Tips to Become a Better Manager

Managing staff can be a challenge, and you want your employees to be as motivated as possible. It is up to you to keep up morale, set expectations and keep staff on track. If you want to achieve all of these goals as a manager, and do more to be the best manager you can be, these tips will help you improve your managerial skills:

• Take time to consider your management style. Far too many managers simply wing it when it comes to interacting with staff. This could result in uncertainty and inconsistency. Your staff may never know if you are going to be hands-off on a particular issue or micromanaging everything. While managers do have to be adaptable, make conscious choices about what management style you are using so you can be more consistent with staff interactions.

• Ask for feedback from staff members. Sometimes, it is easy to fall into a trap of being overly focused on your role as a leader and not pay enough attention to how you interact with others. Don’t make your management efforts all about you. Take the time to talk with employees about how you can better support them and enable them to do their work.

• Work on your communications skills. Being a good manager means being an effective speaker and a good listener. Take time to think about how you want to communicate your ideas and how you set expectations. Be purposeful in your praise and think about how criticism is phrased so it comes across as constructive. Good communication skills are key to being a great manager.

• Identify your weaknesses and commit to self-improvement. A little bit of introspection can go a long way towards identifying ways to improve as a manager. When you make a conscious effort to overcome your weaknesses, you not only improve your own abilities, you also lead by example. Staff members will see your commitment to self-improvement and will be more likely to emulate it so they are continually working on improving themselves. You’ll be a stronger leader … and have a stronger team.

Being a good manager not only means having management skills, it also requires you put together a top-notch team. SmartTalent can help you build a staff that is easy to manage and will excel under your leadership. To find out more about how we help hiring managers find top candidates in Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas, give us a call today.