Management Skills, Characteristics & Work Habits
A manager wears many hats every day, especially if the position includes oversight of employees. What matters most to a manager's success is the ability to divide his work time among competing duties. Workers will achieve objectives under the direction of a skilled manager, and the department or program area will make a valuable contribution to the organization.
Other People Are Reading
-
Managerial Function
-
Managers receive responsibility for directing employees and controlling work processes and outcomes. A manager directs all resources for the accomplishment of program objectives. This is complicated because the way in which resources are assigned to different projects will vary depending on changing operational goals. Even with limited resources, such as a small staff, a fixed budget and technology limitations, a manager ensures that there are no significant gaps in program implementation.
Skills
-
Managers use skills to perform their coordination and control functions, including multi-tasking, coaching, training, employee motivation, performance appraisal, budgeting, team building and conflict resolution. They also need to communicate with employees belonging to different generations. This requires excellent communication skills, as the manager must figure out how best to relate to each employee.
-
Characteristics
-
Personal qualities make or break a manager's job perhaps more than skills or work habits. Employees and other professionals must interact with a manager effectively, and they will count on a manager to exhibit all of the desirable characteristics of a leader, including honesty, trust, reliability, good judgment and professionalism. Executives depend on a manager to successfully implement goals and keep employees happy and motivated. A manager is retained in a position for exhibiting characteristics valued by an organization.
Work Habits
-
In the managerial role, a successful candidate must develop good work habits. For example, a manager develops a schedule, maintains availability to provide coaching, training and evaluation to direct reports and ensures that all department members meet operational deadlines. With good time management and organization habits, a manager can apply knowledge of business processes to lead multiple projects and ensure the maintenance of routine business operations.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
