The job of a manager has undoubtedly changed over the years and effective managerial skills are in high demand. In the past, it was all about keeping people in check and ensuring that projects were completed successfully. Today, managers have to be able to do so much more than that; there is a lot more at stake, and there are many more tools you’ll need to know about to ensure that you are proficient at your job. Today’s workforce is much more complex. Few people are simply order takers; they want guidance from someone they respect and an inspirational manager who can motivate them to perform at their optimum levels.

This comes naturally for some, but if you find it hard to be that motivational leader, it’s essential to learn what you should be doing to help you reach that point. Unless you can do that, you’ll find that being a manager is something you start to dislike more and more, especially as the teams under you begin to ignore your ideas and requests. With that in mind, read on for some valuable tips on strengthening your managerial skills to help you become a better manager and help your team enjoy their work more.

Empower Employees

Managers who want to genuinely inspire their teams and improve their managerial skills will understand the importance of empowering each employee. The more employees feel they can operate independently or develop their own ideas, implement them – or at least suggest them – the more content they will likely be in their work. They’ll also probably work harder because they know they are trusted. 

 The best way to empower employees is to give them responsibilities but also to provide them with autonomy. In this way, they can work in the way that suits them best. By focusing on results rather than processes, everyone will feel confident in what they are doing and meet deadlines without much difficulty. 

 Another way to empower your team is to offer them as many growth and development opportunities as possible. Today’s modern employee wants to do more than plod along; they have ambitions and know they can do anything they put their minds to. By giving them the tools to learn more, you can show that you believe in them and want them to grow. This action will help them look up to you as a great manager and improve their productivity at the same time. 

Be Supportive 

To be a good manager, you need to support your team. You need to be empathetic and understand what they might be going through. Good or bad, whether it’s a personal issue (which, as a good manager, your team should be happy to share with you if it’s pertinent to their work) or something that is causing a problem at work. 

 Although you don’t want to become a sounding board for every challenge, it is beneficial for your team to know that you are there for them and will support them in every way possible. Work-life balance is real.

 One idea that may allow you to do this is to become a mentor. Not only will you be able to develop your managerial skills, but you will also be able to increase your team’s productivity and happiness. 

 When you are a mentor, you need to be there for people to come to when they need assistance, and you need to be able to teach your employees what they need to do to become more successful. In some cases, this will mean they become managers, and this is a good thing, so don’t let it put you off if you think they’ll outpace you. In the end, a good manager is one who is happy to see their employees succeed; it proves you’re doing a good job, after all. 

Set Clear Goals 

If you want to be a good manager and if you want your employees to acknowledge that fact, setting clear goals for them to reach is crucial. Giving your team goals to work towards helps them stay more focused and ensure they are working in the right direction. 

 Goal setting helps you as an effective manager, as you’ll be getting the results you want, but it also helps your team as well. The clearer the goals you give them, the easier it will be for them to know what to do and to be able to work autonomously, as previously mentioned. In addition, they will gain confidence in their abilities. If you give them reasons, the “why” for everything they need to do, they’ll also feel like part of the team, which all good managers should be willing and able to achieve.  Effective managerial skills are priceless. Always be ready and willing to go for the gold!