Management Skills - Effective Management, Management Strategies, Effective Leadership & Effective Manager

Effective Management & Effective Leadership

Managers can overcome daily challenges by fostering collaboration. Effective leaders establish a clear direction for their organizations. They communicate a compelling vision in their writing, speaking and presenting. Successful leaders accurately assess a situation before taking an action to get a chance positive result. These leaders motivate and inspire subordinates to take action, and they enable transitions and transformations. Effective managers, on the other hand, control and direct people according to established policies and procedures. They ensure that day so-to-day operations flow smoothly. Organizations need both functions to succeed.

Vision
Effective leaders define their vision and motivate subordinates to adopt this vision, often during meetings and training sessions or in newsletters. Leaders display integrity, empathy, assertiveness and good decision-making skills to lead others effectively. Once subordinates accept the plan for the future, it requires an effective manager to carry out the vision by assigning resources and completing tasks. Managers ensure that employees have the skills, knowledge and capability to get the job done.

Change
When market conditions change, effective leaders recognize the need for adjusting standard business practices. By taking risks and promoting innovative strategies, they make it possible for companies to capitalize on strengths and opportunities and mitigate or eliminate risks and threats. Managers tend to excel at maintaining operations, not changing them. Effective managers ensure consistency once a direction has been set.

Participation
Autocratic leaders operate by making decisions without consulting their subordinates. This tends to work well during a crisis, such as a natural or man-made disaster. Under these circumstances, people appreciate a decisive leader who can take charge. Generally speaking, however, employees resent autocratic manager is because people who use this style adhere to strict rules and often fail to recognize employee value. An effective manager requires the participation of her subordinates to get work done. By asking for input on how work gets accomplished, she improves employee satisfaction, morale and retention.

Planning
Effective leaders set goals for their organizations. They establish a long-term strategy. These leaders review the work of managers and provide sponsorship for activities. Leaders approve the allocation of resources, allowing managers to recruit and hire employees and spend money. Then, effective managers initiate, plan, execute, monitor and close projects to achieve the strategic goals. Their tactical efforts ensure that quality products and services get to market on time and under budget. While leaders and managers perform different roles in the organization, each function enables a company to flourish in the long run.

These 10 “golden” rules of effective management:

1. Be consistent.
2. Focus on clarity, accuracy and thoroughness in communication. 
3. Set the goal of working as a team.
4. Publicly reward and recognize hard work. 
5. Be the example.
6. Never go with 'one-size-fits-all.' 
7. Remain as transparent as possible. 
8. Encourage all opinions and ideas.
9. Help people enjoy work.
10. Listen and ask questions.

1. Be Consistent.
This is the first rule because it applies to most of the others. Before your management approach can be effective, it must be consistent. You must reward the same behaviors every time they appear, discourage the same behaviors when they appear and treat every member of your team with an equal, level-headed view.

2. Focus on clarity, accuracy and thoroughness in communication.
How you communicate to your team can dictate your eventual success. When relaying instructions, recapping meetings or just doling out company updates, strive for the clarity, accuracy and thoroughness of your communication. This goes for any other medium, whether that means in-person communication, email or a phone call. Clarity, accuracy and thoroughness are the best way to avoid miscommunication and keep your team on the same page.

3. Set the goal of working as a te ioam.
If you want your team members to work together, have them work for something together. Setting goals just for the department or one individual breeds a limited mentality and forces team members to remain isolated. Instead, give staffers a unified focus and purpose, to inspire them together.

4. Publicly reward and recognize hard work.
When a member of your team does something exceptional, reward him/her -- with a bonus, a small trophy or even just a vocal recognition. Do this in front of the group; it will make the intended recipient feel good and show the rest of the team that hard work is rewarded. The only caveat goes back to rule one: Be consistent in your rewards so you won't be seen as playing favorites.

5. Be the example.
As the manager and leader, you should set an example in terms of your behavior. If you show up late, your team will be less punctual. If you lose your temper easily, others will be amiss in keeping their emotions in check. Strive to be your own ideal of the perfect worker, especially in front of the team.

6. Never go with 'one-size-fits-all.'
Your team is comprised of individuals with unique preferences, strengths, weaknesses and ideas. Never use the exact same approach to motivate, encourage or mold all of them. Focus on individuals, and customize your approach to fit each one.

7. Remain as transparent as possible.
Transparency shows your integrity as a leader, and builds trust with the individual members of your team. If you lie about something, or withhold information, you could jeopardize your relationships and the respect you command as a leader.

8. Encourage all opinions and ideas.
The more people you have actively participating in discussions and attempting to make improvements to the organization, the better. Never chastise a team member for voicing an opinion respectfully -- even if it goes against your original vision or isn’t well thought out. Cutting someone down for voicing an opinion builds resentment, and discourages people from sharing their own new thoughts.

9. Help people enjoy work.
You don’t need a pool table or dress code abolition to make work fun. You can make the workday more enjoyable with such new elements as surprise lunch outings, a dedicated break room or even just casual conversations with your workers. Help your people enjoy coming to work, and they’ll do their best work for you.

10. Listen and ask questions.
If someone doesn’t agree with your management style or doesn’t like the direction of the company, don’t silence that person. Listen. And ask questions of your entire team: What do you think of this? How do you feel about that? This open dialogue makes it easier to proactively identify problems and work together to create a mutually beneficial environment. It will also make your employees feel appreciated and acknowledged.

As you’ll notice, these rules leave plenty of wiggle room to apply your own personal “brand” of leadership and management. They stand as fundamental truths, considerations and principles that govern an effective management role rather than a strict instruction manual to success. Stay true to these principles in addition to your own, and you’ll unify your team in a rewarding and enriching environment.

What makes an Effective Manager?

Effective management has always been a key part of working life for employees. If sufficient management is lacking, it is easy for teams to lose motivation, enthusiasm, and productivity, which can lead to professionals seeking new opportunities. The relationship between a manager and their reports has a direct impact on the morale and success of the team.

It is often said that people don’t leave businesses, they leave managers, which is why it is so important to get this relationship right. If an individual doesn’t feel supported, or can’t have open and constructive conversations with their manager, it is likely that they will get frustrated in their role. This will have a flow-on effect in regards to their performance at work.

A manager is not only responsible for a team’s output, but they are also responsible for supporting the individuals within their teams. This means understanding what drives and motivates them, what their strengths are, and how to guide them in areas they need to develop. Great leaders are good communicators and display a high level of emotional intelligence.

So, what are some of the behaviours that a good manager displays and what should managers be doing to encourage the best possible performance from their team?

How to be a good manager?

Being a good manager is all about continuous learning. This means for yourself and the people that report into you. Everybody is different, so you should be aiming to constantly develop your communication skills, adapting the ways you are motivating people, and improving the working relationships within your team, and externally.

Successfully managing people and making your team members feel as though they are doing a good job is key, but it is also very important to invest your time in the personal progression and development of your team. Utilising performance reviews productively can ensure that the development of individuals in your team continues, in line with their career aspirations.

Here are 6 tips for becoming a good manager, based on the positive qualities of effective leaders.

1. Communicate clearly
When leaders are good communicators, they are better able to manage their teams. The delegation of tasks, conflict management, motivation, and relationship building (all key responsibilities of any manager) are all much easier when you are a strong communicator. Strong communication is not just the ability to speak to people, but to empower them to speak to each other. Facilitating strong communication channels is key.

2. Listen
A central part of communication is being able to listen. As a manager, a key part of the role is to provide support to employees working within a team. The ability to listen and understand the wants, needs, and concerns of your team, and the individuals who report into you, forms an important part of your responsibilities. Everyone within a team should feel that they have a voice and that their opinion will be listened to.

3. Make decisions
Being decisive is fundamental to effective management. Employees will look to their manager to make decisions on how to progress projects, solve issues, and steer the team towards its goals. The ability to give clear direction to a team and make key decisions can set a good manager apart from a mediocre one. The inability to make decisions can be indicative of a poor manager and can lead to a lack of confidence within a team.

4. Show trust in your employees
Effective managers are always good delegators. They can distribute tasks to their team as well as ensuring that their own time is well used for management issues and important tasks. Employees that feel trusted are better placed to achieve their potential and are given an incentive to ensure that they perform well. In a team, it’s important to build mutual trust between line managers and team members, as this will enable delegation to happen more effectively.

5. Set a good example
Employees are looking for a leader that they can look up to and, down the line, emulate. However, for employees to buy into the direction of their manager, they need to respect them professionally. By setting a good example, proving skills and knowledge, and being a high achiever, a manager can gain the professional respect of their employees and ensure that they have the backing of the team.

6. Protect the team
As a leader, it falls on you to take responsibility for the success and failures of their team. However, a good leader shares the successes and absorbs the failures. Empowering the team to drive for success and sharing any wins is an important trait. More importantly, is taking responsibility when mistakes are made and team goals are not met. Leading from the front. Showing the team that you are willing to step in for them when things get tough is all part of effective management.

In a team environment, there are many different variables that can alter the way you work with people. Whether you are the head of a team, you are responsible for a small or a global team, you will need to be considerate of the different people that report into you. Unique personalities can change a team dynamic, and learning how to work with different people bis what makes a good manager.

5 Managerial Skills are;

1. Technical Skill.
2. Conceptual Skill.
3. Interpersonal and Communication Skills.
4. Decision-Making Skill.
5. Diagnostic and Analytical Skills.

1. Technical Skill.
Technical skill is knowledge of and proficiency in activities involving methods, processes, and procedures.

Thus it involves working with tools and specific techniques. Technical skill is the ability to use the specialized knowledge, procedures, and techniques of a field of activities.

Accountants, engineers, surgeons all have their technical skills necessary for their respective professions. Most managers, especially at the lower and middle levels, need technical skills for effective task performance.

For example, mechanics work with tools, and their supervisors should have the ability to teach them how to use these tools.

Similarly, accountants apply specific techniques in doing their job. This skill is most necessary and valuable at a supervisory level or first-level/first-level management.

2. Conceptual Skill.
Conceptual skill is the ability to see the “big picture,” to recognize significant elements in a situation and to understand the relationships among the elements.

Conceptual skill is the ability to coordinate and integrates all of an organization’s interests and activities.

It requires having the ability to visualize the enterprise as a whole, to envision all the functions involved in a given situation or circumstance, to understand how its parts depend on one another and anticipate how a change in any of its parts will affect the whole.

A manager’s ability to think in the abstract and to view the organization holistically is important.

Suggesting a new product line for a company, introducing computer technology to the organization’s operations, or entering the international market; for deciding this magnitude, a manager requires conceptual skill is his personality.

3. Interpersonal and Communication Skills.
Communication skill for a manager is a must.  The manager must be able to convey ideas and information to others and receive information and ideas from others effectively.

A manager’s job is to control the subordinates and gives high-level managers or administrators information about what’s going on.

Communication skill enables a manager to perform them properly. Most of his time, a manager’s job is to interact with people inside and outside of the organization.

Manager’s ability to communication with individuals and groups, controlling and motivation they are what Interpersonal and Communication skill are.

A manager requires having an effective Interpersonal and communication skill to keep the responsibilities given to him.

4. Decision-Making Skill.
In simple words, a manager’s job is to make decisions that will lead the organization to the attainment of is goals.

Decision making skill is the skill that makes a manager able to recognize opportunities and threat and then select an appropriate course of action to tackle them efficiently so that the organization can benefit them.

Managers are not always going to make the best decision.

But a good manager most often makes a good decision and learns from the bad ones. Decision making is a skill that improves as managers gain more experience.

Training or educating is also a good method to develop the Decision making the skill of a manager.

5. Diagnostic and Analytical Skills.
A good manager has Diagnostic and Analytical skills in his bags. Diagnostic skill refers to the ability to visualize the best response to a situation.

Analytical skill means, the ability to identify the key variables in a situation. Manager diagnostic skill and Analytical skill helps him to identify possible approaches to a situation.

After that is also helps a manager to visualize the result or outcomes of these approaches. This skill sounds similar to the decision making skill, but it is the skill required to make the decision.

How Managerial Skills are Interrelated
These are the skills an ideal manager must-have. If you look close enough, we will find the skill are inter-related and irreplaceable. A manager is appointed for making a decision.

So, to make the decision he or she needs to identify a situation which could be opportunities or threat.

Conceptual knowledge is essential for this as it helps the manager has a complete understanding of the organization. A manager cannot decide without diagnosing and analyzing.

Diagnosing and analyzing the situation is required to tackle a situation and for this needs information and resources.

Collecting Information and gathering resources requires communication with colleagues at work and peoples outsides the organization.

Persuading, leading, motivating, coordinating and directing are required and get the best out of them. A manager cannot just give decisions and sit in this office; he needs to have technical skills is for performing the task which was set by the decision.

A good manager has all these skills, but it is not necessarily true that all of them are equally important or required for the assigned job or post of a manager.

The relative importance of these skills of a manager depends on the manager rank of his in the organizational hierarchy.

Try These 6 Performance Management Strategies

1. Define and Communicate Company Goals and Performance Objectives
Your employees cannot meet your performance expectations or company goals if they are not clearly outlined, making this our first step toward effective performance management. Sometimes employers are not as clear as they could be when outlining their goals or company objectives, and often, employees do not come forward to ask follow-up questions when they are confused or unclear about something. Preempt this pitfall by being as clear and communicative as you can possibly be.

You can define and outline goals by using a goal-tracking software, creating a chart within the office, by sending out an e-mail, distributing a flyer throughout the office, holding meetings, or doing each of these things in turn. When you are outlining goals and objectives, repeat the message so that it sinks in, offer visuals (such as an office chart and e-mail) so that employees have a reference, and most importantly, hold meetings to check in on progress.

2. Utilize Performance Management Software
If you are not already using a performance management software, it may be time to consider trying it out. If you do already use one and it’s not saving you any time, your team complains about it, or it has low employee engagement, it may be obsolete and in need of an upgrade. Performance management software can really streamline your performance management strategies, making it imperative that you either begin using one or at least begin looking to upgrade.

A good performance management software system is one that both offers traditional reviews and 360s, is employee-friendly, has an easy-to-use dashboard interface, allows for quick and actionable reporting and, of course, fosters employee development. The software will help both you and your employees stay on top of things so that your company is running smoothly and efficiently at all times. Some useful examples of more modern performance management software can be found here.

3. Offer Frequent Performance Feedback
While clearly communicating company and individual goals is an essential step for any business, communication alone is not going to get you all that far. Your managers will also need to check in with teams and employees periodically not only to gauge progress but also to provide feedback.

Good performance feedback reinforces strong skill sets and positive behaviors while showing opportunity areas with a clear path for improvement. This type of feedback cannot wait until HR kicks off an annual review cycle. Instead, it should be given in real time and integrated into company culture (it should also start during the interview process, but that is another post for another time).

Timely performance feedback is the best way to affirm your employees and their work while also shaping their work effectively. If you have a performance software now, it should be able to help you collect frequent feedback. If not, free tools like Google forms, survey monkey, or even just a basic e-mail request will get you pretty far.

4. Use Peer Reviews
Another great way to foster effective performance management is to utilize peer reviews, also known as 360-degree reviews.  Again, this is a feature that can be found on most performance management software programs. Peer reviews are useful because they allow coworkers to praise other coworkers and highlight positive aspects of their performance, as well as point out where improvements can be made.

This exercise helps employees to work together, build better communication, and assess where they can improve themselves while watching their colleagues. There does need to be some manager or HR oversight into this process, and all peer reviews should be read to ensure that no claims, concerns, praises, or other comments go unnoticed or unaddressed.

5. Preemptive Management and Recognition
One way to guarantee results in the workplace is to implement rewards and practice preemptive management. This simply means that your employees always know what is expected of them so there is never any guesswork or need for consequences in the workplace.

This starts everyone on the same footing, making a fair playing field where expectations are set and goals are known. Rewards, or incentives, are also an effective way to show employees that you care, that you see their efforts and are pleased with their performance, and that you want them to keep up the good work.

In the same way, having a strong “HR Toolbox” in play that helps managers catch slipping employees early on and provide appropriate feedback helps to catch a problem before it even starts. In this way, “Preemptive Management” is all about communicating with your employees and letting them know what is expected, what is not, and how to meet the goals that have been set.

6. Set Regular Meetings to Discuss Outcomes and Results
Also known as progress reports or progress meetings, setting aside time to meet with your team and seeing how things are going with your set goals and objectives ar ine important for meeting those goals and objectives.

These meetings can be held weekly, monthly, or as often as you see fit. Ensure that your team knows that attendance is mandatory. This makes the progress feedback more accurate and allows you to make plans for moving forward.

When holding these meetings, be sure to have a clear idea of what you want to cover. Some objectives should include:

• Following Up on Peer Reviews
• Discussing Praises and Areas that Need Work with the Team
• Recognizing Those Team Members Actively Meeting their Goals and Objectives with Rewards or Incentives
• Discussing Plans for The Next Phase of Projects
• Discussing Company Data: Revenue, Customer Involvement, Marketing and Campaign Success, Etc.

You should never meet just for meeting’s sake. You want to have something relevant to address and something worthwhile to talk about. If you feel things are going smoothly, employees are receiving performance feedback and acting accordingly, and the company overall is on a positive road, meetings may be held less frequently and treated as checkpoints throughout the year.

If there are issues, concerns, questions, or ideas you want to discuss, have meetings sooner rather than later. Keeping your team involved, up to date, and in the loop are important for ensuring the machine that is your organization runs smoothly.

These six strategies for effective performance management may seem simple, but they can work wonders when implemented into your company’s day-to-day life. Companies should be about the people involved. Making the most of their abilities, recognizing where they shine, encouraging them where they need work, and seeing them as full employees, not just cogs, are really how you can create the right work environment for success.

7 Factors for Effective Management

We have seen various styles of management across many verticals, whether it’s in energy, financial services or healthcare, the underlying essence for effective management remains the same. Despite the excellence in resources provided to an operating organization, the challenge remains in the hands of an “Active Manager” to deliver business and bring new opportunities to the door.

We believe such important tasks are only passable in a multi-directional highway, where crossed dimensional connectivity become the foundation and driver of great leadership, and an absolute causal factor to a successful organization. Therefore, the approach in effective and active management is structured in seven dimensions:

1. Setting: We highly believe “What can be measured, can be managed and improved”. Setting clear and independent goals become a main driver in not only motivating resources but also setting appropriate baseline targets for improvements.

2. Transparent Communication: Once goals are set, the transparency in the logic behind goals and communication of them become the essential factor in engaging resources.

3. Sense of Ownership: To engage resources, a sense of ownership becomes the driver in hitting targets. Those in turn is the art of delegation and expressing trust in resources. An effective manager continuously seeks to match opportunities to personal traits of resources.

4. Face Time: Once the sense of trust and ownership is created, leading by example and spending time in performing the actual tasks along with the resources will then not only provide them with face time for effective engagement and open communication, but it also creates a sustainability in the organization. Then, the task of management shifts towards the function of leadership, deviating away from sense of micro-management.

5. Sense of Teamwork: Alignment of goals among multiple groups towards a common vision and creating communication among all different nodes in the organization will push functional areas towards team efforts, where all contribute to a greater goal and resources feel responsible towards one another.

6. Recognition: It’s indeed important to recognize achievements among the team. This creates a motivational notion towards exceeding targets. Managers shall provide clear directions on developmental goals and recognize resources in just in time manner.

7. Fun and Open: 
Open communication and transparency will lead to creativity. When teams work in silos, the opportunity to generate effective solutions will then be minimized. Managers are encouraged to create a fun and open environment where brainstorming and introducing new ideas are welcomed.

8 Management skills for the modern workforce

Being a manager in today’s workforce carries a more impactful weight than ever before. If you’re just starting out in the role, you’ve landed in the perfect place to learn what skills it takes to succeed as a modern leader.

The manager’s role requires unique abilities, and good news — each of these skills can be learned and developed. While you probably have a mature technical expertise that has helped you get to this management role, good leadership is more about soft skills and relationships than hard skills and technical aptitudes, because management is all about one thing: people.

8 Essential skills to become a successful Manager

1. Establish effective communication
2. Help your team manage their time
3. Facilitate teamwork and collaboration
4. Delegate to your team members based on their strengths
5. Be in problem-solving mode with your team
6. Give constructive feedback — and be able to take it, too
7. Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
8. Be inclusive and build belonging

Tips for Effective Management Success

An effective manager pays attention to many facets of management, leadership and learning within an organization. So, it's difficult to take the topic of management success and say that the following ten items are the most important for success. Legions of articles and books profess to have the answer. Many are variations on the same theme. Others profess to add a new characteristic or skill.

There are, however, seven management skills without which you won't become a successful manager. These are the key and critical skills which will help you lead your team and encourage employees to want to follow you. And, when employees want to follow you, you have accomplished a key component of managing employees.

Successful managers know what employees need to work effectively, stay productive, and contribute to a thrilled customer experience and a harmonious workplace. They know the behaviors that a manager needs to stay away from to encourage successful employees.

Managers who want to succeed also understand that they are the most significant factor in whether employees are motivated to want to show up for work. A bad manager is frequently cited as a key reason why employees quit their jobs.

Striving for greatness as a manager should top every manager's goal list. The difference that a great manager can make in the work lives of employees is inestimable. Helping employees feel rewarded, recognized, and thanked is also key to performing effectively as a manager.

The most important issue in management success, however, is being a person that others want to follow. Every action you take during your career in an organization helps determine whether people will one day want to follow you. Without followers, you cannot lead and manage. So, use these seven tips to be the successful manager that you aspire to become.

8 Key Effective Management Success Skills

A successful manager, one whom others want to follow, performs the following actions effectively.

1. Build Effective and Responsive Interpersonal Relationships
Reporting staff members, colleagues, and executives respect the ability to demonstrate caring, collaboration, respect, trust, and attentiveness. They depend on a manager to treat colleagues with dignity and respect, to keep their word, to exude integrity, and display dependability and character under even the most challenging occurrences and challenges.

2. Communicate Effectively
An effective manager is someone who communicates effectively in person, print, texts, and email. Listening and two-way feedback characterize interactions with others. The manager should also open to receiving feedback from colleagues and reporting staff. Avoid a defensive response and be willing to change your behavior when the feedback is on target. But, mostly, understand and act upon the power of interaction.

3. Build a Team
Building a team enables other staff to collaborate more effectively with each other. People feel as if they have become more—more effective, more creative, more productive—in the presence of a team builder. Be willing to sit do yuwn and problem solve when teamwork or team tasks are not on target and working effectively. Let employees know directly and candidly when they are impeding the team's progress.

4. Understand the Financial Aspects of the Business
Understand the financial aspects of the business and sets goals and measures and documents staff progress and success. This allows the team to feel a sense of progress, that they are reaching goals and exceeding expectations. People want to know how they are performing against expectations at work.

5. Financial and other goals let them know. Painting a picture that employees can agree on is effective for noting progress when numerical goals don't exist. Good managers understand and play the appropriate role in creating this picture, feedback, and communication.

6. Create a Positive Environment
Create an environment in which people experience positive morale and recognition and employees are motivated to work hard for the success of the business. Understands that the manager is the most significant factor in whether employees are happy at work. Your interaction with employees sets the tone for the workplace every day.

7. Be an Example
Lead by example and set the pace via your expectations and behavior. Provide recognition when others do the same. Employees know that you are the real deal because you say and do the same thing.

8. Empower Others
Help people grow and develop their skills and capabilities through education and on-the-job learning. Brings career pathing to employees so that they continue to grow and develop. Makes employee career and personal development a priority in the workplace. Employees feel as if their manager cares about their careers and progress. This is one of the most significant factors that employees need from work.

Know a few more characteristics of management success? These are just a start, but they're a good start. You'll want to begin with these skills and attributes when you decide to aim for management success.