5 essential people skills managers need to succeed

The top skills which employers see as rising in prominence in the lead up to 2025 include critical thinking, analysis, problem-solving, and self-management, according to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report (2020).

It is in the area of self-management that managers, particularly newly appointed managers, have the opportunity to make significant improvements.
Increased business performance is built when managers are both professionally good and of good character (for example Sison, 2003, Harvard, 2007).

I commissioned a new survey of over 1,100 people from several countries, and asked them to think of their best ever manager and agree or disagree with a number of character statements about that manager. There were responses from working people across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and others.

The findings showed that five key areas helped managers to succeed (2022). The good news is that it is within each manager’s control to improve in these five areas: building trust, adjusting mindset, motivation, communication, and decision making.

Building trust

The long-term success of a team is built on trust. If a manager can increase the amount of trust that their team has in them, the team will be much happier, more productive and more willing to contribute ideas for improving things.

A key mistake for managers to avoid is the idea that just because they are a manager, you have to have all the answers, that you have to be perfect. In reality, this is not really possible, and quickly leads to burnout.

It is much better for a manager to say, ‘I’m not sure, but I will find out’, than to give a quick answer that turns out to be wrong. Teams are always assessing managers through their behaviour as well as through their words. The daily interactions with the team allow them to see and experience who the person really is behind the title.

Adjusting Mindset

The best managers are able to foster a learning environment, where team members are not afraid to make mistakes, but are focused on learning from them.

These managers help to create this environment by taking responsibility for their own actions, and decisions. Most importantly, the best managers admit when they make made a mistake. This leads to people seeing them as down to earth and genuine.

Similarly, they appreciate the efforts of the team. Good performance is recognised publicly through rewards such as praise, presents, lunches and opportunities for promotion.

Motivation

The best managers strike an appropriate balance between the needs of individuals, the team, and the organisation. They are often described as selfless. They think about the needs of team members before their own needs, and are prepared to sacrifice their own comfort to help out where needed. This motivation enhances each team member’s job satisfaction and performance.

This genuine interest in the professional growth of their people, means that the manager provides opportunities for learning such as training, coaching and mentoring which increase the knowledge and skills of the team over time.

Communication

The best managers are available for team members to access whenever needed, they are approachable, easy to talk to and calm. When something goes wrong, these managers are able to control their emotions and maintain good relationships throughout their interactions.

At the same time, good managers were open to suggestions, valuing the contributions of all team members. Good communication was reported as building excellent motivation and team morale.

Better Decision Making

Good managers made decisions that consider the impact on the business, but they also involve the team in the decision-making process. This approach is enacted by being as transparent as possible, explaining exactly how and why decisions are being made within the organisation. Good managers also overcome difficulties by working with individuals (and the team) to find the best solutions when changes are needed.

As might be expected, in addition to these key areas, the best managers trusted their team members. Because trust is a two-way thing, the best managers avoid micromanaging. They set expectations, provide the necessary resources, and then allow their team to decide on how to do their work.

These five key areas are all within the control of the manager. These skills can all be built through practice. By becoming more intentional about how they manage, people are able to be a better manager, shape the culture of the team, build trust and increase business performance.

Dr Dominic Mcloughlin is the author of the new book, Be A Better Manager in 5 Minutes a Day.