6 Indispensable Leadership Qualities of Successful Managers
Add bookmarkYou want to be the most effective manager possible, but you may not know where to begin. This is especially true if you have just been promoted to a position in upper- management. Thankfully, you can equip yourself with a number of powerful leadership qualities which will help you immensely. All six leadership traits below will help you reach your employees more easily than ever before. While these leadership principles will require time repetition to master, they will serve you well in your career.
Fairness
You must be willing to treat everyone fairly and equally. You have to recognize that treating employees fairly is simply not just a moral responsibility. It also enables company growth and spurs employee morale. Low morale on the other hand can minimize employee productivity and even increase employee turnover. Sure, there are times when people need special treatment, and you must be willing to help them. The key here is to use your discretion and keep things professional.
Resolve Conflicts
You can get a masters in project management online, which will help you better manage people. However, you must be willing to step in and resolve conflicts. Your employees need your guidance and your word as the final say. There are a number of sources that lead to conflict. These sources include poor communication, differing values, scarce resources and even personality clashes. Being aware of these sources of potential conflict will give you a leg up when conflict does arise. Now, there are a number of ways to address conflict but it’s generally believed that the best way to address conflict is through collaboration or compromise. Your main objective is to create a "win-win" situation for all.
Plan Ahead
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Your employees will respect you much more when you are planning ahead. They will know if you are prepared for new projects, their performance reviews and meetings. If you are not used to planning ahead, you must get a desk calendar and begin the process. You can even download a number of applications for your smartphone that will help you plan well in advance. You will find it very hard to win the respect of your employees if you are not prepared.
Be Human
Your employees must know that you are a human being with real problems and feelings. You want them to know that you understand they have issues with their family, a mortgage to pay and other things to deal with. You want to help them through these problems, offer them assistance when you can and be as understanding as you can be when these things get in the way of work. Remember that it has happened to you, too.
Understand Money
Every employee in your office has time that is worth money. You always want to make sure your employees have your support over their salary. When your employees know that you will not play around with their salary, they are more likely to respect you. Also, your employees will respect the fact that you know they need that paycheck at the end of every week.
Think Before You Speak
If you do not have all the facts, you must keep your mouth shut. You need to be willing to tell your employees that you need to collect all the facts before making decisions. They will understand.
When you are running a large office, it’s of the utmost importance to address all the items listed above. Otherwise, your employees will have a hard time respecting your management style, which will lead to a lack of productivity and employee morale.
