If you were to go out and ask “what are the qualities of a good manager”, you will probably end up with a list of over 20 qualities. Why? Because it depends on so many differing factors and is of course, different for every organisation, industry and situation. The qualities of what makes a good manager vary greatly depending on the organisation, its strategy, the manager’s specific objectives, and even the team they will be managing.
While there is no definitive list that would show the top attribute that people look for in their manager, it would certainly have to do with the manager’s ability to lead effectively. The idea of effective leadership might seem to be quite specific, but in fact, there are many different skills which have to interplay to create a good manager.
Skill1: Orientation towards results
Skills that are included in a good leader are the ability to be assertive, knowing how to delegate and being results oriented. Within each skill are many nuances, so a good manager will have dozens of abilities that play in together in a highly effective manner. Being able to lead a team means having good organizational management skills, understanding interpersonal communications and the differences between employees as people. Understanding such differences allows the manager to custom their approach with each employee in order to gain the best output for the company by motivating the employee in their own individual way.
Skill 2: Delegation
A manager needs to be able to understand how to optimise the resources available to them, which includes both the employees and the infrastructure of the company. This would include considering the different offices within the company and allocating work accordingly, to the best office and the best people (accounting and sales offices can be different wings of a company, with employees having similar skills but using them differently).
Skill 3: Strategic Thinking
For a manager, there is a list of aspects to their role which all stand independent of one another, and by doing good one area that will not roll over to any other area. Instead, a manager has to be capable of taking charge of a multiple of duties and ensure that each turns out in the manner expected. This requires the knowledge of each area that they are responsible for managing, as well as an ability to think outside the box and in a long-term scenario, making short-term choices that will be productive and beneficial in the long term as well. For a manager, the stability that they are required to bring to a team is the key, and it can only be done through successful juggling of all finer details of their role as defined by the needs of the company.
Every company is different, from the size to the services or products that they sell. For this reason, the skills which a manager needs and their number one quality will be different for each business. It is a good idea to make a special list of duties that a manager will be responsible for prior to deciding which applicant is right for the role. Some managers can have the same education level and general working experience within a similar industry, but one might be better than another for dealing with the finer points of your business in particular. The best manager for you can be chosen once you have determined what the most important quality is for your business.
