Listed below are seven things you can do to become a better manager! Pick one and do it today. Pick another one for tomorrow, and in two weeks you will be a better manager. All you have to do is be patient and try to be the best you can be.
1. Select the Best People
As a manager, you are only as good as the people on your team. Give yourself a better chance to succeed by picking the best people from the start. Try to select the best team so you can trust in every person that you have in your work.
2. Be a Motivator
Human beings do things because we want to. Sometimes we want to because the consequences of not wanting to do something are unpleasant. However, most of the time, we want to do things because of what we get out of it.
It is no different at work, people do a great work for the pay, or the prestige, or the recognition. They do bad work because they want to take it easy and still get paid. They work really hard because they want to impress someone, like the boss or even a co-worker. To motivate your people better, figure out what they want and how you can give that to them for doing what you want them to do.
3. Build Your Team
It is not enough that people are motivated to succeed at work. They have to work together as a team to accomplish the group’s objectives. After all, if we just want them to all “do their own things” we don’t need you as a manager to mold them into a team, do we?
4. Be a Leader, Not Only a Manager
You have built the best team from the best employee available. You motivated them to peak performance. What is missing? Motivating a team is worthless unless you provide direction; unless you turn that motivation toward a goal and lead the team to it. It is the ability to lead others that truly sets a manager apart from their peers. Remember that leaders are found at all levels of the organization, so be one.
5. Improve as a Communicator
Communication may be the single most important skill of a manager. After all, all the others depend on it. You can’t be a leader if you can’t communicate your vision. You can’t motivate people if they can’t understand what you want. Communication skills can be improved through practice.
6. Get Better at Managing Money
To stay in business, a company has to make money. That means bringing money in the door and spending less than you bring in. Depending on your function in the organization, you may have more influence on one area or another, but you need to understand all of them. You can help your company, your employees, and yourself by getting better at managing the company’s money.
7. Improve Yourself
Don’t focus so hard on your people that you forget about yourself. Identify the areas in which you are weak and improve them. The fact that you are reading this article shows you understand the concept. You need to put it into practice.