Six Tips to Make You a Better Manager

Unless you are brand new to the business world, chances are you have encountered someone in a management position who should not have been there. Unfortunately, individuals who are the best performers are often promoted to leadership positions without much formal management training. But being good at the job does not always translate into being a good manager. It takes a great deal of skill and knowledge to be able to motivate, evaluate and manage a team. A manager must have a firm grasp of the business, but also must be able to communicate well with others, a skill that does not always come naturally.

There are some basic rules of being an effective manager, says Rich Moore, a senior organization development specialist at AAIM Management Association, an organization that provides training, networking and education to St. Louis-area businesses. He says that being an effective manager is all about people. "Good managers get their work done through, with and by developing their people." Managers who are most effective "know their people's talents, and take the time to get to know their people."

If you are taking on a management role, or want to do so in the future, take a proactive approach to learning the management ropes. Here are six ways to get started.

1. Examine your own knowledge. Sometimes, knowing what you don't know is the best place to start. Examine what you do and do not know about management. Think back to experiences you have had and managers you worked for. What worked in your past professional relationships, and what needed to be changed? You will probably find that you can pick out some of the good and bad traits of managers in your past and use this knowledge to your benefit.

2. Find a mentor. Another important early step to take is finding a mentor who is in a leadership position in your workplace. Moore cautions that you need to make sure you find someone who is not just doing the job, but doing it well. Make sure you are able to learn from someone who can teach you good habits.

3. Go back to school. Many organizations offer courses in management development. In addition to his organization, Moore says that associations and businesses like the American Management Association, Padgett-Thompson and SkillPath offer a variety of resources. He suggests asking your company to send you to a seminar. "These seminars are great places for a new manager," he says, adding that they cover topics such as how your role changes when you become a manager, how to delegate, and how to get your people on board.

4. Hit the books. Another way to take your management development into your own hands is by reading books on the subject. Moore says that four of the "must read" management books are First Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, Good to Great by Jim Collins, It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff, and One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard.

5. Learn to listen and understand others. The secret to being successful in any management position is knowing how to relate to, communicate with and honestly evaluate your people. Moore says that this part of management is the most challenging for professionals who find that they have gone from being friends with their coworkers to being in a position of authority. When it comes to establishing a relationship with a new team, it is important to be up front and honest, he says. In addition, take a real assessment of how your employees are performing, and communicate with them about their quality of work. This means not just accepting that the work is getting done, but requiring that it gets done right.
6. Put your people first. The bottom line about being a good manager is this: If your employees don't perform well, you don't perform well. Every good manager must learn how to train, support and motivate his or her employees. If you don't take the time to support your staff and ensure their needs are being met, all of your work will be useless. After all, says Moore, "If you don't develop your people, you have nothing."