Being a manager can be a difficult job, and it requires that you work hard and develop many important skills. If you are aspiring to be a manager, make sure you work to develop the following skills so you can succeed. We asked the experts at Hajoca’s management training program what skills those aspiring to leadership positions should focus on and here’s what they told us:
Communication Skills
To be good manager, you need to develop your communications skills. Communication means many things as a manager. You need to be able to listen to your subordinates, and you need to speak clearly and in a way that both subordinates and superiors can easily understand. By doing this, you can do your job better, you’ll be more productive, and you’ll be a real asset to your company.
As a manager, you may have to do presentations from time to time; you will need top-notch communication skills to speak to audiences filled with hundreds of people. Your message needs to be clear. To develop your communication skills, study how other people with great communication skills speak and write, and take classes.
Problem Solving Skills
As a manager, the tough problems will often land on your desk. One of our regional managers was in charge of integrating a business we acquired and getting that entire team running on our system. He was based out of Chicago but had to spend half his week in our office in Indianapolis changing over their operating systems. Many challenges were ahead for months on end but he proved his leadership capabilities and received a promotion to regional vice president for his efforts.
Building Relationships
Another important skill to develop in order to be a good manager is relationship-building. Managers must talk to and work with many different people. You will be interacting with anyone from the custodian to the president of the company. Because of this, it’s essential that you’re able to be friendly with them and build a real working relationship with them. You must be kind and have confidence along with being comfortable interacting with anyone and everyone. Your job will go much more smoothly if you can build relationships with others.
Team Development Skills
Teamwork is a vital skill every employee of a company needs. With proper cooperation, a company will succeed and be able to accomplish the goals it has set for itself. As a manager, you will need to work together with your team and make sure they are cooperating with one another. Make them a strong, cohesive unit so that productivity will increase. If you don’t have team-developing skills, work won’t be done as efficiently, and some employees may do the wrong projects or tasks. Understand how to create a perfect team by utilizing the individual and unique talents of every employee.
Project Management Skills
Project management is crucial to keeping projects within budget and on time. Just because you can create teams and handle employees well doesn’t mean you are a great project manager. You need to be able to properly allocate resources and make an accurate schedule to see what tasks should be done each day. Projects that aren’t done on time and on budget cost the company money and cause it problems.
