A Successful Manager

HABITS OF SUCCESS
1. They set SMART goals.
Success requires dedicated work. Successful managers write their goals and map out the key steps they must take to get closer to their goals every day.

2. They manage their time.

Time is precious and valuable. Successful managers manage their time effectively by cutting out activities that do not align with their goals.

3. They invest in others.

Successful managers continually invest in others. Investing in others includes encouraging, coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring future leaders.

4. They communicate effectively.
Successful managers are good communicators. Effective communication requires attentive listening and asking questions. Good communicators also
respond to questions when asked and they share information that will benefit others.

5. They focus on the big picture.

Successful managers engage in strategic planning and effective implementation. To do so, they broaden their perspective to understand how all the pieces of
a plan, project or goal it together.
6. They invest in their professional and personal development.
The best managers understand the importance of investing in their professional and personal development. They read books, attend seminars, and / or seek
advanced degrees. Continuing education enhances their credentials and allows them to stay on top of trends that will impact their areas of expertise.

7. They take risks.

Taking risks builds confidence and sharpens one's ability to be decisive. Successful managers are willing to try new things and experiment with new ideas.

8. They have integrity.

Successful managers demonstrate consistency between their words and their actions. Their consistency inspires others to trust them and their ability to lead.

9. They are disciplined.

Self-discipline is an important leadership attribute. It requires engaging in consistent action even when you don't feel like it. Self-discipline fuels a successful
manager's sense of determination and allows the manager to achieve goals.

10. They are strategic.

Strategic leadership requires thoughtful analysis, planning, and execution. Successful managers invest time to think through various scenarios and consider
the consequences of potential actions.
11. They ask for feedback.
The founder of modern management, Peter Drucker, once wrote: "The only way to discover your strengths is through feedback analysis." Successful
managers continually seek feedback to improve their performance and enable continued success.

12. They seek advice.

Thriving managers seek advice to make effective decisions. Knowledgeable advice allows a leader to learn about blind spots. Receiving guidance enhances a
manager's leadership style by offering a different point of view.

13. They promote collaboration.

Successful management requires engaging others and inspiring them toward shared goals. Sharing information and inviting others to participate in
collaboration builds trust within a team and a common sense of purpose.

14. They are visible.

Successful managers are visible and create visibility opportunities for their teams. Visibility facilitates connection points with others, spurs interaction, and
provides a platform to showcase accomplishments.

15. They are respectful of others.

Trust and respect are fundamental to effective leadership. No one likes to be disrespected or denigrated. Successful managers are courteous and considerate
of others. Genuine regard for others engenders loyalty and fosters mutual respect.
16. They promote their team's accomplishments.
Everyone wants to be part of a winning team. Giving others credit and acknowledging their accomplishments are two ways that successful managers create
high achieving teams. Promoting their team's accomplishments encourages momentum for further achievement.

17. They build a network.

Good working relationships are important for career and personal advancement. Successful managers work at strategically building networks that support
their personal and professional goals. They create regular opportunities to establish genuine connections with people in and out of their professional
community.

18. They position themselves for the future.

In an ever-changing workplace that is increasingly being impacted by technology and global markets, positioning oneself for the future is critical for career
and team success. Successful managers stay on top of industry trends by reading periodicals, attending conferences, and networking. They also seek
opportunities to share what they learn with team members and incorporate new methods into their work processes.

19. They navigate office politics.

Successful managers embrace office politics. They understand that office politics is a fact of life. But, they also understand that navigating office politics does
not require that they violate their personal values. Rather, they respect their organization's culture, strategically build their network, and interact sincerely to
influence others effectively.

20. They manage conflict.

Workplace conflict is inevitable. Rather than avoid conflict, successful managers seek to address difficult situations professionally and respectfully. They
engage in difficult conversations, seek common ground, and preserve relationships.
21. They admit mistakes.
Making mistakes is part of life. Effective leadership calls for transparency and accountability. Successful managers, therefore, admit their mistakes, learn
from them, and do better next time.

22. They are humble.

The best managers are humble. Many associate humility with weakness. But, in fact, humility is the ability to accurately assess one's own strengths and
limitations. It takes sober judgment and confidence to self-assess. Genuine humility is an attractive quality and inspires an environment of honesty and trust.

23. They strive for work-life balance.

Maintaining a high-performance work culture requires work-life balance. The best managers work to ensure that their teams stay engaged by encouraging
time off and leading by example. All leaders need time to recharge. Taking time off to rest, connect with loved ones, and pursue personal interests puts work
into perspective and makes managers more relatable as people.

24. They support their teams.

Managers cannot succeed without the support of their teams. The best managers empower their teams by allowing them to take ownership for their work.
Successful managers provide their teams with the encouragement, tools, and resources they need to get their jobs done.

25. They say, "Thank you."

In a performance driven workplace, expressing gratitude is often overlooked. Thanking others for their contributions let's them know they are appreciated
and valued. Saying "thank you" takes a few seconds of time. But, the impact can last a lifetime.
26. Builds Effective and Responsive Interpersonal Relationships
Reporting staff members, colleagues, and senior managers respect the ability to demonstrate caring, collaboration, respect, trust, and attentiveness.
They depend on a manager to treat colleagues with dignity and respect, to keep their word, to exude integrity, and display dependability and
character under even the most challenging occurrences and challenges. Demonstrate that you care about the employees who report to you.

27. Communicates Effectively

An effective manager is someone who communicates effectively in person, print, texts, and email. Listening and two-way feedback characterize
interactions with others.
The manager should also be open to receiving feedback from colleagues and reporting staff. Avoid a defensive response and be willing to change
your behaviour when the feedback is on target. But, mostly, understand and act upon the power of interaction that encourages employees to see
their connection to the overall company's strategic goals and plan.

28. Builds a Team

Building a team enables other staff to collaborate more effectively with each other. People feel as if they have become more—more effective, more
creative, more productive—in the presence of a team builder. Be willing to sit down and problem solve when teamwork or team tasks are not on
target and working effectively. Let employees know directly and candidly when they are impeding the team's progress.

29. Leads by Example

Lead by example and set the pace via your expectations and behaviour. Provide recognition when others do the same. Employees know that you are
the real deal because you say and do the same thing. You walk your talk and so the employees trust you.
30. Understands the Financial Aspects of the Business
Successful managers understand the financial aspects of the business and set goals and measures and documents staff progress and success. This
allows the team to feel a sense of progress and purpose, that they are reaching goals and exceeding expectations. People want to know how they are
performing against expectations at work.
Financial and other goals let them know. Painting a picture that employees can agree on is effective for noting progress when numerical goals don't
exist. Good managers understand and play an appropriate role in creating this picture, feedback, and communication.

31. Creates a Positive Environment

Create an environment in which people experience positive morale and recognition and employees are motivated to work hard for the success of
the business. Understands that the manager is one of the most significant factors in whether employees are happy at work. Your interaction with
employees sets the tone for the workplace every day. Make sure that you interact with each employee you manage regularly—if not daily.

32. Empowers Others

Help people grow and develop their skills and capabilities through education and on-the-job learning. Successful managers bring career pathing to
employees so that they continue to grow and develop. Makes employee career and personal development a priority in the workplace.
Employees feel as if their manager cares about their careers and progress. This is one of the most significant factors that employees need from
work. As Gallup said earlier, "Make your No. 1 job the development of new stars."
The Work of the Manager
Have you ever witnessed the "plate spinner" at the circus? This performer places a breakable dinner plate on a stick and starts it spinning. The entertainer repeats this task a dozen or more times, then runs around striving
to keep all of the plates spinning without letting any crash to the floor.

On many occasions, the role of a manager feels a great deal like this plate spinner. The manager’s functions are many and varied, including:

Hiring and staffing

Training new employees
Coaching and developing existing employees
Dealing with performance problems and terminations
Supporting problem resolution and decision-making
Conducting timely performance evaluations
Translating corporate goals into functional and individual goals
Monitoring performance and initiating action to strengthen results
Monitoring and controlling expenses and budgets
Tracking and reporting scorecard results to senior management
Planning and goal-setting for future periods
The daily work of the manager is filled with one-on-one or group interactions focused on operations. Many managers use early mornings or later evenings to complete their reports, catch up on email, and update their
task lists. There is never a dull moment, much less time for quiet contemplation, in the lives of most managers.

Eight skills that successful managers demonstrate.

 Connect purpose to individual and team activities.

 Shine a light on the opinions of others and make them count.
 Coach your team in a way that allows for genuine candour.
 Commit to one meaningful conversation a week with each team member.
 Unlock human motivation by connecting work to a person's innate tendencies.
 Recognize and reward excellence.
 Care about your employees as real people.
 Make your No. 1 job the development of new stars.
Types of Managers
Managers are most often responsible for a particular function or department within the organization. From accounting to marketing, to sales, customer support, engineering, quality, and all other groups, a manager
either directly leads his or her team or leads a group of supervisors who oversee the teams of employees.

In addition to the traditional role of departmental or functional manager, or what is generally known as a line manager, there are also product and project managers who are responsible for a set of activities or
initiatives, often without any people reporting to them. These informal managers work across functions and recruit team members from the various groups for temporary and unique initiatives.

Span of Control
The phrase “span of control” relates to the number of individuals who report directly to any particular manager. Various trends have existed over the years, but the current approach to creating a proper span of control
in an organization involves an analysis of what the organization and its employees need.

When you think about the span of control, a small number of direct reports creates a narrow span of control and a hierarchical structure in which decision making frequently resides at the top of the organization.
Narrow spans of control are more expensive, but they allow managers to have more time to interact with direct reports. They also tend to encourage professional growth and employee advancement because the
manager knows the employees well and has time to spend with them individually.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management: "In contrast, a wide span of control refers to a larger number of direct reports supervised by one manager, creating a "flat" organization. This approach
increases the number of interactions between the manager and his or her direct reports, which could cause managers to become overwhelmed but can also provide more autonomy."1

In summary, a manager optimally has no more than six to eight direct reports, although many have ten or even twenty individuals they are responsible for on a daily basis. A smaller span of control enables increased
support for training, coaching, and development. The larger span reduces the manager’s ability to support their direct reports but also allows for greater employee autonomy.

Authority of the Manager

A manager may have the power to hire, fire, discipline, or promote employees especially in smaller organizations with the assistance of the Human Resources staff. In larger companies, a manager may only
recommend such action to the next level of management. The manager has the authority to change the work assignments of team members in both large and small organizations.
Essential Skills of the Manager
Managers need to develop and hone the following skills:

Leadership:
A manager has to be able to set priorities and motivate your team members. This involves self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The manager needs to radiate energy,
empathy, and trust. And, remember that effective leaders work daily to develop team members through positive, constructive feedback and coaching.

Communication:
The manager must become a student of effective communication in all its applications, including one-on-one, small groups, large groups, email, remote working, and social media. Good managers realize that the most
important aspect of communicating is listening.

Collaboration:
The manager serves as a role model for working together. You support cross-functional efforts and model collaborative behaviours to set the example for your team members.

Critical Thinking:
The manager strives to understand where and how your projects fit into the bigger picture to enhance your effectiveness. The manager reviews priorities considering larger organizational goals. He or she translates this
understanding into meaningful goals and objectives for their team members who need to understand where their work fits in the big picture.

Finance:
A manager needs to learn the language of numbers. Managers must strive to understand how company funds are invested and to ensure that these investments earn a good return for the firm. While you don't need to be
an accountant to be a manager, it is imperative that you learn and apply the basics of solid financial understanding. For example, how many employees can produce the most quality product for the least cost?

Project Management:
Nearly every initiative in an organization turns into a project. And, projects can become complex and unwieldy. Today’s managers understand and leverage formal project management practices to ensure timely
completion and proper control of initiatives.

A Career in Management
The work of management is divided into the activities around planning, leading, organizing, and controlling, and the job of a manager encompasses all these areas. Anyone aspiring to move into management as a
career should develop and display strong technical and functional skills. Become an expert in your discipline, and have a strong affinity for interacting with, supporting, and guiding others.
“It’s one small step for man, one
giant leap for mankind.”

- NEIL ARMSTRONG