8 Ways to Improve Your Managerial Skills

8/6/2019 8 Ways to Improve Your Managerial Skills

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Q no: 2 Describe the managerial skills you need to be an effective manager and suggest how

can you achieve these skills.

8ways to improve your managerial skills

Each year, thousandsofpeople make the switchfrom staffengineerorscientist to managerand,

although many ofus lookforward to the change,we findit frustratingonce we get there. When

we were engineers,we were rewardedforourtechnical skillsand laborsindirect proportion to

what we accomplished.

But now,asa manager,oursuccessis measurednot by ourownoutput hut by the output and

productivity ofthe people we supervise. And that sense ofnot beingindirect control canbe a

frustratingfeeling.

Fortunately,workingwithothersandgetting them togive you theirbest canbe just asrewardingas technical accomplishments . . . once youget the hangofit. Here are eight tips that will help

you to manage and toguide yourpeople more effectively.

The Human TouchThe most valuable qualities youcandevelop within yourselfare patience,kindness,and

considerationforotherpeople. Although machinesandchemicalsdon't care whetheryouscream

andcurse at them, people do.

Yoursubordinatesare not just engineers,scientists,administrators,clerks,and programmers

they're people,first andforemost. People withfamiliesandfriends, likesanddislikes. Peoplewithfeelings. Respect them as people and you'll get theirrespect and loyalty inreturn. But treat

them coldly andimpersonally and they will lose motivation to perform foryou.

Corny asit sounds, the Golden Rule "Dountoothersas youwouldhave othersdounto you''is

asound, proven management principle. The next time you're about todiscipline aworkeror

voice yourdispleasure,asked yourself, "Would I like tobe spoken to the way I'm thinkingof

speaking tohim orher?'' Give yourpeople the same kindnessandconsideration that youwould

want toreceive ifyouwere in theirplace.

Dont Be Overly CriticalAsa manager,it's part ofyour job tokeep yourpeople on the right track. And that involves

pointingout errorsand telling them where they've gone wrong.

But some managersare overly critical. They're not happy unless they are criticizing. They rarely

accomplish muchortake onanythingnew themselves,but they are only toohappy to tell others

where they went wrong,why they're doingit incorrectly,andwhy they coulddo the jobbetter.


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Don't be this type ofperson. Chancesare, youhave more knowledge and experience in yourfield

thanagood many ofthe people yousupervise. But that'swhy the company made you the boss!

Yourjobis toguide and teach these people not to yell ornit-pickorshow them howdumb they

are compared to you.

Mary Kay Ash,founderanddirectorofMary Kay Cosmetics,says that successful managersencourage theirpeople insteadofcriticizing them. Forget theirmistakes," she advises, "andzero

inonone small thing they doright. Praise them and they'll do more thingsright anddiscover

talentsandabilities they neverrealized they had."

Let Them FailOfcourse, tofollow throughon Mary Kay'sadvice, you've got to let yourpeople make some

mistakes.

Does thisshockyou? I'm not surprised. Most workers expect tobe punishedforevery mistake.

Most managers thinkit'sa "blackeye" on theirrecordwhenan employee goofs.

But successful managersknow that the best way fortheirpeople to learnandgrowis through

experience and that means takingchancesand making errors.

Give yourpeople the chance to try newskillsortaskswithout asupervisorlookingovertheir

shouldersbut only onsmaller, lesscrucial projects. That way, mistakeswon't hurt the company

andcan quickly and easily be corrected. On majorprojects,where performance iscritical, you'll

want togive as muchsupervisionasisneeded to ensure successful completionofthe task.

Be AvailableHave you everbeen enthusiasticabout a project,only tofind yourselfstuck,unable tocontinue,

while youwaitedforsomeone higherup tocheckyourworkbefore giving the goaheadforthe

next phase?

Few thingsdampen employee motivation more than management inattention. Asa manager,

youhave a million things toworry about besides the report sittingin yourmailbox,waitingfor

yourapproval. But to the personwhowrote that report, eachday'sdelay causesfrustration,

anger,worry,andinsecurity.

So,although you've got a lot todo,give yourfirst attention toapproving,reviewing,andokaying projectsin progress. Ifemployeesstop by toaska questionordiscussa project,invite

them tosit downforafew minutes. Ifyou're pressedfortime,set up anappointment forlater

that day,andkeep it. Thiswill let yourpeople know youare genuinely interestedin them. And

that'ssomething they'll really appreciate.


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Improve the WorkplacePeople are most productive when they have the right toolsandworkin pleasant,comfortable

surroundings. According toastudyby the BuffaloOrganization,acomfortable office

environment createsan extra $1600 ofproductivity annually forprofessionalsand managers.

Having the right equipment is equally important. One ofmy clientsrecently hiredafull-time

technical writerat asalary of$25,000,but wasreluctant toinvest $2500 inaword processorfor

him touse. I explained that,in my experience,word processorscan easily double the

productivity ofawriter. Therefore,ifthe writerwas expected to produce $25,000 worthofwork

witha typewriter,he could produce $50,000 withaword processoran extra $25,000 a yearin

productivity fora $2500 investment! The client bought the computer. Both the company and the

writerwere delightedwith the results.

Be aware that you may not be the best judge ofwhat youremployeesneed todo theirjobs

effectively. Evenifyou've done the job yourself,someone else may workbest withadifferentset oftools,orinadifferent setup because each personisdifferent. Ifyourpeople complain

about workconditions, listen. These complaintsare usually not made forselfgain,but stem from

eachworker'sdesire todo the best job possible. Andby providing the right equipment orwork

space, youcanachieve enormousincreasesinoutput . . . openwitha minimal investment.

A Personal Interest in PeopleWhenis the last time youasked yoursecretary howhersonwasdoingin Little League orhow

she enjoyedhervacation?

Goodsalespeople know that relating to the customerona person-to-person level is the fastestway towinfriendsandsales. Yet many technical managersremainaloofandavoidconversation

that doesnot relate directly tobusiness. Why? Perhapsit'sbecause engineersare more

comfortable with equationsandinanimate objects thanwith people,andfeel uncomfortable in

social situations.

But just asasalespersonwants toget toknowhiscustomer, youcanbenefit by showinga little

personal interest in yourpeople theirproblems,family life,health,andhobbies. Thisdoesn't

have tobe insincere oroverdone just the type ofroutine conversation that shouldnaturally pass

between people whoworkclosely. Ifyou've beenignoring youremployees,get into the habit of

takingafew minutes every week(orevery day) tosay "hello" andchat fora minute ortwo Ifanemployee hasa personal problem affectinghis moodorperformance, try tofindout what it is

andhow you might help. Sendacardorsmall gift onimportant occasionsandholidays,suchasa

10thanniversary with the firm orabirthday. Often,it is the little thingswe doforpeople (such

as lettingworkerswith longcommutes leave early onasnowy day,orspringingfordinnerwhen

overtime isrequired) that determine theirloyally to you.


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Be Open to IdeasYou may thinkthe signofagood manageris tohave adepartment where everybody isbusy at

workon theirassigned tasks. But ifyourpeople are merely "doing theirjobs," they're only

workingat about halftheirpotential. A truly productive department isone inwhich every

employee isactively thinkingofbetter, more efficient methodsofworkingwaysinwhich toproduce ahigherquality product. in less time,at lowercost.

Toget thiskindofinnovationfrom yourpeople, youhave tobe receptive tonewideas;what's

more, youhave to encourage yourpeople to produce newideas. Incentivesare one way youcan

offeracashbonus, time off,agift. But a more potent form ofmotivationissimply the

employee'sknowing that management does listenanddoes put employee suggestionsandideas

towork. Quality Circles,usedby Westinghouse andothermajorfirms,are one way ofputting

thisintoaction..The oldstandby, the suggestionbox isanothertime tested method.

Andwhen you listen tonewideas,be open minded. Don't shoot downasuggestionbefore you'veheardit infull. Many ofusare too quick, too eager, toshowoffourown experience and

knowledge andsay that somethingwon't workbecause we've triedit before orwe don't doit

that way. Well, maybe youdid try it before,but that doesn't meanit won't worknow. And

havingdone thingsacertainway in the past doesn't mean you've necessarily beendoing them the

best way. A good managerisopen-mindedandreceptive tonewideas.

Give Your People a Place to GoIfaworkerdoesn't have a place togoa position toaspire to,a promotion toworktoward thenhis

jobisadead end. Anddead-endworkersare usuallybored,unhappy,andunproductive.

Organize yourdepartment so that everyone hasopportunity foradvancement,so that there isa

logical progressionup the ladderin termsoftitle,responsibility,status,and pay. Ifthisisn't

possiblebecause yourdepartment is toosmall, perhaps that progression must inevitably lead to

jobsoutside the department. Ifso,don't hold people back;instead, encourage them toaim for

these goalsso that they will put forth theirbest effortsduringall the years they are with you?

A manager's jobisvariedandcomplex. Managersneedcertainskills to perform the dutiesand

activitiesassociatedwithbeinga manager. What type ofskillsdoesa managerneed? Research

by Robert L. Katzfound that managersneeded three essential skills. These are technical skills,

humanskillsandconceptual skills. Technical skillsinclude knowledge ofand proficiency ina

certainspecializedfield,suchas engineering,computers,financial and managerial accounting,or

manufacturing. These skillsare more important at lower levelsofmanagement since these

managersare dealingdirectly with employeesdoing the organization'swork. Humanskills

involve the ability toworkwell withotherpeople bothindividually andinagroup. Because

managersdeal directly with people, thisskill iscrucial! Managerswithgoodhumanskillsare

able toget the best out oftheirpeople. They knowhow tocommunicate, motivate, lead,and

inspire enthusiasm and trust. These skillsare equally important at all levelsofmanagement.


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Finally conceptual skillsare the skills managers must have to thinkandconceptualize about

abstract andcomplex situations. Using these skills managers must be able tosee the organization

asawhole,understand the relationship amongvarioussubunits,andvisualize how the

organizationfitsintoitsbroaderenvironment. These skillsare most important at top level

management. A professional associationofpracticing managers, the American Management

Association,hasidentifiedimportant skillsformanagers that encompassconceptual,

communication, effectiveness,andinterpersonal aspects. These are briefly describedbelow:

Conceptual SkillsAbility touse information tosolve business problems,identificationofopportunitiesfor

innovation,recognizing problem areasandimplementingsolutions,selectingcritical information

from massesofdata,understanding the businessusesoftechnology,understanding the

organization'sbusiness model.

Communication Skills

Ability to transform ideasintowordsandactions,credibility amongcolleagues, peers,and

subordinates, listeningandasking questions, presentationskillsandspokenformat, presentation

skills;writtenandgraphicformats

Effectiveness SkillsContributing tocorporate mission/departmental objectives,customerfocus, multitasking;

workingat multiple tasksat parallel,negotiatingskills, project management,reviewing

operationsandimplementingimprovements,settingand maintaining performance standards

internally and externally,setting prioritiesforattentionandactivity, time management.

Interpersonal SkillsCoachingand mentoringskills,diversity skills;workingwithdiverse people andculture,

networkingwithin the organization,networkingoutside the organization,workingin teams;

cooperationandcommitment.

In today'sdemandinganddynamicworkplace, employeeswhoare invaluable toanorganization

must be willing toconstantly upgrade theirskillsand take on extraworkoutside theirown

specific jobareas. There isnodoubt that skillswill continue tobe animportant way of

describingwhat a managerdoes.

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8 Ways to Improve Your Managerial Skills