by Meredith Wood

You may be working towards your next career goal of becoming a manager. You are patiently, or not so patiently waiting for your boss to walk around the corner with an offer for your next big adventure, leading your own team. Or, maybe you are on the opposite side of things, you are a manager wanting to better your approach to leadership.

Being a manager isn’t easy. It can be like rocket science and so that’s why, we are here to help!

As a manager you are in control of the biggest asset of a company, your employees. Think about it. No matter how much this world may be trying to push AI in the workplace, businesses can’t run without the expertise of human intelligence.

Just like most things, there isn’t an easy step-by-step guide on how to be a perfect manager. Every team, every company and every industry has a different structure, team, and culture.

Not only do you need a strong team, there needs to be a strong leader guiding them in the right direction. Managers are in control of everything from recruiting top talent to maintaining work systems, procedures, and policies — they are at the root of it all.

Remember: Employees don’t leave their companies, they leave their managers.

So What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager?

Managers don’t just get handed the opportunity to lead their own team right out of the blue, they’ve earned it. Whether that was showing their expertise in the industry from learning on their own time, or through training provided within their current position. Either way, they have earned their spot and always exceeded expectations.

Here are the 6 common characteristics of successful managers:

Good Manager Characteristic #1: Leadership

Managers are always leading and answering any questions or struggles that arise. Successful leaders influence others to come into the office with the best version of themselves every single day. They are strategically thinking about the big picture and how to proactively reach their team’s next set of goals. Being a thoughtful leader is a key trait when demonstrating and empowering growth and collaboration on your team.

Successful Manager Characteristic #2: Expertise From Experience

Most of the time managers have years of experience in the field they are leading. Through those experiences they have gone above and beyond, and have learned from the good and bad. Most importantly, successful managers have put in the needed time to master this category and know exactly how to meet goals month after month.

Great Manager Characteristic #3: Reliability

As a manager, you are the first point of contact for every employee you are managing. Making sure you are available for any questions or concerns that your team needs help with is crucial for growth and success. Show you are trustworthy, honest, and respectful of you and your team’s time whilst putting out the fires and celebrating the great achievements.

Good Manager Characteristic #4: Time Management

Managers are scheduling others’ time and their own around expected goals. Making sure you are allocating enough time to successfully wrap up projects and anything else that may need to get done is extremely important when it comes to lowering stress on your team. Map out weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly goals that are realistic, and pick up on cues that may mean your team is a little more stressed than usual.

Read On: How to Manage Time

Successful Manager Characteristic #5 Communication

Communication is key in almost every relationship, especially for those working together everyday. Effectively communicate goals, expectations, and any resources your team may need to meet those expectations. Along with that, listen to what your team may be struggling with and how to better allocate time and learning to overcome that roadblock in growth.

Manager Characteristic #6: Organization

Managers that combine their time management and communication skills to set clear expectations can successfully set goals into action. Organize small steps that are able to achieve enormous goals without adding stress to your team. The best managers host meetings frequently to communicate what is needed and keep every member on task and prepared to meet their targets.

Even though there are characteristics great managers have in common, there are certain times and actions to put these practices into place. From providing your team with the right resources to on-boarding successfully to better understanding the inner and outer workings of your business, all the way to staying consistent with your actions.

Photo Credit: Zainul Yasni via Unsplash