Management Challenges - New Skills

Don’t feel like you’re expected to know it all from day one!

You’re technically brilliant at your job (you’ve taken several years to develop and practise those skills) and you get on with people.  Great, you’re ideal management material, now get on with it!

For some reason, it’s still a common assumption that although someone needs several years to acquire the technical skills needed for a job, the management of people is not considered technical, so no additional skills are needed. 

You’re new role as a manager is one of the most important in the organisation as you are going to have a direct impact on the lives of those people that now report to you.  How they feel about working for the business is going to have a lot to do with you, it’s your responsibility to bring out the best in your team. No pressure then!!

Promotion can sometimes feel like the opposite.  One day you know everything you need for your job, and the next day, as a manager, you find out there’s a whole load of stuff you’re not sure about – it’s like being a newbie all over again!

The good news is that, like technical skills, management skills can be learned.

In the vast majority of cases the skills are there and just need developing further in a work context.  Some organisations fail to understand that developing their managers is an invest to save activity, which will result in increased efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.

So what skills does a manager need?

Communication skills - without these there will be confusion, mixed messages and poor performance

Organisation skills - without these there will be stress, conflict, missed deadlines and rushed tasks (greater likelihood of error)

Decision-making skills - without these there will be disengagement, dissatisfaction, missed benefits and poor results

Team/people management skills - without these there will be silo working, disunity, missed strengths and lack of collaboration

Performance management/development skills - without these there will be disengagement, resentment, missed talent and unrealised ambition.

A good manager also needs to be assured and trusted by their team.

How can someone develop these skills?

Firstly, it’s important to assess what strengths someone has, and where there are areas that could benefit from development.  It’s possible to do a self-assessment, but this might not identify all the skill areas involved. A good way to get an understanding of this is to ask for feedback!  You can do this by asking your team, your peers, and your managers. 

Based on this information you can then work out where you want to concentrate your efforts.  Pick one key area and work on that. Don’t forget to celebrate your strengths!  These can sometimes be overlooked whilst focus is on areas for development – but knowing your strengths is really important – make sure you use these to the full!

Then decide how you want to work to improve your skills.

There are lots of resources, plenty of YouTube videos, platforms like LinkedIn Learning, and many, many books on the subject of management skills. There are training companies, like Aventina Training (aventina-training.co.uk), that provide courses across many of the skills needed by successful managers.

You could ask your employer to set you up with a mentor, or you may know someone outside of the organisation with the experience to help you. A mentor will help guide you without being judgemental.  They will support you to identify and resolve your own issues – empowering you and giving you confidence.  Mentors (and coaches) aren’t just for senior leaders – they are for anyone seeking support to grow and develop.

Think about those people that you admire? What is it about them you respect? How can you change the way you behave to follow their example?

Managers who seek opportunities to enhance their skills, and fully understand their role increase people’s job satisfaction by creating an environment in which all team members are valued and committed to a common goal, collaborate effectively, and consistently achieve or exceed expectations.

Without and effective manager there can’t be an effective team. Being an effective manager can be learned, just don’t think you have to deal with it all on your own – I did for a long time – and I didn’t need to have done!