I have always believed that managers are born, not made. There are certain innate qualities that a manager should possess. However, not every person who becomes a manager has all the great qualities that you would expect to see. So, in my opinion, these are the traits that transform a manager into a great manager:
· Be Approachable – Whether you have a solution to your team member's problem or not, your team member should feel free to come up to you and discuss their issues.
· Be Receptive – You need to be open to how your team members perceive you and your actions – you need to be open to negative feedback and also discuss about corrective actions, if any.
· Be An Example – You cannot expect your team members to follow certain rules if you do not follow them yourselves – you have to set the example and lead the path – that is the true mark of a leader.
· Be Assertive – When a team member is going down the wrong path, you need to immediately take corrective action and guide them back – if you are reactive and just point out mistakes without any guidance on how things could be handled differently, your team member will not know how to improve.
· Be Well Judged – Not every team member needs to be monitored or managed the same way. Some people need focused mentoring, some people are independent contributors who require some guidance from time to time, some are go-getters and don't need much support – so don't use the same yardstick for all team members.
· Be Appreciative – Whenever your team member does well, be prompt in appreciating – if we forget, they don't forget… J Shower your team with accolades when they deserve it! It costs you nothing!
· Be Humble – Modesty as a manager is a very important quality to have. When your team sees you as another human being, who is just their bridge to upper management and who protects them in adverse situations, the usual barriers start to dissolve.
· Be Objective – As a manager, you always have to play fair and be objective. You may personally like some of your team members more than others, but when it comes to a professional environment, nobody can be your favorite. Everyone has to be treated equally. That does not imply that you give the same professional responsibilities to everybody – that has to be decided based on your team member's capabilities.
· Be Genuine – Most people can see through artificiality. As a manager, you have to care about the growth of your team members, and not as part of some goal-setting activity. You have to be able to understand their strengths and guide them to use their strengths to their advantage.
· Be Fun – Nothing endears a team to their manager more than somebody who can let down his or her hair at times when the occasion calls for it. Sometimes the fear of losing the team's respect prevents you, as the manager, from participating wholeheartedly in team activities, and this can affect how the team perceives you.
I hope this article proves helpful to those who are struggling as a manager or are soon going to become one!
Thanks & Regards,
Arun Manglick, (PMP®, PMI-ACP®, PRINCE2® Practitioner, CSM®, MS-Project, CSSGB, ITIL V3, MCPD, MCTS, MTECH)
Project Manager - Forecasting
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