What it Takes to Become a Great Manager

By Tony Jacowski

Self Evaluation
The key to becoming a great manager is to know yourself. This is imperative, as it helps you to evaluate your weaknesses and strengths even before you get to work.

It is impractical for you to handle day-to-day business operations if you cannot manage your employees - and for that reason, it's important that you know your temperament and management style.

This will help you make any adjustments that you need to make, so that you interact with your employees in the best possible way; an approach that will foster good relations among everyone.

Hire the Best
When you have to hire staff, you should hire the best-qualified people for the positions that you have to fill, even if that means paying them more. Having a superior team will push your own efforts as a manager further, while a team that is not superior will not measure up to your expectations - or those of your superiors.

Interaction Is the Key
Remember that you are a manager - you are not competing with your subordinates. Make sure that you relate to your employees and that they know they can come to you if they have a problem.

When you come up with new ideas or thoughts about the business that affects them, get their opinion and hear what they think. This will stimulate them and make them react positively to the responsibilities that they are assigned to.

Delegate
Being a great manager means knowing when to pass on work to others. You aren't superman, and you can't do everything yourself. There comes a time when you have to trust your employees to do the work that you are paying them to do.

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, so you know that they can handle.

Accountability

As a manager, you are generally accountable for how well or bad your team performs. Therefore, you should know that if they fail, the team has failed as a whole - not them, not you, but all of you. If someone on your team fails, everyone must take responsibility, especially you.
Avoid harsh blame games that might prove costly later.

Above all, a good manger always knows where they are coming from and going to. Develop the habit of always being ahead in terms of the direction your organization is heading.

Think and plan ahead, do your research, and always be alert to new issues that affect the long-term performance of your team. In the long run, how well your team performs (or doesn't) will determine your success as a manager.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.