The Art Of Management: 7 Tips To Become A Better Manager

Discover the secret to becoming a more effective manager

Being promoted to a managerial role is a huge step in anyone’s career. It’s rewarding and exciting, but can also be daunting at times. And whether you’re new to the role or have years of experience under your belt, there’s also something new to learn in order to become a better manager and a more effective leader of people.

It’s also fairly easy to get stuck in your ways as a manager. Sometimes just a small adjustment or new perspective can lead to significant changes and more productive teams.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled 7 tried and tested tips to help you become a more well-rounded manager capable of inspiring employees to deliver their best.

1 – Build genuine relationships

Arguably, the most essential key to being a good manager is forming good relationships with your team built on trust. Gone are the days when managers were encouraged to be aloof and detached from their people. This only creates divides that can lead to miscommunication and a lack of motivation. Being genuine and authentic on the other hand will allow your team to see that you’re easy to approach and willing to listen. This creates trust and promotes open lines of communication that will strengthen both your individual relationships with employees as well as the team as a whole.

2 – Listen to your team

Being a manager isn’t only about dictating and delegating. It’s also about being open to new ideas, different ways of doing things, as well as any concerns from your team. That’s why you should always encourage employees to come forward and voice their opinions. Always listen, give people your full attention, and carefully consider how to respond. This is not to say that you need to agree with everything that’s put forward, but by listening carefully, you will be able to create open discussions that show you truly value what your team has to say.

3 – Don’t be afraid to get involved with day-to-day tasks

Another admirable quality of any respected manager is that they should never be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get things done when necessary. Being a manager is about more than facilitating processes. It’s also about getting directly involved to help the team should they not possess certain expertises or when they are simply overloaded with work. This will demonstrate that you are all truly in this together, working and collaborating as team.

4 – Protect your team

Any workplace, especially within bigger companies, comes with its fair share of unnecessary drama and distractions. Departments can clash on projects. Senior management may point the blame for lacklustre results in the wrong direction. Some will even deliberately and selfishly sabotage projects or people’s work to gain recognition for themselves. All this can lead to a severe lack of morale. As manager, it’s crucial that you protect your team from such distractions and stick up for your team when necessary. When your team knows you have their best interests at heart, they’re more likely to do their best work and go above and beyond to deliver for you.

5 – Delegate & lead effectively

When people are new to a management role they may find it awkward to delegate tasks to people. Some will even prefer to take on more work, thinking they need to overload themselves with tasks to reflect their new seniority. However, this will only serve to rob your team of opportunities to learn, problem-solve, and grow on their own. As a manager it is your job to properly understand the roles and responsibilities of everyone in your team. It’s also important to identify the core skills, interests, and talents of your people. This will enable you delegate tasks effectively, ensuring everyone has a fair and manageable workload. Over time, this will help create a stronger and more efficient team where everyone is working to the best of their abilities.

6 – Be a manager who motivates

Everyone in a team will have their ups and downs. Sometimes employees may find they’re struggling at work, unsure of how to approach certain tasks or feeling ill-equipped to take on certain responsibilities. Factors outside of the office may also influence morale and productivity. As manager, you must strive to be alert and attentive to any issues that may be affecting your team. If you’ve fostered open lines of communication, you may find employees are willing to come to you voluntarily to discuss concerns. However, sometimes it may require a more proactive approach where you’ll need to encourage employees to voice issues. This isn’t about prying into their personal lives, but showing that if they need to talk, you’re willing to listen. Whatever the situation, find ways to keep people motivated. Whether it’s checking in regularly or finding the time to offer an employee guidance with a task, this will help each member in your team feel more secure at work and able to overcome the obstacles in their way.

7 – Never stop trying to improve yourself

Ultimately, it’s important to know that perfecting the art of management is an ongoing journey. Team dynamics change, new challenges arise, mistakes are made. It’s also true that what’s considered a best practice management tactic today may change within a few years time. For these reasons and many others, it’s important to remain open to learning and adapting. Never be content to be stuck in your ways. Showing that you’re willing to learn and grow will also help you lead your team by example, encouraging them to continue to better themselves in all that they do.

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