Do you want to be an effective manager? Start with these three tips.
Managers play a vital role in our workplaces today. They tend to get things done through others within the organisation. Amongst their many roles is the decision making one. Decisions are made daily concerning initiating and developing projects and making allowances and forecasts for upcoming issues and unforeseen occurrences. They also assess the allocation of people and financial resources. Therefore, their interpersonal skills are vital.
Effective managers, when assessed by the quality and delivery of their performance, goal achievement, and employee job satisfaction, are excellent at using communication skills. Successful managers, those constantly promoted, focus more on networking. Whether managers are effective or successful, they play a vital role within our workplaces. Their influence can inspire or destroy the environment they work in.
Individuals have stated that their management style originated from observing previous managers and how they treated and dealt with individuals and teams. Of course, this can be positive and negative, depending on the model observed. A negative model can disadvantage those without a positive and effective model.
Organisations focused solely on outcomes have enabled managers to achieve financial outcomes and results at all costs to the detriment of good working teams. Constant turnover or a constant rotation of personnel within an organisation to other departments might not impact an organisation initially. Still, it might damage its reputation and image in the long term. So how, then, can managers be more effective and successful?
Around 50% of managerial effectiveness is related to communication skills. Communication has different meanings for different cultures. In Australia, communicating well means being open and direct. On the other hand, an indirect approach might be best for Japan, adhering to the concept of saving face. Communication needs to be tailored to the organisational culture, and understanding the national cultures within the organisation should be a managerial priority. Managers can be technically talented and have excellent skills in many areas, such as problem-solving and decision-making, but they can also be unable to listen, understand others, and manage any conflicts that might arise from daily interactions.
How can you, as an individual manager, become effective?
- Know yourself. Understanding your personality, values, motivation, strengths, limitations, role in a team, and overall attitude towards situations is a starting point. MBTI, The Big 5, DISC, and Belbin Team Roles are just a few instruments you can start with.
- Be aware of your emotions and moods. Start to notice how you deal with and react to situations. Is there a good person-organisation fit? Take a moment to assess how satisfied you are in your job and whether your attitude is right. Winston Churchill said, ‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.’ Some tools that can help are testing your emotional intelligence and naming and acknowledging your emotions on a daily basis until you become more aware of your overall emotions and moods in diverse situations.
- Understand your motivation. Money is only sometimes a motivating factor. Mother Teresa is an excellent example of being motivated by a higher cause. Autonomy, responsibility, change, serving others, making a difference, task variety, and working in a team are a few examples of motivating factors. Understanding your motivation and why you do what you do will enable you to begin sharing with others how you see the world. They might see it differently.
Enjoy getting to know yourself more!
