Good managers don’t just happen, [well maybe some of them do]. But for most people becoming an effective manager is about learning the skills to help you get the best out of a team of people.
Often I see managers who were made managers for all the wrong reasons, for example, they are made ‘the manager’ because ‘they had been there the longest’, or ‘were the oldest’ or ‘the busiest stylist’…
But none of those things are reason to assume that they will be good at managing other people and a business. If you want to succeed and build a business it starts with good ‘management’ and good management means you have to have good ‘managers’ and they don't just happen!
So what are the skills of an effective manager, what does good management look like, and what are the character traits of a good manager?
Here are 6 traits of a good manager that will make my list of must have’s…
1. They engage…
One character trait I observe in good managers is that they have a high level of ‘engagement’ with their team. In other words, they are heavily involved with their people at every level, they interact with them constantly and they let them know when they are doing well and aren’t hesitant to ‘call people on their stuff’ if they are not doing well.
2. They coach people…
Good managers take the time to help people identify what their goals are and they help them become who they want to be.
Rewarding and recognising achievement and encouraging people to achieve their personal goals is key to successful management.
Managers coach people, even though you may not always want to hear it. A good coach is someone who gets you to do what you don’t want to do, so you can become who you want to become.
3. They know it’s all about the relationships…
A good manager spends time building trust and rapport with the people on their team because although they understand the importance of systems and policies and procedures etc they also understand how important those individual 1-1 relationships are with the people on their team.
4. They have the ‘tough’ conversations…
Good managers aren't afraid to have the tough conversations. That doesn't mean they are aggressive or insensitive, in fact quite the opposite, they are usually calm and rational, firm but fair.
5. They have good organisation skills
Businesses have lot’s of ‘moving parts’, and good managers understand that you can't operate in a state of chaos or overwhelm, so to succeed they need structure and systems. Good managers understand the need to be organised and operate with a degree of consistency and control.
6. They understand the ultimate goal…
The ultimate goal of every business is that it is profitable! If it’s not profitable then it won't survive and no one has a job. So good managers inherently understand that everything they do is for the viability of the business. Ultimately they manage the productivity of every individual on the team.
That's what managers do they grow people into a team of productive motivated and well rewarded stylist but it doesn’t happen on it’s own.