Any manager or leader of a team worth their salt knows, respects, and understands the supreme importance of always striving to become better and more proficient at their job, both in the context of within the company they work for and more generally.
So, whether you are the manager of a small law firm, the senior department head of a warehouse and manufacturing company, or working in another industry entirely, if you are looking to become a better manager of people, you have come to the right place.
1. Improve Communication of Your Main Expectations
Nobody, regardless of their individual job role, wants to work for a company that never clearly outlines what is actually expected of them. Moreover, you are unlikely to develop a trusted and respected employee connection if this is the case.
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This is why one of the most important ways to improve yourself as a manager is to provide clear and manageable steps toward achieving a goal and check in with an individual employee or a group of team members to offer advice.
It is also crucial to ensure that the expectations, goals, and targets you set for your staff members are attainable in the first place, even if they are on the higher end of the challenge ahead.
2. Strive to Go Above & Beyond
Another way to advance and improve your people management skills is, instead of deciding what is best for your employees in their professional working life from the comfort of your office, to find out what small changes would make a huge difference to them.
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For example, it is likely that your healthcare insurance and provider have not been reviewed for some time, and if this is the case, look into healthcare solutions for providers that will genuinely improve the perks and benefits plan for your workers.
3. Become a Better Listener
Developing your listening skills sounds like a passive way to improve how you approach and enact your management role, but the truth is that there is probably no greater way to better understand your position.
Empathy and good listening skills go hand in hand, and you have no chance of becoming an honest and respected manager if you fail to not only listen to the different members of your team but to also continually value their input.
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Luckily, there are many ways to improve your active listening skills as a manager, including:
- Learning to look for and identify non-verbal clues
- Summarizing what has been said and providing clarification
- Always be open to learning more and more
- Be patient, even if the other person is not being concise
- Never interrupt
Be an Example of How to Handle Mistakes & Failure
Even someone who has been managing a large company for many years is still susceptible to making an ill-advised judgment call or a mistake involving a business decision.
It is imperative, regardless of how long you have been in your current role or how long you have been working in the industry, to clearly and honestly admit when you have made a mistake and be professional and open when you fail.
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Avoid counterproductive actions and knee-jerk reactions, such as angry flare-ups and blaming other people, and instead, look to opening up the discussion as to what went wrong and how a similar potential mistake could be avoided in the future.
Enroll in Further Education
Unless you are the proud and impressive owner of a Ph.D. in business or a business-related subject, there is most certainly room for improvement when it comes to your educational qualification and professional certification.
As you will already be fully aware, changes, adaptations, and entirely new and innovative introductions are all part and parcel of the evolving nature of a company and the world of business as a whole.
This is why, if you are truly dedicated to excelling in your current leadership role and becoming more desirable for companies hiring for a role on the next level to you, looking to enroll in an additional degree program would stand you in incredibly good stead.
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Embrace Change & Innovation
Finally, when looking forward to the journey you will go on as a manager of people and, indeed, the longevity your company seeks, instead of shying away from change, you should embrace it.
Leading through changes, both small and largely ineffectual in terms of the day-to-day running of the business, and larger and more impactful ones, is another challenge, and should your employees see your success, you will only become a better leader as a result.