a position to be useful.

 

This sense of responsibility, care and stewardship is what differentiates a good manager from a great one.

 

What are some of the ways you can practice taking responsibility for your team:

 

Say No to protect your team. Michael Lopp, the author and manager, writes: "As a manager, you are caretaker of No for you group. When it is time to do the right thing by stopping, it’s your job to bust out the No. You defend your team against organizational insanity with No."

 

Take the blame when things go wrong. Never, ever throw your team under the bus. That’s the cardinal sin. By modeling this type behavior, you encourage the value of responsibility in your team. Blame kills. Banish blame from your team’s vocabulary. Encourage them to take responsibility for their own work’s success or failure.

 

Shelter your team. Provide a haven from critical outside forces and upper management. Let your people know you have their back first and foremost, even when balancing the demands coming down from above.

 

Guard their talents. If your team is coveted by other managers, it’s a good sign. When people feel wanted, they tend to perform. Let them flourish, take risks, and try new things. Be protective until it’s time for them to go. Ultimately the best reflection of you as a manager is what they do next.

 

In the end, it’s all about taking responsibility and not passing the buck. There’s a tendency to be fearful of criticism or to be defensive about the work of your team. That’s normal.

Muhammad Moeen Bhatti
by Muhammad Moeen Bhatti , Cluster Incharge , Premier DLC - A project of Beaconhouse Group

Enjoy being with people

Lead by example

Inspire people to perform better than they thought they could

Create confidence with guests

Are maniacs about quality

Have the guts to get "it" done

Have equal proportions heart and brain

Will challenge everyone, including you, to do better

 

 

Muhammad Salim
by Muhammad Salim , Junior Executive , Atlas Honda Ltd

 An excellent manager taps into talents and resources in order to support and bring out the best in others. An outstanding manager evokes possibility in others.

Mahmoud Abdalsalam
by Mahmoud Abdalsalam , Director , Zepter International

In point of my view be a good leader you will be successful manager a good leader can mange a group of employee and can control a process and job progress from the filed not just by sitting on luxury desk have a view and can also give an brilliant ides and interact with group, this process motivate all teamwork and reflect  to the benefit of work .

ABDUL REHMAN SYED
by ABDUL REHMAN SYED , GM Business Development (Corporate) , mavin switch gears & control

The first and foremost  thing to become a good Manager  one should understand the goal of the organisation and then judge your role and make your work plan accordingly. You need to be a team player first and then lead the team. 

 

More Questions Like This

Do you need help in adding the right keywords to your CV? Let our CV writing experts help you.