A Beginner’s Guide to Management Skills

This week we are talking about management skills. Whether you are in a management/supervisor role or not, there is still value in understanding the skills needed to manage well. You never know when you will be in a position where you will need to step up and lead. Additionally, employers value management skills because they help daily operations run smoothly.

What is Management?

Indeed defines management as “the systematic process of planning, organizing and controlling things or people. It is the coordination of activities that need to occur for the business to reach its defined objectives.” Basically, managers are creating and overseeing the steps being taken to complete tasks. Management skills are made up of other kinds of skills. Here are the main components of management skills along with tips to help you with each skill.

Communication

We have mentioned in past posts about the importance of communicating and that does not go away when talking about management skills. Good communication both verbal and written can help you go far in management. Things to focus on when communicating:

• Clearly communicate your ideas: In last week’s blog, we talked about the importance of following instructions. As a leader, you will be in a position to give instructions. It is important to be detailed and specific about what you want done and when it should be done.
• Welcome feedback and questions from others: By opening the floor up for questions and feedback, you are letting others be able to express thoughts and opinions and gain mutual understanding about specific details.

Feedback

Good managers give helpful feedback – and not just when things go wrong. It is good to give feedback when the team is doing things well and when there are areas to improve. Some tips for giving good feedback are

• Create a feedback sandwich- start with a praise, then a critique, then end on a praise. This helps to bring balance to critiquing and shows that the person is doing things well and has areas to improve upon.
• Don’t critique people in public, find a time to privately discuss the matter. This will make things less awkward, and people will be more receptive.

Organization

Organization is an important role in management. This is because of all the planning, clear direction and decisions that have to be made for things to run smoothly. Keeping track of deadlines, scheduling meetings, and creating /managing a reporting system are major factors in management.

• Establish a system that will keep you on top of things. If you aren’t a naturally organized person, that is ok, just take the time to find a system that works for you.

Leadership

Often times, people use management and leadership interchangeably, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Plenty of managers are not leaders and plenty of leaders are not in management positions. The difference lies in the ability to gain respect from team members and motivate. Leaders are able to motivate those around them, listen to others, and do things for the betterment of the company.

Here are a few tips to help you practice the skills discussed.

• Set goals that will encourage the use of the skills. If you want to work on your feedback skills, you might set a goal to give one piece of feedback a week to a team member. If you want to improve your communication skill, you might set a goal to re-read any written communication
• Talk to someone who is skillful in that area. Whether they are a mentor or a friend, find someone who is good at what you are doing and talk to them. Ask them about how they do things or how they got skillful in their area. This will help you take some steps to improve the skill with practical feedback.

If you want to work on some of these skills or learn about how to add management skills your resume, Mary Rigg’s Employment Team is here to help! Get connected by calling 317-639-6106 or visiting here.