Crucial Management Skills for New Hires in Charge of a Team

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There is no place in business without management. Projects are not completed, teams are not organised, and companies do not succeed without the oversight of at least one manager. For any person who is looking to start a new job in management, becoming familiar with a base set of universally agreed upon skills that are useful to the successful manager, there are more than a few skills to learn.

Regardless of whether the management position is a first-time experience or the last one that may be taken on before retirement, the abilities and know-how needed to make things run smoothly and efficiently will always come in handy. Additionally, the information and experience gleaned in management positions has no bounds on industry. While desired skill sets will vary place to place, company to company, most general management skills are transferable and thus indispensable.

The following article will cover a number of crucial management skills for new hires that, if employed regularly and respectfully, will do much to effectively lead teams to greater success, increase productivity, and reach any goals set by the company.

1. Clear and Consistent Communication

Communication is the foundation of any relationship, and every business, the clients, customers, and team members are all dependent on the clarity of communication, but for as important a skill set as this may be, it is surprising how inconsistent it can be in organisations.

There are multiple levels of communication and a collection of ways in our modern society by which people communicate now. The consideration of each of these factors needs to be taken before attempting to formulate what needs to be said and how a message should be conveyed. While for millennia humankind has been communicating orally, the invention of text, and now the digital means of conversing such as text or email has created new sets of rules and expectations.

Strangely, many of the “rules” for what is appropriate to say, what medium is best to use, and even how to phrase it all changes with each format. A good communicator understands this and is practised in it.

A good example would be determining what means by which to reach out to new customers or, in contrast, how to maintain a healthy client relationship. Emails are impersonal enough that potential clients would not be put off by a random email showing up in their inbox, or a phone call with a message, but a visit to an office unannounced might come off too strong or presumptive.

Managers are familiar with the nuances of interpersonal communication to the degree that they have internalised which mediums suit different situations and will be able to explain such concepts to their teams.

Though the precious examples are more on the external business side of things, there are similar and equally important dynamics to consider for internal company dynamics.

An example of clear communication by a manager may need to have a disciplinary conversation with an employee. While an email may be an acceptable way to initiate a formal discussion, no serious manager should ever try to effectively counsel an employee without talking to them face to face. Though this is an uncomfortable situation, and hopefully one that will not happen frequently, it serves as a picture of how different communication mediums change interpersonal dynamics.

Additionally, there may come a time when very tactful, and sensitive communication is needed when trying to have discussions about emotional topics like mental illness and common stressors in the workplace.

Finally, the way in which a manager carries themselves in communication serves to unite or divide a team. Managers who are too reserved with their attitudes and observations can lead to emotional ambiguity that creates anxiety and uncertainty amongst subordinates, while in contrast, managers who are calm, friendly, polite, and forthcoming creates comfortable team dynamics that breed positivity.

2. Decisive Decision-Making Skills

Managers are the ultimate decision makers in companies and as such the ability to make smart, informed, and timely decisions is necessary for a successful business. Companies live, grow, suffer, or die by the decisions that are made by management. Any new hire manager may understand this concept, but until they find themselves under the pressure and scrutiny of a real-life business decision, that concept will be a distant and unfamiliar feeling.

The good news is that most situations are not ones that will make or break a company overnight, so success in business is actually the collection of an average of hundreds of decisions over the weeks and months that it takes to see a project completed.

Making personal decisions is only one part of developing decision making skills though. It is typically much easier when managing oneself or just a few people. Communicating internally to gather the scope of a project, understanding the moving pieces, the variables, and the desirables helps to keep everyone on the same page. If the manager or anyone on the team does not communicate (or does not feel safe to communicate clearly— especially mistakes) then it becomes much more difficult to give decisive direction.

Therefore, while the confidence to make good decisions is also a collection of other soft and hard leadership skills, intelligence, and experience, without communication, damaging decisions may be rendered. A great manager will come to identify and regularly consider all the information they need to have to make decisions.

3. Effective Time Management

There is a lot of headspace and energy that goes into managing a team and projects. Managers will, more often than not, have to maintain a grasp on many different components of the business’s values, the clients’ needs or expectations, a team's dynamics and abilities, as well as the timelines that hold all these things together. As such, a crucial management skill is effective time management.

The ability to dissect and reorganise steps, prioritise certain responsibilities over others, delegating workflow effectively, all while establishing realistic goals are required for effective time management. A skilled manager knows how to balance not only their own tasks and responsibilities, but to keep an eye on them and encourage team members to do the same— all while allowing subordinates enough autonomy to not feel stifled or undermined. A manager that can effectively manage their own time and responsibilities inspires others.

This article was guest written by Andrew Deen.