Who is an excellent manager

Organizations today need to be dynamic in order to adjust and adapt to the latest developments. Employees who connect their work with the mission of their organization feel their job is more important and their work holds much significance. A study by research firm DDI shows that empathy is one of the main drivers of overall performance amongst managers. Another study by the Center for Creative Leadership CCI shows that managers with an empathetic behavior toward their team are viewed as good performers by their bosses.

Empathetic managers understand the emotions of their team members. They understand how team members are feeling and this quality enables them to communicate effectively and solve problems right in the bud. As a result, their employees trust them more and managers can build rapport, which fuels team success. Being empathic towards employees equips good managers to form personal bonds with employees and foster long-term relationships with them.

Good managers delegate tasks effectively. Good managers delegate tasks and split responsibilities according to the potential and talent within teams. This helps to significantly improve overall organizational efficiency as well as time management. Assigning important tasks also helps team members develop confidence in their abilities, which motivates them further to put in their best efforts.

Get started Immediately! Good managers are quite direct and specific about their expectations from employees.

They also validate their expectations with specific reasons as to how these will positively affect you, your organization, and the employees themselves.

Effective communication is the key to not only maintaining amicable relationships in the workplace but also delivering work successfully. Good managers are the first ones to recognize this, and therefore, invest their time and energy in ensuring a smooth flow of communication throughout the project.

From navigating team meetings with poise to providing people with the right direction in the project — a great project manager ensures that things never slip through the cracks. They are not afraid to take the help of the available resources like online communication tools for the same. Only 45 percent of employees are completely satisfied with the amount of recognition they receive.

Poor managers are biased, but good managers identify and understand the differences that every individual brings, evaluate performance fairly, without prejudice. Even when they identify weaknesses or faults, they criticize constructively so as to make employees realize their mistakes and work hard to correct them.

Good managers make sure they have an effective review process in place to evaluate performance fairly. Thanking your employees for their contributions and rewarding them for the job well done goes a long way in improving their morale. Good managers respect their employees and show them that they are valuable assets to the organization. Even the smallest of achievements need to be celebrated at first. Believe in your team even if no one else does, and you will certainly bring out the best in them.

Smart managers know that technology, like project management software or online collaboration tool, is there to simplify the way they handle their teams, and their teams manage their work. They know that technology has a solution for everything — right from efficient task management and simplified collaboration to effortless reporting and time tracking.

This is the reason they never hesitate to invest in the latest tools. In fact, they are the first ones to look for tech solutions to make life easy for their teams and make them productive. To ensure this, they focus on individual performances, while aligning their efforts with the overall team goal. By bringing together all the aspects of successful team building like communication, collaboration, clarity and trust, they make sure that the team knows the purpose of their efforts.

Most importantly, a good manager never fails to inspire others. This inspiration comes at many levels; from boosting the morale of the team when things are not going right to talking it out with individuals when they are facing problems in their personal lives.

Good managers know that their role is not limited to only making a productive environment. Rather they have a role to play in building a positive work culture so that individuals thrive, and continue to strive for betterment at every level. When you are part of a positive work environment , innovation and creativity come out naturally.

In a nutshell, being a manager is all about handling not just your work but your team with great responsibility.

You are expected to deliver the goods as well as command the respect of your team. Know the structure intimately, so as to guide others to effectively work within the given parameters. Do this to expand beyond the boundaries. Intuition is the capacity of knowing without the use of rational processes; it's the cornerstone of emotional intelligence.

People with keen insight are often able to sense what others are feeling and thinking; consequently, they're able to respond perfectly to another through their deeper understanding. The stronger one's intuition, the stronger manager one will be. A thorough knowledge base is essential. The excellent manager lives from a knowledge base, without having to draw attention to it.

A manager is committed to the success of the project and of all team members. It's the manager's commitment that pulls the team forward during trying times. Employees value leaders who are human and who don't hide behind their authority.

The best leaders are those who aren't afraid to be themselves. Managers who respect and connect with others on a human level inspire great loyalty.

Flexibility and versatility are valuable qualities in a manager. Beneath the flexibility and versatility is an ability to be both non-reactive and not attached to how things have to be. Versatility implies an openness - this openness allows the leader to quickly change on a dime when necessary. The new trend in goal setting is empowering employees to determine their own goals. Doing so gives employees more ownership over their goals, which results in more work being done and to a better standard.

Good managers need to be able to understand how to form motivational and realistic goals, then guide the process to align with organizational objectives. These goals also need to be challenging, so leveraging this soft skill is a delicate balance managers must maintain to keep employees engaged and motivated.

New managers sometimes struggle to make decisions — especially important ones. Other managers obsess over possible negative outcomes, no matter how unlikely, and some might rush into a decision despite lacking the right information.

Managers need to make decisions for the benefit of their team and company, taking a structured, logical approach to decision-making while keeping a cool head. Managers also need to be able to make difficult decisions with regards to performance issues. If there is a problem, it needs to be addressed. Emotional intelligence, which encompasses sensitivity and empathy, is a soft skill all modern managers need to have.

Emotional intelligence can make all the difference between an engaged employee and one who is burned out, frustrated, and unmotivated. Managers need to pick up on signs that an employee is pushing themselves too far, which can cause burnout, anxiety, depression, and disengagement. More often than not, good managers will pick up on signs of these conditions in advance, before the employee approaches them to discuss the situation. Sensitivity is certainly needed when it comes to issues like anxiety.

Managers need to be able to put the right provisions in place. This could include putting flexible working measures in place, being understanding about mental health breaks, and being mindful of anxiety during the goal setting process. Taking measures like this shows employees that they are not alone — and that the company is able and willing to help them. A good manager understands the value of rewarding and recognizing employees.

It takes much more than that to keep employees aligned with your company objectives and going that extra mile. Employees need to know that their work — and more importantly, their efforts — are acknowledged and appreciated.

Leaders need to be perceptive in this area and take the time to reward and recognize employees where appropriate. The world of work is constantly shifting.

The ways we operate in terms of technology, motivating employees, and reviewing performance are processes constantly subject to change. From year to year, your business will look different — and this is a good thing. Managers stuck in their ways stagnate, while good managers are adaptable and flexible. They are ready for change and they plan for it, seeing disruption as an exciting challenge rather than a burden.