Six personality traits every manager needs

A good manager needs to be able to motivate a workforce to work at their maximum potential. Purely having ‘manager’ added to your job title doesn’t necessarily mean that you have this capability. The difficulty here is that there are certain traits that every effective manager needs to have. If you don’t know what to look for when hiring a manager or you don’t know the skills you need to be a successful manager, then it could lead to failure for the entire company.

Although certain managerial skills can be learnt and improved over time as experience increases, there are certain natural talents that all good managers hold, and unfortunately these cannot be taught in a classroom. Do you have what it takes to be successful in management?

Leadership

This is possibly the most important attribute all good managers possess, but it’s also the one that a lot of managers lack. The issue with the majority of companies is that those in-line for promotion are generally those with the highest personal results. In some respects this is understandable but, generally, it’s not these people that go on to make great managers.

A true leader usually exists a little more under the radar but they’re able to gain trust, provide direction and delegate responsibility. If a manager cannot perform these three tasks they will not make a strong leader.

Although certain leadership skills can be gained over time, a true leader will pick these skills up quickly and use them naturally, rather than as a way of asserting their authority. Every successful manager needs also to be a successful leader, in order to make their team work better, more productively and more effectively.

Communication

Strong communication skills are imperative for all managers. You need to be able to understand and relay the vision of the organisation in a manner that will motivate team members and maintain productivity. You also need to be able to display your appreciation for their work; without this acknowledgement, they’ll lose motivation and willingness to progress.

If a manager is an ineffective communicator, then team members are unlikely to understand what’s expected of them. This can lead to a low team morale and reduced productivity and efficiency, which has the potential to create major problems for a company in the future.

Adaptability

A strong manager needs to be able to adapt to unexpected situations. Business rarely goes as expected and a successful leader will be able to adapt their approach while maintaining team motivation and productivity, even when things aren’t going to plan. If a manager can guide their team through the unexpected, not only will the team be led to even more success in the future, the manager will also display the necessary creative ability to find a solution to any problem.

Developing Others

Allowing employees to stay still and essentially go stagnant isn’t healthy for any kind of business. An effective manager will be able to spot the talents and abilities of their employees and ensure they improve and progress over time. The successful development of other people is an important part of being a good manager and as well as developing skills and talents, it’s about nurturing said talents and channelling them towards improved productivity.

Relationships

An effective manager must have the ability to build strong relationships with employees and potential new clients. However, this is an attribute that many managers still don’t value, despite its benefits being obvious. Establishing good relationships with employees ensures they feel valued in their position and will work hard to put in the extra effort to bring positive results.

If a manager can build empathy and trust in the ability of their team, people will love working under their guidance. In order to build these relationships it’s important to find out as much as you can about employees’ working ability – their strong points and their weak points.

Ongoing Development

The successful manager is the one that acknowledges that there are always problems in business and is constantly working to solve them. Remember that as well as encouraging the development of your team, you need to focus on your own development too, in order to be able to successfully lead your team.

If you don’t progress, the team doesn’t progress. But if you learn how to continue to grow, you’ll also learn how to use the aforementioned natural attributes successfully. Being a good manager isn’t easy, despite what many people believe, because it’s not a skill that can be learnt.