Important Soft Skills for Managers to Work On

If you have been offered a management position, are currently working at that level and want to get better at your job, or are thinking of starting your own business venture, then there are lots of technical skills that you will need to be good at what you do. However, a lot of successful leadership is down to soft skills, or those skills that you could take with you and apply to other professional positions, or even in your personal life to be more successful. If you want to succeed and get better results as a manager or business owner, then there are several soft skills that are worth you spending the time to work on and improve. Some of the most valuable soft skills to possess include:

Change Management

When leading a team of people, you are likely going to be dealing with a lot of change. This could be change due to employee turnover, changes to business strategies, marketing strategies, policies and more. Either way, no business is static, so change is going to be an expected part of the job description for most. If you are running your own business, then you’re probably going to need to implement a lot of changes yourself over time in order to get the results that you need. Some people are naturally good with change, while others are quite resistant to it. If you are more change-averse, then this could end up holding you back in your career. This change management certificate can be a good option to help you learn valuable skills to get better at dealing with and even embracing change. 

Communication

The ability to communicate effectively with others is key to having a successful career. If you are not a good communicator, then chances are this is going to lead to a lot of frustration among your team who may not be sure what they are meant to be doing at any given moment and might find it disappointing if they come to you about an issue, but you struggle with communicating about it. The good news is that even if you are not a naturally great communicator, there are lots of things that you can do to improve this skill, including learning some basic active listening skills. 

Decision Making

As the one in charge, people are often going to be relying on you to make decisions. If you are indecisive and struggle to make up your mind when it comes to what to do, then you could end up holding yourself, your team, and even the entire business back. It’s more important than ever to spend some time investing in your decision making skills and getting better at making choices. Even if you don’t always make the right decision, it’s better than not taking action at all. 

Delegation

One of the main skills that a good manager will have developed is delegation. No one is able to get everything done by themselves, whether they are running their own business, somebody else’s business, or a team or department. Delegation is the process of choosing the right people for the task – it involves much more than simply handing off tasks to others, but also involves getting to know your team on a level that makes it easier for you to make flash decisions regarding who is going to be the best person for any given task. 

Self-Learning

You should always be learning new things, and it’s usually on you to keep up to date with the latest news and information from your industry so that you can pass this on to your team. Because of this, it’s important to get better at self-learning to improve your abilities in the role. Understanding how to research and learn information on your own is a powerful skill to have. Thanks to the wide range of online courses that are available today, getting started is easier than ever. 

Empathy

Last but not least, empathy is a soft skill and a personal quality that will stand many in good stead. As a manager, you are going to be better able to connect with your team and inspire them to get the best results if you can also connect with them on a human level. Empathy and emotional intelligence are often some of the most overlooked qualities, but they are hugely important. 

If you’re getting into a new career as a manager, or simply want to improve your results in your current career, take some time to work on these soft skills.