How to be a great manager

Most people say that they want to be managers. But they don’t realise the immense level of responsibility that managers have across the board. Great managers aren't just  effective planners and problem solvers – they prioritise relationship building, first and foremost. The good news is that there is sure-fire way to become a better manager and leader by covering a few simple bases. 

Research shows that people describe great managers as those they have a personal, authentic, one-on-one connection with. To be a great manager, “you simply have to choose to communicate, connect, and bring your full presence to those you lead.”

A manager’s main responsibilities include:

• Developing your team

• Organising your team

• Effectively communicating with stakeholders

• Motivating your team 

It’s a big picture role that has to account for the wellbeing of the organisation and the team you’re in charge of. It’s all about ensuring high quality across the chain and effectively leading your team through change. 

Figuring out how to get the best from employees

Everyone learns in different ways. It’s important that managers focus on developing the people who’ll be implementing the organisational strategies and processes.

Some training methods include:

• On the Job Training

• One on one

• Team training

• Formal training

When you take care of your team by building up their skills and ensuring that they are challenged, something remarkable happens. Your company culture starts to change, and this affects how customers start to perceive your brand.

Communicating effectively

Managers are more than just overseers. They are the ones who communicate the long term vision for the company. They show us our part in that vision and how we can all get there if we work together. It’s a fact that great leaders are great communicators.

Here are the 4 levels of effective communication in an organisation:

1. Individual level

Making sure that those in your team know exactly what their duties are and what you expect from them 

2. Team level

Consolidate your team and build camaraderie by setting team goals and performance metrics.

3. Company level

Making sure that people know how the company is doing and any changes that are taking effect. People need to feel like they are informed and that they have a platform to ask questions and get answers.

4. Inter-employee level

Creating a culture of ownership between the team and their overall goals. This ensures that team members are communicating important details with each other and that they are aware of what each member is working on.

“I measure my own success as a leader by how well the people who work for me succeed.”
— Maria Shi

Employees prefer managers who take pride in their communication skills. And guess what, customers do, too. They love engaging with brands that keep them updated and engaged through intentional conversations – resulting in more sales and longer customer life cycles.

What a great manager looks like 

Kate Hedges details that great managers do these 5 things every day.

1. They’re straight forward and don’t beat around the bush

2. They exhibit leadership maturity

3. They hire the right people for the job

4. They engage in consistent and meaningful one-on-one interactions

5. They actively manage and mitigate conflict.

Focus on the 2 core concepts 

Look, being a great manager is tough. There are so many facets that you have to be on top of, and there’s only so much time in the working day. The core of it can be broken down into 2 main things.

1. Be on top of your administrative duties

2. Take care of your people.

When you distill management into these core fundamentals, you can start to fill the peripheral gaps as you go along.

Using regular 180 and 360 feedbacks are great ways to see where you can improve. A 180 feedback review is a self-evaluation of how you think you’re doing, and a 360 review is a multi-sourced questionnaire that lets your team and superiors anonymously give you feedback. It’s really valuable to give the people that you work with a voice to help improve how you work.

“When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘we did it ourselves.’”
— Lao Tzu