5 skills every manager needs

Do you have what it takes to be a good manager? Before you take that new promotion, here are our five essential skills every manager needs to have.

1. Be a planner, organiser, leader, or controller

You should excel at one of these four management areas. Jill Brown, professor of management at Lehigh University says: “Those who are good at planning are proactive, critical thinkers who can view multiple aspects of something. Those who can organize can delegate the correct mix of decentralized and centralized decision making. Those who are good at leading tend to be extroverts with good communication skills and an ability to manage group settings. But it’s the rare person who can do it all.”

2. Have an open mind

To be a good manager you need to able to view problems from different perspectives, you should be able to deal with change and shift your strategy accordingly. Being stubborn won’t get you anywhere.

3. Know the company goals and support them

You should be able to internationalise the mission of your organisation, know it inside and out, and encourage others to follow suit.

4. Help the company grow and change – if it needs to

If company rules no longer make sense you need to help them adapt. Michael Greaney, director of research at the Center for Economic and Social Justice in Washington, DC, says: “The response of the good manager is not to break the rule, but to get it changed and, in the meantime, help others comply with even the ridiculous rule as far as humanly possible.”

5. Learn how to balance people management