As a manager, you hold the key to your team’s success. And if you’re not stepping up your game, others will have to pick up the slack. You need to build your management skills to see results from your team and retain top talent. You might not think of yourself as a manager, but the day-to-day responsibilities can be challenging. Becoming a better manager requires patience and persistence. But with the right attitude and some strategic steps, it’s possible! Here are seven actionable tips for improving your managerial skills.

Be Self-Aware

This is perhaps the most critical skill to have as a manager. You have to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as a manager. You must be self-aware to recognize when you’re going astray and correct the course. If you’re not aware of your strengths and weaknesses as a manager, then you’re operating on autopilot and making mistakes. You must be self-aware to recognize when you’re doing well and push yourself when you need to be tested. This doesn’t mean you have to be your own best critic. You don’t want to second-guess yourself or constantly get into an emotional rut. But you also don’t want to be oblivious to your own shortcomings as a manager. If you’re not self-aware, you could do more harm than good.

Stay Organized

The best managers have a firm grasp of organizational skills. Being organized makes your life easier as a manager and helps boost productivity and efficiency. If you’re disorganized, you have to spend more time on the things you do best—like managing your team—and less time on the things you do best—like developing your team members. That could result in burnout and a lack of motivation for your team members. Being organized doesn’t mean you have to become a fanatic about it. It does mean you have to be mindful of your surroundings. It means you must be aware of how you’re spending your time as a manager and on your own time. It also means being mindful of your surroundings when you have time to focus on organizing. A clean desk, a pen in your pocket, and clusters of paper with tabs on them can save you a lot of time when you have a few moments to get organized.

Show Your Team You Care

If you want to see results from your team, you need to show them you care. There’s a big difference between being interested in your team members’ lives and showing genuine care for their well-being. If you want to improve the quality of life for your team members, you have to make an effort to make them feel cared for. That doesn’t mean you have to do every little thing for your team members—or be a doormat. But it does mean you must show them you’re concerned about their day-to-day lives. Being a manager involves setting an example for your team members. You must show them what it looks like to be a good manager. You have to set the right example by consistently demonstrating good managerial skills. That doesn’t mean you have to nag your team members. It doesn’t mean you have to be a micromanager. But it does mean you have to demonstrate good managerial skills consistently.

Communicate Up, Down, and Sideways

Effective communication is vital to any organization. And as a manager, it can make or break your team’s productivity and morale. When your team members feel like they’re being heard, they feel valued and excited about what they do. And that can result in increased productivity and improved morale. As a manager, there are three types of communication: Effective communication means communicating openly and honestly with your team members. You communicate with positive reinforcement and respect. You communicate in a way that shows you respect your team members. If you want your team members to feel heard and valued, you have to communicate with them. Try using this social emotional learning worksheet to help make decisions regarding setting goals and communicating with employees.

You must tell your team members what’s happening in the business and your department. You have to tell them what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. You must tell them what’s happening in the organization and the entire business if it helps them to work better and more efficiently.

Set Goals and Benchmarks

Having specific goals is essential when you first start as a manager. It gives you something to shoot for. But make sure you aren’t setting goals within a specific time frame. Unless your team members are all about deadlines, you don’t want to focus on deadlines. Managers need to focus on developing their team members. But setting deadlines might make the goal seem more important, which can lead to burnout and a lack of motivation for your team members. 

It’s OK to have loftier goals when starting as a manager. You don’t have to immediately focus on getting your team members to meet those goals. You can focus on developing your team members and setting a positive example. You can focus on building their skills and expanding their knowledge. But make sure you have benchmarks to measure your team members’ progress. Make sure you have clear, measurable goals that will allow you to track progress and see results. Set goals that are challenging enough that they’ll push your team members to succeed but not so challenging that they feel overwhelmed. Base your goals on your team member’s strengths and interests.

Improve Communication and Listening Skills

It’s essential to keep an open mind when you’re communicating with your team members and listening to their feedback. It’s critical to avoid becoming defensive when you’re given feedback. If you want to improve your communication skills as a manager, make an effort to open up to your team members. Ask them questions, listen to their answers and pay attention to what is happening around you.

Undergo Management Training

As managers, you’re constantly learning. And one of the best ways to do that is through management training. There are many kinds of management training. Some are one-day seminars. Some are online courses. Make sure you stick with the sort of management training you choose. Management training can help you identify your weaknesses as a manager. It can help you identify your strengths as a manager. It can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a manager. It can help you identify the areas you need to improve. Management training can help you identify the things you need to work on.

Accept and Act On Feedback

As a manager, you must be willing to accept feedback from your team members. You must be willing to accept constructive feedback from anyone who offers it. Take on board and put a plan in place on how you can improve or change what you do to improve your standards and become a better manager. No one is perfect, and there are always opportunities to learn and change and discover new things that can improve your work.

Conclusion

You’ve worked hard to get to where you are in your career. But, it doesn’t mean you should get comfortable. It’s important to push yourself each day to be better than the day before. If you want to see the results you want from your team, you need to step up your managerial skills. With the steps outlined in this article, you can become a better manager.