As employees climb the corporate ladder, some may feel their natural next step is a managerial position. However, managerial roles aren’t suited for everyone.
If an employee asks you if you think they’d do well as a manager, it’s important to be transparent and honest with the employee about whether their skills are up to par. If you find yourself in this situation, here are 10 essential things you should tell an aspiring manager they’ll need to succeed. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain why these qualities and skills are so integral to a leader’s job.
Young Entrepreneur Council members say you’ll need these things if you want to be a manager.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. An Empathetic And Supportive Nature
It’s important to remember that being a good manager is not about prestige, self-promotion or even a pay rise—although those are nice side effects. Being a manager is first and foremost about running an effective team for the good of the company and its people. This means the ability to empathize and care about your team members’ development and supporting their ambitions while providing guidance is at the heart of a manager’s role. It’s important to note as well that every person you manage has very different needs and circumstances, so a one-size-fits-all management approach often fails. If you enjoy coaching and get a thrill out of seeing others thrive, then a managerial role is for you, but be prepared to put the time in! – Robin Saluoks, eAgronom
2. A Love For Coaching And Process Execution
I’ve seen team members at various companies pine after managerial roles; however, it’s ultimately not always the best fit or even the most enjoyable role for them. Candidates for managerial roles should have one or both of two important skill sets: either a love and skill for coaching other team members, or a love and skill for executing processes. If a candidate for a managerial position hates working with others and doesn’t have the skills to coach or elevate the output of the team, it’s not a fit. Similarly, if the candidate isn’t adept at organization and maintaining a robust execution plan, the role probably won’t be enjoyable for the individual. It’s important for those seeking a management position to have a clear understanding of the skills and passions required for a role like this. – Cooper Harris, Klickly
3. Personal Time Management Skills
When it comes to leadership, some qualities are table stakes. Good leaders are people who others actually want to follow. They need empathy, foresight, the right technical skills and so on. All of this goes without saying. The one skill that should seem obvious, and where I see many managers—new and not-so-new—routinely fail, is managing their own time. As our scope of responsibility increases over more people and teams and higher-level strategic objectives, it’s a constant challenge to make sure that we ruthlessly prioritize how we spend our time, only allocating it to the highest-priority issues. This is often counterintuitive and takes, among other things, a tremendous amount of curiosity and self-awareness. – Alex Furman, Invitae
4. An Ability To Delegate
Delegation is the ability to trust someone, to divide your work into tiny components that could be handed off to someone and to follow up about whether or not that work is completed. This ability is extremely difficult to possess, especially for someone who is really hard working and a perfectionist. Delegation can be learned and, with practice, can be easier for someone to do. Thus, if a manager wants to succeed, they have to learn to let go and trust someone. The person might not do the work 100% to your standards, but if they do it even 70%, you can train them to do the remaining 30% (or even you can do the 30%—saving you the 100% effort it would take to do the work). – Kripa Shroff, AK Multinational LLC
5. Excellent Communication Skills
Managerial positions generally require many skills; however, communication takes precedence. Maintaining excellent communication skills is vital for a manager. Communication determines whether a team or group acts as a unified workforce or a divided unit. It will determine how information is shared throughout the team. How a manager communicates determines how tasks are implemented. It can determine how successful an organization will be. A leader with exemplary communication skills can connect well with the employees and, thus, achieve the company’s set goals and objectives efficiently. Designated communication in an organization allows the manager to unite with the team, dissuade conflicts and fix issues efficiently. – Chimezie Emewulu, Seamfix Limited
6. The Ability To Give Constructive Feedback
If you want to be a good manager, you have to learn how to give constructive feedback. Many new managers think they can handle the job when they get to be nice to everyone. But there will come a time when you’ll need to discipline an employee or get to the bottom of a problem. When you’re in this situation, constructive feedback can make or break your approach. When you’re in this situation, start by identifying what the employee does right and where they can improve. This compliment-critique feedback loop will help you build rapport with employees and turn you into a better manager. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
7. Personal Accountability
Bad managers tend to go on a power trip and use their title to get away with bad habits or mistakes. A good manager takes accountability for their actions and decisions. They know who to give credit to and when to apologize. They lead by example and are accountable for making sure that their team sees them as a good role model. A good manager communicates well and doesn’t just blurt out excuses when the going gets tough. They know their team is watching and so their decisions will always lead to what their people need, not just what they personally want. – Daisy Jing, Banish
8. A Calm Demeanor Under Pressure
Great managers must possess the ability to remain calm in the face of chaos. Every employee and manager wants their department and team to function like a well-oiled machine (problem-free), but that’s not the reality. Issues and problems will pop up faster than you and your team can solve them—especially if your company is growing rapidly. The default reaction many people have to this is panic and, without the intervention of a talented manager, despair. An effective manager must be able to tolerate disorder without accepting it. The manager’s job is to compartmentalize and prioritize the issues and to describe a productive path forward that focuses, organizes and motivates the team. This is a tall order and a tough task, but it is the reason great managers are so rare (and valuable)! – Ben Landers, Blue Corona
9. Listening Skills
A successful leader must be able to listen. Employees want to be heard, and a manager who never stops to hear what their employees are saying is bound to fail. Employers who ignore or discount employees’ concerns are sure to experience high turnover and low morale among staff. People need to know that their problems and suggestions are being taken into consideration instead of being brushed off as inconsequential. – Evan Nierman, Red Banyan
10. Creative Problem-Solving Skills
The best managers have some degree of creativity. It’s easy for companies to get into a rut and to keep doing things the same way because that’s the way they’ve always been done. Some of my best-performing managers are those who are not afraid of change and who are able to find creative solutions to problems that aren’t obvious. A creative thinker is someone who is not satisfied with the status quo and has the foresight to see what changes can positively impact the company’s culture and performance. – Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
