One of the challenges that organizations have been continually facing is the absence of good management skills in the workforce. As globalization takes over the functioning of organizations, the need for excellent managerial skills among all employees has become pressing. Effective management skills are not only instrumental in driving companies to heights of success, but equally contribute to the career progression of employees. Possessing these skills prepares professionals to take on higher-level roles across industries.
A contributing factor to career progression is to thrive for continued professional and personal development. If you set your mind to it, enhancing your managerial skills is not a difficult task to accomplish. This blog will focus on what the important managerial skills are and how you can develop and improve them.
Different types of management skills
- Technical skills: technical skills enable professionals to develop broad knowledge over a variety of tools and techniques which can be used to achieve business objectives. These skills are not limited to the knowledge of how to operate machines and use the software, but also includes skills pertaining to boosting sales, design various products and services and implementing marketing efforts to promote them.
- Conceptual skills: abstract thinking and idea formulation are some of the strongest suits of management professionals. Conceptual skills help professionals in a managerial position to visualize a concept, analyze the challenges and develop creative solutions. This gives managers an upper hand as it allows them to predict potential risks in the business and strategize accordingly.
- Interpersonal skills: while this might not seem like an important managerial skill, it holds equal significance compared to technical and conceptual skills. Interpersonal or human skills allow managers to interact effectively and work efficiently with their colleagues and subordinates. Furthermore, it helps management professionals to use human potential to the advantage of the organization and enhance employee productivity.
What are the important managerial skills?
- Communication skills: effective communication skills are an asset for professionals, irrespective of whether they are in a managerial role or not. Professionals who are about to take up the role of a manager or aspire to do so must have excellent communication skills. This will ensure that information is shared effectively with all the team members. This information could include procedure outlines, task delegation and organizational goals. Possessing effective communication skills will also ensure that conflicts are resolved competently, ensuring the smooth functioning of business operations. However, communication skills are not restricted to an individual at a managerial position, but also requires managers to create adept communication channels within the organization to ensure effective collaboration with team members, reduction in conflict rates and transparency in processes.
- Organizational skills: if you are working as a manager, the chances of dipping your toes in a variety of functions with a huge stack of tasks are high. To ensure that each task is accomplished successfully and within the set timeframe, it is important to have good organizational skills. As a manager, you have to ensure that business operations are carried out in line with the set guidelines. Furthermore, it would also require you to identify and set achievable targets, develop business strategies, delegate tasks and guide the team members to achieve the set goals.
- Decision-making skills: managers play a crucial role in decision-making processes which subsequently guides the business towards success. Good decision-making skills are pivotal to the success of an organization as well as the career progression of a professional. While well-thought-out and carefully made decisions can boost an individual’s career, hasty and poor decisions can have the opposite effect. Managers must take accountability for their decisions and own up to errors in judgement.
- Delegation skills: since managers are responsible for driving the team to achieve business goals, it is important that they have a vivid idea about the skills, strengths and weaknesses of the workforce under them. They must delegate work after considering these factors about the team members. Professionals in a managerial position should also be prepared to reallocate the task, in case the initial delegation does not work out as planned. While doing so, they must take the points into consideration that they missed initially and work around them. Effective delegation ensures that the tasks are completed quickly and easily.
- Motivating skills: in order to maximize the productivity of employees, it is essential that managers put their motivating skills into practice. In a global business setting, it is natural for the workforce to be diverse. This also indicates that different people will be driven by different motivational factors. It is the responsibility of managers to identify what motivates their team members and implement a similar approach. Constructive feedback acts as a great motivator and can enhance team productivity. On the other hand, managers have to ensure that feedback doesn’t affect employees adversely.
How to improve management skills
- Empathy: a great way of developing management skills is by introducing your empathetic side to your work life. To manage people, you must first focus on genuinely caring for them. You can improve this attribute of being a manager by having one-on-one discussions with your team members, understand the issues that they are going through at work, ask them about their personal life and if they are comfortable sharing about it and try to make a human connection with them.
- Don’t micro-manage: while it is advisable to be aware of what is going on in the team, refrain from imposing power. If you resort to micromanaging, chances are that you will be under a lot of stress and it will transfer to your team members as well. Trust your team members to do the work allotted and give them space. Understand that each individual has a different pace and a different take on tasks. Intervene in their work process only if it is absolutely necessary.
- Appropriate expression: as a manager, you will be required to interact with senior managers and the leadership team. However, when dealing with professionals at a higher position, it is important to know how to express yourself. Ensure that your posture, language, tone and body language are not defensive or rude. While communicating with your seniors, it is as important to actively listen as it is to communicate effectively.
- Presentation skills: good presentation skills are an important attribute for individuals in a managerial position. As a manager, you will have to present data to the stakeholders and leadership team of the organization to report growth, team success, challenges and budget requirements. Remember, this will be one of the few ways where you can have impactful communication with your seniors. Impeccable presentation skills go a long way in creating a lasting impression and can contribute to your career growth.
If you aspire to become a successful manager, ensure that you incorporate the above-mentioned skills to your work life. To gain a managerial position at leading companies, you can opt for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program offered by University Canada West (UCW). This program is offered on-campus as well as through online delivery with the same course structure. UCW is a Vancouver-based university that aims at moulding skilled professionals who can make a difference in the global business sphere.
