Many people look at management as an easy job. All the managers have to do is stand back and watch the “real” employees do all the work. What most people don’t realize is that it takes a specific personality type to be an effective manager in any industry. The managers have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders to keep the entire operation moving effectively.
1. Managers have to be empathetic and patient people. Sometimes he or she will get new workers who are not necessarily prepared for the type of work they are performing and will need to be taught step-by-step repeatedly. A good manager needs to have the ability to be patient with the employees and give them the time they need to succeed while understanding what they are going through. No one likes to struggle, and when a new employee is having a hard time grasping what he is supposed to do, he gets frustrated too. A good manager understands that and is capable of empathizing with and coaching the employee to get better.
2. Fairness and impartiality are important personality traits that the best managers possess. In order for the entire company to run like a well-oiled machine, there can’t be excess friction between employees. Nothing can create these workplace conflicts faster than a sense of favoritism from the boss. Certain employees always getting what they want such as the better positions in the operation or the highest raises can derail an entire production line quickly.
3. A positive attitude can be invaluable when it comes to management, especially when dealing with employees. People respond based on how they perceive others expect them to. When a manager tells her employees she believes they are capable of doing something correctly and efficiently, the employee feels motivated to do it so that they do not let the manager down. At the same time, when a worker is struggling, the best way for a manager to help coach her to improve is to reinforce what they are doing right before making the transition into what they are doing wrong. If a manager sees only what is being done wrong and that’s all she ever tells her employees, that employee will feel like she can’t do anything right and get frustrated.
4. Managers also need to be honest and trustworthy. Whether it is dealing with customers or their staff, a dishonest manager can wreak havoc on the staff. When the employees refuse to trust the manager, the manager feels like he or she can no longer trust the employees and the culture of the workplace can deteriorate to a place where no one is doing their job effectively.
5. Finally, the best managers are selfless. A quality manager is expected to put the good of the company ahead of his own interests, and to build the best company the manager needs to build the best employees. By being interested in their staff and coaching them to be better, he builds a better company and looks good as a by-product. Managers who are only concerned about how they look tend to have problems maintaining the respect of their employees.
Managing people requires a very specific skill-set combined with a unique personality type, but the qualities mentioned above are some of the most important characteristics in a quality manager. Having these qualities make up the ideal foundation for anyone wishing to go into management and earn their Degree in Organizational Leadership.
Dee enjoys freelance ghost writing and also does some guest blogging/writing as well. She writes mostly about current events or trends in various industries.
