5 Management Skills that Signal Great Leadership

Inspiring others and making sound business decisions are hallmark signs of great leadership. You only have to study the Founders and CEOs of some of the most successful business in history to understand why their names are famously known.

At their core, manager responsibilities revolve around a single priority – namely to get the very best out of the people they manage. Managing a group of people is no easy thing and getting employees to work together efficiently and productively can be even harder.

Here are five management skills that signal great leadership.

Transparency

Transparency in leadership means making the big picture known to stakeholders, and employees are those very stakeholders. While managers don’t have to share every detail behind a management decision, giving enough context as to why certain projects or tasks are assigned helps employees understand how they contribute to the larger company vision and goals. This level of transparency can inspire productivity and rally a team around a common goal.

Objectivity

Objectivity is a clear sign of great leadership. Being able to regulate one’s emotions is a necessary skill for management. Great managers know how not to get caught in any office intrigue or other such emotional traps and will take a walk every time they feel frustrated, instead of overreacting or losing their cool in the office. This may be a skill you have to develop, but having thick skin and not taking feedback or criticism personally allows managers to remain objective.

Effective Communication

Effective communication skills sit at the foundation of leadership. A manager without this vital skill will not be able to emanate the necessary credibility to fulfill their objectives, let alone rally an entire team of people behind them. Verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills are paramount to effectively leading a team. And how you communicate is just as important as what you communicate.

Reliability

A great leader is a person who knows perfectly well that for a company to thrive its employees’ morale needs to be at its highest. A business is only as good as its people, and great managers know that their team has to be able to rely on them. People respect managers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help when the occasion calls for it rather than simply barking orders from behind a desk.

Empowering

The most productive and active managers realize early on that they are the ones who work for their teams and not the other way around. They empower their teams by giving them ample opportunities to develop. To do this, managers avoid micromanagement and, instead, delegate work to their team, all the while supporting those who show initiative, a willingness to learn, and who bring new ideas to the table.

Managers should also let their staff run with their ideas but offer to give advice when they feel that the concept is a failing issue. Last but not least, managers need to realize that they are also part of their team and should promote their team’s accomplishments with their superiors and above, whenever possible or appropriate.

Conclusion

Management positions are by default leadership rolls, but not every manager is a great leader. However, by observing and developing these five management skills anyone can be well on their way to becoming a more effective leader.