10 Work Skills that Every Manager Should Have Today
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I recently published an article about the “10 Work Skills Every Employee Should Have Today” so I thought it would only be fair to talk about manager skills. Managers can learn a lot of things on the job. For example, how to approve timecards or the steps to conducting a legal and effective interview. But there are some skills that organizations want to see in managers before they get the promotion.
So, if you’re an HR professional trying to communicate performance expectations for the management team, this list might be helpful. Or, if you’re an individual who wants to eventually become a manager, think about building on these skills:
- Verbal communication. Managers are coaches. They are responsible for setting expectations, providing feedback to employees, conducting training, and offering performance guidance. As such, they need to be able to hold an effective two-way conversation.
- Listening. Speaking of effective conversations, I didn’t want to lump this in with verbal communication (above) because it’s far too important. The best managers know when to stop talking and start listening. They also know how to listen with empathy.
- Asking questions. I’ve talked in the past about the value of teaching problem solving. Managers should be curious and willing to ask questions (versus assuming they already know the answer). They also need to be open to letting others know when they don’t know something.
- Critical Thinking. This is different from asking questions (above). Managers need to know when to think “big picture” and when to focus on details – or both. Good decision making involves knowing when you have the right amount of information – which could be very different – depending on your thinking.
- Decision making. Managers should be able to look at a situation and make an assessment about what do to. If they need additional information to make the decision, they can use their communication skills to get what they need.
- Written communication. Because all our conversations can’t happen in-person, managers need to have good writing skills so their words will be understood and interpreted correctly. The good news is that today’s technology tools provide opportunities to collaboration and curate Information.
- Time management. When managers have too many projects and not enough time, they are forced to prioritize their work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, except if employees become a low priority. Managers must be able to manage their time and still accomplish their goals – while supporting the needs of their employees.
- Customer service. Managers have multiple customers – both internal and external ones. They need to understand who their customers are, what they want, and how to engage them. This will be critical for effective decision making (#5) and time management (#7).
- Stress management. It’s very difficult – almost impossible – to tell others how to manage their stressors. What we can do is figure out how to manage our own stress and understand how it impacts others. Managers will not be able to perform at a high level if they allow their stress to impact team performance.
- Conflict management. Managers should know how to mediate as well as manage workplace conflict. They should be able to address conflict both in terms of helping others resolve their conflicts AND being willing to defend their position, even if that means disagreeing with their boss or colleagues.
You probably noticed that many of these skills are similar to the ones on the employee list. Totally makes sense. There are skills we expect from every employee regardless of their job title. And with some skills, managers might have an additional responsibility. For example, employees need to have good organizational skills so they can get their work done. Managers need the same … and they need good time management skills to help employees get their work done.
And like the employee list, the skills are very related. If organizations want managers to be effective, they need to help them learn all the skills, not just a handful. In addition, managers need to recognize that these skills will be something they will be working on for a long time. This isn’t a one-training session and we’ve mastered being a manager kind of thing.
Organizations place a lot of responsibilities on their managers. They have to. It’s important to clearly state the performance expectations of the role. Employees who want to be promoted into a manager position need to understand the skills they should demonstrate – and why they need to have them. The more open and transparent organizations are about skills, the more opportunities they can create for employees to develop them.
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