January 03, 2016
Many new graduates along with entry level employees ask me, what skills are needed for management or supervisory level employment. I know many companies offer a variety of skills for their specific needs but there are 5 essential skills that should be developed or visible with any manager in this new challenging work environment.
1. Ability to Manage Emotions
Managers today always have pressure on their shoulders. Managing this pressure along with the emotions is a key to whether employees will continue to follow. Always being angry will kill a relationship, however, always bubbly and happy shows inept leadership when employees know goals are not being met.
2. Willingness to Teach
Time is the shrinking asset to businesses today. With more tasks and the same amount of time, that means there is less time to learn. Employees need to learn, get better and ultimately become even more valuable to a company. A manager needs to have a willingness to take time out of their day to teach. Teaching is not just giving direction, it’s allowing the employee to understand what is being taught.
3. Leadership
This is an easy one, but often taken for granted or minimized by those not in leadership. Being a leader is not someone who gives directions, but is someone who can say very little and get direction and leadership because of how he or she has taught their team. Leaders have strong teams because they have made them that way. Employees who need little leadership are led by a great leader.
4. Adaptable
What’s constant within business? Not much if anything at all. A great leader knows that he or she will need to lead with changing directions and lead with variable constantly moving. Understanding that you can only control what you can control will take a good leader to becoming a great leader.
5. Organized
Have you ever met someone who is constantly looking for something? It’s usually metaphorical for the way they live their life. It’s hard enough to lead with everything liad out neatly for a leader, but layer on disorganization and chaos is what you will get. Learn how to get organized and that will help you stay organized.
Many employers have supervisors, managers and team leaders of all experience levels. Teaching them these 5 essential leadership skills will help take your leaders to new levels. Get your leaders trained and trained often. Nothing empowers a leader more than having the ability to become better, that’s what leaders want.