10 Fundamental Qualities of a Good Manager in 2024
If you are a manager, you are well aware of the difficulties of becoming a good manager. To ensure everything runs smoothly, you must shoulder numerous tasks and overcome numerous problems. However, no one becomes a great manager overnight. It takes years of practice and skill development. Furthermore, one must comprehend the qualities of a good manager.
Therefore, in your quest to become a good manager, this blog will help you explore the most prominent qualities. Let's delve in.
Key Takeaways
- How good managers are beneficial to businesses
- What practices must managers avoid
- Detailed insight into the qualities of a good manager
What are the Benefits of Having a Good Manager?
A manager is a guide. He takes a group of people and says, 'With you, I can make us a success; I can show you the way.'
– Arsene Wenger
A business is only successful when good managers lead their people in the right direction. They are a boon to the business. They benefit the company and its employees by taking them to newer heights. But how do such managers benefit an organization? Let us have a look at a few of the many benefits.
1. Effective Leadership in a Workplace
Good managers display leadership qualities that bring out the best in every employee and motivate them thoroughly. Managers assist their immediate team by providing them with guidance, helping them understand their roles and responsibilities, and setting goals respectively. This way, managers can become effective leaders and help their employees to grow over time.
2. Efficiency in Problem-Solving and Decision Making
Skilled managers play a significant role in problem-solving and decision-making. They analyze situations by considering various internal and external factors and make sound decisions that cater to the organization's interests. This ignites enthusiasm among the employees to learn from their managers and remain focused and efficient at work.
Source: Gallup State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders
3. Increase in Productivity
A good manager finds satisfaction in helping others be productive, not being the most productive person in the room.
– Paul Glen
Good managers have the potential to push their employees to productivity instead of only being invested in their personal growth. They take special interest in educating and training them.
To sharpen the skills and abilities of their employees, managers identify their strengths and weaknesses and offer constructive feedback to them. This leads to the development of employees and promotes job satisfaction among them, thereby leading to increased productivity.
4. Creates a Positive Work Environment
Managers with effective qualities are committed to creating a psychologically safe working environment. This allows employees to become more creative as they experiment with new ideas without being judged. In the long run, it develops a positive and encouraging environment that supports an employee's mental well-being.
The managers’ commitment to ensuring positivity at the workplace directly impacts employee performance and engagement levels and boosts organizational growth.
What should Good Managers Strictly Avoid?
1. Micromanaging the team and not giving them the liberty to explore.
2. Spoon-feeding solutions for every problem.
3. Favoritism without being practical.
4. Leading with an egoist mindset.
10 Qualities of A Good Manager that you should have
Being a manager comes with responsibilities that are crucial for the organization. And becoming a good manager requires you to evoke some qualities that allow you to drive your employees ahead and help the company attain its growth.
On that account, managers must actively undertake the best qualities to transform themselves into good managers.
Let us go through a list of the best qualities of a good manager in detail –
1. Flexibility to Change and Keeping Up with the Latest Trends
Change is the only constant in life.
– Heraclitus
The phrase emphasizes the importance and domination of change in life. Everything is subject to change. The business world stands no different. It's one constantly changing arena where today's trend might be overtaken by another.
Individuals in any profession should accept changes, stay updated, and cope accordingly. Likewise, managers also cannot solely rely on their previous knowledge. They need to welcome novel ideas by adopting a flexible mindset.
They should allow themselves to flow with the change by staying updated with fresh ideas and innovations in the national and international contexts and urging their teammates to embrace them.
Good managers should have the capability to analyze those aspects beforehand and respond to the changing trends respectively.
The flexibility and adaptability to change will determine the effectiveness of managers who can handle uncertainties in life. These are desirable traits of great managers.
2. Owning Mistakes and Accepting that there is a Scope for Learning
No matter what you do, you cannot be perfect at everything. You always have scope to learn.
– Dr. Prem Jagyasi
A manager should have the capability to acknowledge the fact that having flaws is human. In fact, it is also natural for managers to make errors and be open about them.
Admitting your mistakes as a leader is a sign of being a good manager. You should encourage this trait in your team members, where they find comfort in admitting their mistakes instead of hiding them.
The true strength of a manager lies in its ability to accept that you have more to learn. You should not cultivate the “know it all” mindset.
Learning is an eternal process. We as humans are always on a learning journey where we learn something every day. Hence, learning never stops for anybody, no matter how superior in position a person is.
Moreover, managers should create a culture where mistakes are seen as a learning opportunity and encourage employees to experiment with new things. In the long run, it makes you and the employees more accountable and responsible.
3. Sound Grasp of Communication Skills
A report of The State of Business Communication in 2023, conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of Grammarly, shows that 72% of business leaders believe effective communication has increased their team’s productivity.
Additionally, 60% of the 251 business leaders surveyed agreed that effective communication increased employee confidence.
The strength of good managers lies in their excellent communication skills. As a skilled manager, you should ensure that everything is open and transparent between you and your team members. Managers should be updated with different forms of communication channels and connect with their teammates regularly. This is the key quality of a good communicator.
Gallup found that employee engagement is highest among employees who have some form (face-to-face, phone, or digital) of daily communication with their managers.
Communication allows you to get an idea about your employees' skills and performing abilities without leaving any room for misunderstanding. The communication channels should make the employees feel safe, comfortable, and free to voice their thoughts.
4. The Power of Empathy
Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.
– Oprah Winfrey
Empathy, a crucial component of Emotional Intelligence, requires managers to connect with the employees emotionally. The quote gives an insight into the fact that true leadership lies in empathizing. It emphasizes the power to inspire and empower employees.
Source: State of Empathy Workplace study
Empathy is one important quality for you as a good manager that allows you to support your employees by understanding their circumstances, listening to their issues, and extending your support. Empathy has the power to create a positive work culture. This further goes on to strengthen the manager-employee relationship.
Hence, good managers should cultivate empathy as a medium to strengthen employees.
5. Creating a Safe Space for Exchanging Feedback and Difficult Discussions
Employees prefer an environment that allows them to open up with their managers and discuss things without hesitation. And skilled managers are those who manage to pull it off with good and strategic planning.
They are thoughtful towards the employees and have a good understanding of the workplace setting where they can thrive.
Good managers are proactive about their employees' career growth. They don’t dread or avoid career conversations with them. Instead, they actively invite such conversations.
Honest and fruitful sessions are those where managers and employees invest in feedback sessions, respond to questions, and have challenging talks.
As a manager, you must organize these safe spaces as a platform that allows the team to grow.
6. Listening skills
Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.
– Richard Branson
The quote is a reminder to the managers who have always had their way with their speaking abilities. They have been associated with delegating tasks, expressing their opinions and wisdom to employees.
However, with the evolving trend and culture, it is high time that you, as managers, not only restrict yourself to speaking but rather cultivate the art of listening. You can stand out as a good manager by developing listening skills.
It is important to lend your ears to your employees when they wish to express something. Try listening to their concerns, and reach out to them.
It allows you to establish a secure bond with your employees and develop trust. You can also opt for suitable practices to enhance your active listening skills. Some of them are as follows-
- Be open to learning.
- Listen to your employees by paying close attention.
- Be patient and avoid interrupting the flow.
- Try to offer genuine feedback after listening.
7. Promote Transparency
Source: Forbes
As individuals, we all want transparency in our lives. Similarly, on the professional front, employees seek transparency in their workplace.
Academic research shows that workplace transparency promotes accountability in the workplace.
This is where the traits of good managers come into play. Transparency is crucial to keep employees in the loop about organizational growth. It ensures that the organization has kept every discussion and decision upfront before the employees.
This creates a sense of trust and belief among the employees that the management and leaders are truthful toward each other. The idea is to create a workplace where open door policy is the top priority.
Here are a few things that you can consider to improve workplace transparency-
- Start practicing transparency instead of just preaching it. Conduct meetings, send emails, and give a gist of the company’s direction, goals, achievements, and policies.
- Empower your employees and try to keep them engaged.
- Utilize measures such as regular team meetings, communication tools and platforms, employee surveys and feedback channels, training and workshops, and virtual communication strategies to increase internal communication with the employees.
8. Appreciating and Encouraging Employees
Appreciation and encouragement go a long way to strengthening any form of relationship. And professional relationships are no exception to this.
The best approach a manager can take is to appreciate employees' work and encourage them to perform better. Good managers are never biased and have a neutral view of things. Such managers are more performance-oriented and recognize those who deserve it the most.
This not only boosts employees’ morale but will drive them to contribute to the company’s interest and stay engaged at work.
However, it is essential to note that appreciation is a frequent process that should be done immediately without delaying it. As a good manager, you should not just be good at your job, but you should be able to encourage your team and bring out the best in them.
Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, released its Employee Appreciation Survey. Harris Interactive conducted the survey covering more than 2,000 U.S. adults online on behalf of Glassdoor.
While seven in ten (68 percent) employees said their boss showed them enough appreciation, more than half (53 percent) of employees reported they would extend their stay at their company if they felt more appreciation from their boss. And four in five (81 percent) employees said they were motivated to work harder when their boss showed appreciation.
Recommended Resource: 33 Amazing Employee Appreciation Ideas [2024 Update]
9. Conflict Resolution Abilities
Conflicts are inevitable scenarios that occur in personal and professional lives. And every individual has his/her way of dealing with them. However, for a skilled manager, it becomes important to address and assess the conflicts practically and develop resolution tactics.
If a conflict arises, a trained manager should know how to de-escalate the problem between the parties involved. These conflict resolution core skills, like quick stress relief and emotional awareness, are essential to ensure a positive workplace atmosphere. Moreover, it will instill a sense of trust and confidence in the employees.
In a nutshell, good managers prioritize the employees above their self-interest when they are in a conflict.
10. Be a Role Model
A manager can't act like a role model. They need to be a role model.
– Ben Horowitz
Global research firm Universum, in their recent report found that the ability to be a role model was one of the two qualities that executives would look for when choosing new managers.
A good manager is one who sets an example for the employees to follow. Displaying your skill sets, diligence, and enthusiasm will inspire and motivate them to look up to you as a role model. As a result, they will try to instill your abilities in their professional journey.
As a manager, your actions will have more impact on your employees than mere words. Your approach to supporting your employees will leave a lasting impact on them.
When your employees see a role model in you who inspires them in their life, you can call yourself a successful manager.
Conclusion
By now, you must be clear about how managers are an integral part of a company.
They represent the company's core values in the workplace and help boost employee morale.
However, with the changing dynamics in the business world, good managers are the need of the hour. And to become one, you must instill these qualities in you.
So are you ready to undertake the journey of becoming a good manager? Make your choice to stand apart from the rest and take your employees and company to newer heights.
FAQs
1. How to hire good managers?
Tips to hire good managers are listed below:
- Look for candidates who have sound experience managing teams or projects.
- Analyze their interaction style, and look for signs of empathy, collaboration, and leadership potentiality.
- Conduct personality and performance assessments to identify how skilled the candidates are.
2. How to assess managerial effectiveness?
You can conduct anonymous employee surveys to get honest opinions on the management team. Likewise, observe the performances and results to understand the managerial effectiveness in pulling off the responsibilities.
3. How do good managers motivate their employees?
Good managers motivate their employees in the following ways:
- Appreciating and recognizing their efforts.
- Providing constructive feedback and guidance.
- Offering growth opportunities.
- Creating a positive work culture.
4. How can good managers balance their tasks and responsibilities with a team?
Good managers strike a balance when they understand the very idea between stepping in to provide guidance and empowering team members to take ownership and responsibility for their tasks.
This article is written by Riha Jaishi, a Content Writer at Vantage Circle. Apart from being an active and keen writer, she is generally found reading books and articles, feasting her eyes on food videos, and binging on her favorite shows and discussing them. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com
