10 Essential Management Skills

The world's greatest leaders, in fact, in any position of responsibility or authority, are experts at both self and people management. This article is your guide to the essential skills to manage yourself in order to remain productive and manage people in a professional and healthy way.

5 Self-Management Skills

In order to be truly productive, successful and happy, you need to first develop the art of self-management. This is our ability to manage our behaviours, thoughts, and emotions in a conscious and productive way. By using the below skills, you will have the foundation for being effective both professionally and personally.

Positivity

The first step to developing a positive outlook is having long-term and short-term goals. Motivate yourself to achieve them with a constant stream of positivity. Refuse to allow negativity into your mind. As you complete your goals, you’ll start to see a snowball effect. The thing about genuine positivity is that it’s infectious, so project your positivity onto those around you and build a positive environment at work and at home.

Self-Awareness

Understanding the causes of your behaviour is an incredibly important skill. By learning to monitor and assess your performance from an objective standpoint, you can make improvements or take corrective action. Self-awareness is a valuable and worthwhile skill that few truly master, and it takes years of effort to truly achieve, so start working on it today.

Stress Management

If you’re the type to make mountains out of molehills, you’re putting yourself in danger of serious health issues. By implementing effective anti-stress techniques, you will be more proactive in managing the things that pop up in life rather than reacting in negative ways. The key to managing stress effectively is delaying your initial reaction and thinking about an effective way to deal with a situation such as taking the time to be mindful, breathe and relax. 

Responsibility

From a very young age, the school teaches us to take responsibility for ourselves, although many of us never master this skill. Prioritise your most important responsibilities, take care of tasks as they come up, and most importantly, accept the mistakes you make. This is the only way you can develop yourself and move on from your mistakes because you inevitably will, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as we learn from them. 

Rest

It’s impossible to operate at 100% capacity all of the time, and although it might not seem it, the best path towards higher productivity is to manage your downtime. Got a huge load of work to knock out in a single day? Ensure you schedule breaks and enjoy them. If you’ve got a big year coming up, schedule a weekend where you can relax and unwind to avoid burnout.

5 People Management Skills

Having amazing people management skills is what separates a good manager from a great one. Effective people management is a necessary quality for current and aspiring leaders who aim to improve workplace communication and prepare employees for success. The below skills will help you to develop your strengths and identify areas for improvement. 

Flexibility

Your employees view the company from a completely different viewpoint from yourself, so it’s useful to be flexible enough to collaborate or incorporate their ideas into a business strategy. This will not only serve to accommodate needs you may have not previously considered but will also make employees feel they are a worthy company addition. Be open to suggestions (preferably helpful suggestions) and follow up with a report of how effective these implemented changes have been.

Visibility

While it’s understood that managers have a higher level of responsibility than other team members, it’s important to be open and communicative. Weekly team meetings are a great way for everyone to both inform and stay informed on what each department has been working on, including managers. Answer any questions employees may have on any projects that have been occupying your time, and keep the team informed on progression – be your own office gossip. 

Recognition

As tempting as it is to take praise for a job well done, acknowledgment of a team effort is paramount. Give fellow colleagues positive recognition for anything they have been working hard on and be sure to pass along any compliments, comments, or positive feedback you have had from clients and customers. However, this also includes being aware of any situations in a working environment that may be hindering success or preventing a positive outcome. 

Motivation

Being motivated and projecting passion and enthusiasm for your work and your team is essential for a happy, healthy team environment. To tune in and channel your employee’s motivation leads to a well-balanced working environment – employees are driven to do better, and employers hit the target. Try using fitting rewards to push your team to the end goal. Hitting a weekly target or successfully completing a project could equate to an offsite team lunch, for example. 

Good Communication

Clear communication is one of the most essential people management skills every manager needs. It’s pretty simple – if you can’t give your team a definite direction, who will? However, it's important to note that effective communication is not just one way; to be a good communicator, you must also be a good listener. Being a good listener includes: giving your full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting.

Where to Apply These Skills

To learn the skills required to effectively manage yourself and others, enrol in our BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management. Managing team effectiveness, leading communication in the workplace, and demonstrating leadership are just some of the capabilities you will develop during your studies with Foundation Education.

Find out more about how to become a leader in your field by checking out our Business and Management Courses or contact our friendly support team on 1300 616 197.

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