Wednesday, 24 August 2011 What it takes to be a better manager Being an excellent manager is a function of trial and error, figuring

out what w orks for the organisation as well as for the team. IME UMOREN writes on qualitie s thatmake better managers. It is true that being good on the job does not necessarilytranslate into being a good manager. It takes a great deal of skill and knowledge to motivate, evaluat e and manage a team. A manager must have a firm grasp of the business, but also must be able to commu nicate well with others, a skill that does not always come naturally. According to management.about.com, a manager is a person tasked with overseeing one or more employees or departments to ensure they carry out assigned duties as required. Being a manager is much more than just giving orders tobe followed by subordinat es but there should be a focus on the common goal A senior Organisational Development Specialist, AAIM Management Association, Mr. Rich Moore, says there are some basic rules of being an effective manager. He says that being an effective manager is all about people. Good managers get their work done through, with and by developing their people. M anagers, who are most effective, know their peoples talents, and take the time to get to know their people, he adds. He stresses that unless one is brand new to the business world, chances are that one would have encountered someone in a management position who should not have been there. Unfortunately, individuals who are the best performers are often promoted to lea dership positions without much formal management training. He says it is important for a manager, who wants to do well in his position, to examine his own knowledge. He emphasises, Sometimes, knowing what you dont know is the best place to start. E xamine what you do anddo not know about management. Think back to experiences yo u 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 o fmanagers in your past and use this knowledge to your benefit. Moore stresses the need to find a mentor, who is in a leadership position in the workplace; however, he cautions that the manager needs to make sure he finds so meone 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, he adv ises. A management consultant and attorney at law, Mrs. Jacqueline Odiadi, says, A good leader needs soft skills such as leadership, team building, decision making, hu man resource, interpersonal communication, customer care, networking, partnershi ps, business negotiations, financial records and management becausethese give th e business additional competitive edge over others. Odiadi advises that managers need to acquire the necessary training and skills n eeded to nurture and growthe business. Experts agree with this, noting that there is the need forthe manager to go for training to boost his productivity at the workplace. They say seminars are great places for a new manager since they will cover topic

s such as how role changes when one becomes a manager, how to delegate, and how to get people on board. Experts say that organisations need to look for both technical business expertis e and good leadership skills when appointing senior managers. That means that designers and providers of leadership and management development need to focus equally on the development of both strategic business skills and good leadership and management skills if they want their offerings to be effecti ve. Furthermore, they note that if one is aspiring to be a leader, one must build th e natural talents because tryingto be a type of leader that is unnatural can lea d to stress,executive burnout and poor performance. To be an effective leader, it is important to discover natural leadership style and qualities, as well as develop those qualities into tangible skills and find a role or organisation that matches the leadership talents, where what one has t o offer will be valued. The Chief Executive Officer, Clement Ashley Consulting (Nigeria), Ms. Ijeoma Obu , advises that if a junior officer is promoted to a senior level management team , he should be made to undergo necessary training to enable him fit into the pos ition. Experts say the secret to being successful in any management position is knowing how to relate to, communicate with and honestly evaluate the people one works w ith. Moore says that this part of management is the most challenging for professional s, who find that they have gone from being friends with their co-workers to bein g in a position of authority. Comments :.