What Makes a Good Manager

A manager is defined as "someone who controls resources and expenditures", "a person whose job is to manage something, such as a business, a restaurant or a sports team", "An individual who are responsible for the maintenance, administration and management". The one common thing that jumps out at us from most definitions that define a manager, is someone who manages, how well? well that is different story all together, but manages and ensures smooth operations. A manager's primary responsibility is to manage a team, have a smooth flow between the people he/she reports to, and with the ones that report to the manager themselves. Managerial skills depend on an individual's personality traits, however, a few common good traits of a manager have been mentioned below.

Traits of a Good Manager

Managers are essential to every organization. They are detrimental to a company's growth as well as decline because they are ones who handle the most difficult company resource; people. Ideally a manager reports and gets reported to. In most scenarios a manager's work is outlined on the way, what, how, when, and to whom he/she reports to. In ensuring a smooth flow between the higher hierarchy and himself, a manager should be well versed with all process and operational functions of a company. A manager needs to be a part of the company's growth plan and polices, depending upon his role in the organization. He/she should ensure maintenance of books (financial and administrative), records and grievances.

Just as a manager needs to fulfill his responsibilities towards his employer, he has to ensure an approachable and patient attitude towards his subordinates or reporting members of his team. A manager who has cultivated the art of being a good listener, will always be able to help his juniors through a maze of professional and at times personal problems too. If you are known as a solution oriented manager, your team will soon catch up with you and even emulate you. A manager should be resourceful, and well learned about all process and goals of the particular project and of the company, so his subordinates find it worthwhile and confident to carry forward their responsibilities. Delegating responsibilities, letting the juniors take responsibilities and decisions, right or wrong, and seeing them through a bad mess is perhaps the most desired trait in a manager. He should work towards team building and maintaining workplace ethics.

Another aspect of a good manager is that he gives opinions, takes decisions and delegates responsibilities without being biased. Although, it is possible to have a few favorites, a manager needs to rise above showing petty favoritism. This trait will be particularly useful while giving a constructive feedback. Feedback and appraisals should be based on an individual professional conduct and abilities, and not on a biased act. While disapproving of an act, he should avoid getting personal. Assigning blame is a difficult task, but an intelligent manager will help his subordinates not only see the mistake, but make an example out of the mistaken approach, not the person.

Managers works like a buffer point between the top level and junior level management. Filtering out pressure is important, to understand how much the manager should keep to himself, and how much he needs to pass it below. A manager should be trained to address and recognize grievances. A dip in work performance should be assessed, if it's a training issue, a training to upgrade the employee should be conducted, or if it is a personal problem, the help should be forwarded without getting too involved.

A must for building strong managerial skills:

• Management Skills
• Employee Management
• Leadership Development

A manager must therefore be a team player with an analytical approach combined with a people centric outlook. He should help align an individual's aspirations to the company's goals and objectives thus improving teamwork. This the manager needs to do by setting himself as an example.