6 Management skills that are worth learning

Management jobs are by no means the easiest roles to take on. A great skillset and some awesome moves put some managers a step above the rest. Today we take a look at some of the most important management skills out there, outlining the ones that can really put you in a league of your own.

6 management skills managers should have

Managers come in all shapes and sizes, each possessing a certain set of skills. These skillsets vary from industry to industry but, there are some skills that all managers should have and endeavour to develop.

1. Communication Skills

The first and most obvious management skill is communication. While most professionals need communication skills, managers need it more than most. Because you lead a team (and take responsibility for that team), communication that is effective is vital.

You and the team working under you should be working towards a common goal. Without effective communication, a team will not know what that goal is, how it will be achieved and what their individual roles toward that goal are.

Remember that these communication skills should be effective in all sorts of situations – from a large boardroom to a one-on-one discussion. Also keep in mind that communication goes both ways – doing all the talking and expecting great results is not the best approach.

Managers should be able to listen just as well as they are able to lead. The one cannot exist without the other.

2. Interpersonal Management Skills

Being a manager means that you will be working with a team of individuals. Interpersonal skills, also known as your people skills, are the skills that enable you to work with others and help others work together.

Your interpersonal skills will come in handy when you are building a team, leading that team and keeping that team together and focused. People work best when they feel appreciated and being able to identify the weaknesses and strengths of your team members, will allow you to effectively communicate with different personalities and assign tasks to the right team members.

3. Leadership skills and responsibilities

While leadership skills are different from management skills, the ability to lead is one of the most important skills a manager can have in his or her arsenal. Taking on manager jobs will mean that you should be able to effective lead your team, guiding them to reach your common goal.

Different job industries and even different work environments will require different leadership traits. Having a versatile and well defined leadership approach is always a benefit. While some forms of leadership might work in one environment, it might be totally different in another, working with different teams and different team members. Adaptability to situations and teams in regard to leadership is something that can be highly beneficial to managers.

Keep in mind that motivation is also a part of leadership, so keeping your team on point, focussed and motivated is extremely important.

4. Strategic planning and thinking

The ability to both think and plan strategically is another skill you will need to be successful in management jobs. As the manager, you are the one your team members turn to to answer everything from questions, to solving bumps in the road and keeping them on their goal path.

Making decisions, planning a project or task, and leading a team requires a manager that does not make rash decisions and come up with quick, patchy fixes to problems. In order to effectively manage a team, everything from choosing team members to solving problems and reaching goals should be approached strategically, with the right planning and processes in place.

Keep in mind that planning should also be put into action.

Did you know that there is a range of management courses to choose from designed for specific industries? Visit our Courses and Training page on the Job Mail website for great training providers in South Africa.

5. Time management

One of the very important skills for managers – effective time management is a must. Remember, your team relies on you, so managing your own time along with your team meeting their goals will fall under your responsibility.

Time management is a crucial part of meeting goals and running an effective and happy team. Bad management skills in this regard can lead to motivation levels falling, long work hours and goals not being reached. A team stuck in this cycle can be one that slowly tears apart at the seams.

6. Organisation and coordination

As a manager, you will be expected to combine both your business resources and human resources in the most effective way possible. Not only will you have to establish or build a highly functional team, you will have to do so with the resources you at have at your disposal.

In order to achieve this, you will have to be able to effectively organise as well as coordinate with your own team members as well as other departments that have an influence on your team – be it the IT department or the finance department.

With all of this taken into consideration, your team’s goal has to be reached in the quickest and most effective way possible, without doing harm to the other dynamics that influence you and your team.

Along with communication and leadership, proper organisation and coordination are needed in order to ensure a smooth work flow within your team working towards their goal.

Looking for management jobs that need your skills? Create your Job Mail Job Alert and get alerted of vacancies in your industry and region.

Other management skills worth developing

While the six management skills mentioned above are crucial for careers in management, they are by no means the only skills managers need. Managers, depending on their industry, have a range of different responsibilities, each requiring a skill or a combination of skills.

Some of the other management skills well worth developing include:

• Team building and team work.
• Staffing and the ability to train new members.
• Accuracy, goal driven, focused and disciplined.
• The ability to manage certain financial aspects of your team.
• Flexibility and the ability to resolve conflict.
• Negotiation skills, empathy and multitasking.
• The ability to work with different types of people, playing to their strengths.
• What type of skills do you think managers need? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Improving your management skills

Practice makes perfect and managers learn from their mistakes on a daily basis. Managers are, at the end of the day, only human. Practicing and applying different techniques in different situations help these professionals develop their managerial style as well as their flexibility in that style.

The ability to spot their own mistakes and working on those shortcomings are one of the many things that create great managers.

If you want to develop your skills, you are in luck. There are tons of great management courses in South Africa designed to do just that. While courses and training programmes do focus on specific industries, you are also able to learn not only about skills needed for managerial roles, but also how to apply different skills in different industries and situations.

Interested in management courses? Visit Job Mail’s Training and Courses page. Here you will find tertiary education institutions like UNISA, Intec College and Damelin, each provider offering a range of courses, programmes ad degrees.

Have your management skills locked and loaded? Register your CV on Job Mail and start applying for exciting management jobs today!