Leadership Skills for Managers

Every one can become a leader, but the one who sharpens his skills and uses them wisely can becomes a successful one. Leadership characteristics are very important, as they make you excel in varied aspects of life, be it career, academics, or relationships.

An MBA degree can help you to become a manager, but if you want to remain at the position for a long time, and become a successful one, then you must possess some leadership characteristics.

People often confuse leading with dictating, but leadership in actual terms is all about following the mob. As someone rightly said that a leader is best when people barely know that he exists. If you want to be a leader, learn to follow the people. A manager must try to understand the people, which he is supposed to lead, and then act accordingly.

Good verbal and written communication skills are one of the basic management fundamentals. If you will notice some of the good leaders, you would realize that they all had good oratory or written skills.

A leader always knows what he wants to say, and when he should say it. Hence, a manager should have a great sense of timing along with communication skills. He should also know how to convey certain messages in a subtle way so that the work is done in an expected and speculated manner.

A manager should understand that he is a liaison between the staff and the higher authority, and should be able to put the issues effectively in front of both the parties. In that case, he might need to have good diplomacy and negotiation skills that are extremely important.

When you are handling a big company, it is essential to plan everything in advance. It is essential to have a long term goal so that you are prepared to welcome changes, and anticipate the problems before they arrive and make work difficult for you.

A good manager also needs to have a decision-making abilities and should be able to make a fair judgment. He should also know how to execute his powers for the betterment of the staff and the company.

He has to go through many stressful situations that are full with moral and ethical dilemmas, and hence, he must possess good judgment and analytical ability. This would help him take the right decision. He should involve his staff to take major decisions. He must remember that imposing authority or decisions is not leadership in its true sense.

Apart from these, there are various significant aspects that are essential, such as problem solving skills, time management, honesty, integrity, conflict resolution skills, commitment, courage, intelligence, wisdom, confidence, self-esteem, determination, team building, and humility.

Management is about processing, and leadership is about behavior and attitude. A good manager should carry out all the business processes with the right attitude and behavior.

Today, a lot of companies hold leadership training for managers, which help them to understand the working and delegation style. They are also trained on essential leadership and management skills.

• Do not underestimate the employees or the competitors.
• Be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.
• You are wrong when people are not following you.

• Isolation, dictation, and arrogance is never a part of leadership.
• Solutions to the problems lies in the needs, requirements, and wishes of the followers, and not yours.
• People are smarter than what you think.

• If you make a mistake, admit it immediately, before you lose the respect. It will give you a chance to improve.
• Make your staff count, and let them know this aspect.
• Set examples, and always work hard so that you can expect the same from your staff.

• Give the credit to your staff for your success, as it is a reality.
• Stop self-boasting and self-promotion. Actions speaks louder than words.
• Use a positive language; always say, "do it like this", instead of "don't do it like this".

• Motivate and inspire people without being preaching.
• Be fair, non-judgmental, unbiased, and take the criticism sportingly, even if it comes from a staff member.
• Respect everyone so that you get the same in return.
• Deadlines, objectives, targets, etc., are fun to meet, and hence, thoroughly enjoy your work.

With the mentioned tips, you are sure to win the heart of your staff, and become a successful manager. Just remember that leadership is not about inspiring people to have confidence in the leader, but it is about inspiring them to have confidence in themselves.