How to be a good manager

Being a good manager means more than just completing administrative tasks; it’s also about how you support your team and get the most out of them. According to Deborah Sweeney, president and GM of online acquisitions at MyCorporation, good managers use emotional intelligence and soft skills to achieve this.

“Traditionally, we have been taught to believe that the person with the highest IQ in the room is the smartest,” Sweeney said. “However, science is increasingly proving that individuals with emotional intelligence and its four core skills – which include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management – are actually the top performers within any company.”

1. Work with your team, not above them.

You might be accustomed to fully controlling your workload, but becoming a boss will force you to give up that control and delegate some responsibilities, said Ora Shtull, an executive coach and founder of Ora Coaching.

“If you don’t break the addiction to doing it all, you won’t have the capacity to step up and do more senior stuff,” she said. “Letting go involves delegating. But it’s important to note that delegating doesn’t mean deserting the team or sacrificing accountability.”

As a manager, you have a different set of responsibilities from your entry-level team members, but you should still get your hands dirty. Additionally, you should include your team in decision-making processes. [Read related article: If You Listen Up, Your Employees Will Step Up]

2. Get to know your employees.

Every employee has different strengths, weaknesses and ways of learning. As a manager, it’s your duty to really understand each person’s characteristics to effectively lead them, and to create a positive boss-employee relationship. This can be done by merely observing the work they produce, but asking simple questions periodically also provides details.

Consider questions like “What was the best day you’ve had at work in the last three months?” to get your employees thinking about the tasks and assignments they enjoy doing. According to their answers, you can then tailor how you delegate tasks to this employee to obtain the best possible outcome.

You could also ask the opposite: “What was the worst day you’ve had at work in the last three months?” Having conversations from questions like these help you to understand what is not working so that you can remedy the situation.

3. Create a positive and inclusive work environment.

The example you set for your office can greatly impact the success of your organization. It is important to create a positive, fun work environment that makes team members feel included and respected…[MORE]