How to be a great manager

In any business, good management of people is one of the most important aspects of success.

Good management is what turns employees from people who are just waiting for the working day to end so they can go home to people who want to actually contribute to the business’s success.

Fortunately, good management skills aren’t something you need to be born with – it can be easy to become a great manager by following our simple tips below.

Be at one with the business

As a manager, you are no longer just another employee. You are part of the business itself.

That means you need to actually believe in the decisions you and the business make – otherwise, the people below you will not believe in them either.

How do you think the employees you manage will feel if you are asking them to do things you yourself do not believe in?

Let people do what they’re good at

People are the most important part of any business. You can choose to either have employees only there because they need the money but really can’t wait to get home at the end of the day, or you can have employees who love what they do, and want to have a positive influence on the business’s success.

People are most productive when they are happy, and one of the best and easiest ways to make your employees happy is by giving them a job that’s right for them, rather than trying to get them to adapt to a job they don’t want to do.

Overcome difficult situations

In a business things don’t always run as smoothly as you’d like them to.

However, as a manager, it’s now your job to try to fix a lot of these problems. It could be that an important project has failed, or there could be disagreements between different members of staff.

If you don’t jump into these situations and try to find a solution, who will?

Actually talk to your staff

Being a manager isn’t an excuse to shut yourself in your own office and not talk to your staff.

You should hold regular, one-to-one meetings with the people you manage. These meetings are a great way to see how they are performing their jobs, but also to find out about any problems they are having so that you can try to solve some of them, making it easier for them to work, thus making them more productive.

Be honest

If you regularly withhold information from your staff, or even flat out lie, they will start to sniff you out and lose respect for you.

If your staff know that you are an honest person, they will be more likely to be honest too, leading to a much healthier, more productive work environment.