How To Become The Best Manager

Let's take a close look at the anatomy of a great Manager and how you can adopt these attributes into your own management style.

Leadership skills 

• Provide strategic direction 
  
  The best Managers always outline the strategic direction for the business. They understand that team members need to relate their individual role to the overall goal of the business.
• Demonstrate leadership 
  
  Great Managers demonstrate leadership. They always act and behave as leaders. They take swift, timely and direct action when needed - yet still allow silence or inaction to sit when a still mind and patience is called for. 
• Explain priorities 
  
  A Manager must specifically and exhaustively outline the most important priorities for each and every team member. This should be done both in writing and verbally. It must be understood how these relate and align with the overall business strategy.
• Give some 'skin' in the game 
  
  The art of motivating people includes the ability to give them some 'skin' in the game. Having skin in the game may be via monetary awards, such as bonuses, incentive schemes, employee share plans, profit share or equity. If these aren't available, great Managers use other incentives, such as promotional opportunities, overseas secondments, celebrations, additional leave and experiences money can't buy. Let's face it - we all want in on the action if we truly contribute to business success. 
• Empower staff 
  
  The best Managers empower people. We all know individuals that make you want to run through brick walls and climb Mt Everest to achieve goals. They often have a contagious enthusiasm, a spark and a wit that rubs off on you. You enjoy working with them and feel empowered by their words and vision.

Management skills 

• Rolling operational contact 
  
  Outstanding Managers set up rolling check-in points to see how you're going operationally. They commit to this and then let you do the doing in between. These mini check-ins allow you to ask questions, offer solutions and get important feedback in real time.
• Periodic one-on-one's 
  
  To complement the rolling operational contact, the best Managers ensure they meet with you for a one-on-one together periodically. These are often done off-site and take on a "bigger picture" approach to your performance.
• Offer constructive feedback 
  
  Getting individuals to change behaviour through feedback is only ever effective when delivered constructively. Praise first, be critical second. Use specific examples or "stories" to make a point. Individuals can easily relate to stories and the best Managers know this. You want the individual to remember the point you made, not the sharpness of your criticism.
• Timely input 
  
  Great Managers provide timely input. When things are going off the rails in week one of the month, they don't wait till month end to review it. They jump on the issue in week one and meet to discuss how the problem can be remedied in the three weeks remaining in the month. The other key observation, is that team members need you when they need you. Be available. Have capacity.
• Support and loyalty 
  
  Everyone ultimately wants support and loyalty. If people are going to go to war for you and the business they are going to need your support. Real, authentic support from the heart. Beyond ongoing support there will come a time; maybe once in a year or even longer, that they will need you to demonstrate loyalty to them. This is a defining moment in a Manager's life.

People skills

• Engage staff 
  
  No-one ever goes to work to have a bad day. We all crave engagement and great Managers get this. They sow seeds, bounce ideas off their staff, seek opinions and promote engagement. They take individuals out to customer meetings, forward correspondence and keep people connected. Engagement is the sister of empowerment.
• Offer flexibility 
  
  Being a contrarian is often a fancy of great Managers. With stifling workplace rules, work can be suffocating. The best Managers try and leverage this. They might tell staff to come in late, knock-off at lunchtime, play a round of golf or take the rest of the week off because of a death in the family. This flexibility is about timing and emotional intelligence. 
• Show interest in staff 
  
  We all have an ego. You can't live without one. We all naturally feel better when people show interest in us. The best Managers have a genuine interest in their team members. They balance this personal and professional interest with underlying integrity and authenticity in each relationship.
• Offer assistance 
  
  When staff are in the trenches, stressed out and bleeding, they just simply might need a little help. The best Managers identify this from time to time and allocate resources to assist, offer assistance themselves or listen with empathy.
• Let humour in 
  
  Business can be pretty serious a lot of the time. The best Managers know how to diffuse a situation with light humour, just to let everyone know they're all still alive. Sharing a laugh while working makes the day go quicker and creates a healthy workplace. Great Managers promote this and have great skills in finding the balance between serious and lighter moments.