Must-Have Skills of Successful Managers

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I’m Susan. I help leaders and organizations increase their impact, confidence, and results through coaching and unique people strategies and programs that wow employees and boost business!

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I remember when I first moved into a managerial role leading a small team.  Making that transition was tough!  I was great at getting things done myself, but being responsible for others and trying to get work done through others was a whole new ball game.

Like many new managers, I was surprised to learn that I needed to shift my ways of working to be successful as a manager.  Marshall Goldsmith writes all about it in his book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”.  After my own trial and error, taking lots of development courses, and coaching leaders for over 20 years, I have landed on the top skills I’m convinced all managers need to be successful in their role. 

While in this post, I’m focused on managerial skills, several of these skills overlap with becoming a strong leader, which revolves around having a clear and inspiring vision, as well as the influence that drives people to want to follow you.  I view becoming a successful manager as a step on the journey to becoming a great leader.  Having said that, not all leaders must be managers, but all managers should strive to become great leaders as their role, vision, and influence expands.

Managerial Skill #1:  Communication

Let’s face it, you’re not going to get very far in this world, in any role, without strong communication skills.  But, as a manager, it’s especially critical to especially have strong listening skills. Many new managers love to pontificate to demonstrate their knowledge to their team. It’s far more important to develop your listening skills to better understand what’s going on within your team and organization, where the challenges may be, how you can leverage the talents on your team, etc.  Active listening, in particular, is a critical skill that’s often lacking and can lead to project misses as well as employees not feeling appreciated or understood, thereby lowering their overall engagement.

Managerial Skill #2:  Delegation

Delegating work was particularly hard for me when I was first promoted to a managerial role.  I was so good at getting things done myself and I was partial to how I wanted it done; it was often easier for me to just continue doing it myself.  I quickly learned that this would be a recipe for disaster.  Not only would I become overwhelmed and resentful of the amount of work on my plate, but I wasn’t able to scale and tackle the bigger (and more visible) aspects of my role that came along with leading a team. 

Delegation requires a level of self-discipline to resist doing the work yourself, but also trusting and empowering others to take it on. By delegating tasks to team members, you are providing them opportunities for growth and development too, which will help create a greater level of commitment.  In delegating tasks, it’s important to leverage your employees’ innate strengths, assess readiness, adequately prepare, let go, and provide support!  Think of yourself as a coach, providing guidance as needed, but not dictating exactly how to do it step-by-step. By this, you strengthen your team’s abilities and progress.

Managerial Skill #3: Decision Making

This one probably makes sense, but you really don’t know the impact of this until you’ve worked for a manager who can’t or refuses to make a decision.  It’s super frustrating!!!  Some managers are hesitant to make decisions, especially if they are relatively new, because they fear making the wrong decision.  They often have worked in environments where there wasn’t any tolerance for the occasional poor decision.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are managers who are too quick to make decisions or decide without full information.  This too, can be detrimental if it results in consistently making poor decisions over time.  The key here is knowing when the decision is yours to make, exploring the options thoroughly enough, and gaining committing to it once a decision is made.  And, of course, admitting when you’re wrong, cause you won’t always get it right every time!

Managerial Skill #4: Business Acumen and Agility

As a manager, it is important for you to not only know and understand the business that you’re in (regardless of your function), but to be able to adapt and adjust as the business landscape shifts (internally or externally). Your knowledge and ability to speak intelligently to what your business does and how it operates creates a level of credibility and trust with your employees and peers, making way for greater influence and partnership.

We all know that the only constant is change. If you’re not ready for it and get caught flat-footed, you’ll go out with the tide. Employees are more likely to follow a leader who is able to successfully navigate the organization, anticipate and adapt swiftly to changes, get their team quickly aligned, and meet their goals.

Managerial Skill #5: Influence

Successful managers know the importance of and have grasped the art of influencing.  They seem to always get the choice projects for their teams, the funding or budget for their endeavors, the promotions, etc. They know how to influence others to get what they want and need for their team to be successful.  Influence isn’t about manipulation, but rather a way of advocating for what you and your team need to be successful by keeping the broader needs in mind and driving for win-win solutions.  Generally, managers with a high level of influence quickly become leaders that employees follow because they respect them, their approach, and their accomplishments.

Managerial Skill #6: Managing Remote Teams

Certainly, since the start of the pandemic, being able to manage remote teams of people is a must have skill.  But even prior to 2020, remote teams has been a growing trend over the past decade or so, particularly as the war for talent has become extremely tight.  More often than not, managers must be able to lead teams across different geographies, time zones, and cultures as remote teams are here to stay, long after the pandemic subsides.

Everything is different when leading a remote team, from how you hire, run meetings, communicate, develop, and engage your employees, and manage expectations and performance.  It’s all so different when you’re not face-to-face, so you can’t just apply the same practices you use in the office to a remote team.  

Managerial Skill #7:  Emotional Intelligence (EI/EQ)

Successful managers become great leaders by demonstrating a high level of emotional intelligence, particularly awareness and empathy. During such uncertain times as we are currently experiencing (a pandemic, social justice tragedies, divisive election/politics), these skills are more important now than ever to ensure physical and psychological safety, as well as inclusion and belonging in organizations.

Employees need grounded leaders who they can lean on, who recognize when they are struggling or are in need, who regularly express their appreciation for great work, and demonstrate their belief in each of their employees.

The manager who can demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence such that he/she demonstrates empathy, courage, vulnerability, and humility makes him/her relatable, approachable, human…all invaluable, given the current landscape.  You may have heard the expression that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. The truth is an employee’s direct manager has the single biggest influence on an employee’s decision to stay or leave.

What do you think of this list? Any critical skills I may have missed? Please comment below.

Are you a manager who, after reading this post, you realize you have some work to do?  Don’t fear! These skills CAN be developed with a bit of time, practice, support and guidance. As a career coach & people strategist, I help leaders increase their skills, confidence, and results so they can make the impact they desire.

Schedule your complimentary strategy session with me and see how I may be able to assist you!

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