Every day, the rules for succeeding in business are changing.  A great product or service and a talented workforce are no longer enough to create that magic formula for success—that workforce also has to know how to relate to their customers and peers and how to handle themselves in a professional environment.  Most critical among that workforce is management staff.

Successful managers must be more than technically adept.  They must also display those crucial soft skills (personality traits, attitudes, and behaviors) that make them effective in the workplace and relatable to their customers and employees.  Unfortunately, soft skills such as compassion, creativity, and leadership are not always acknowledged or rewarded on the way up the corporate ladder.  Human Resources representatives and hiring managers may not even know what to look for!  That’s why it’s important to learn the five basic skills every manager should have, and work hard to recognize them the next time you make an important hiring decision.  An effective manager is one of the best tools you can give your staff and your business.

Those five basic skills every manager should have:

• Communication, communication, communication.  Communication is to management skills as location is to real estate: so important, we could count it three times (but since math is tough enough, we won’t do that to you).  All managers should be strong, effective communicators, in person and on paper, because conveying information is their primary job function.  Managers need to listen to and relay information to upper management, peers, other staff, customers, vendors, and sometimes the community and the press.  Their communication should be clear, concise, and professional, and when managing others, empathetic.
• Problem solving.  The buck stops with the manager, so problem-solving skills are an absolute must.  Whether it’s budget constraints, customer complaints, or day-to-day staff supervision, managers must be prepared with the right answer at the right time—or at least be willing to make the tough decisions.  There is no room for wishy-washy when others are looking for guidance.
• Flexibility.  As we said earlier, today’s business world is all about change.  Staffing levels, budget availability, and legal requirements are all types of changes managers must stay on top of, accept, and help their employees and customers adapt to.  Like these changes, many other changes lie outside the managers’ control, so they must learn to roll with the punches.
• Positivity.  In all times, but especially in times of trouble, uncertainty, or change, the old adage holds true: attitude is everything.  And since attitudes tend to be contagious, managers should be extra careful to keep theirs positive, or at least cautiously optimistic.  If managers can help their employees find the light in darker situations, they can help keep morale up and can improve their chances of successful management.
• Leadership.  This should go without saying, but all too often, managers take a laid-back or nonexistent approach to managing their staff.  Leadership takes many angles, including employee conflict management, delegation, motivation, and goal fulfillment.  This should all be done with the company’s vision in mind, while guiding every employee to that common goal.  Strong leadership also means knowing when to ask for help, such as when to get Human Resources involved in an employee conflict or on board for a motivational seminar.

While technical skills are important to choosing (and becoming) a great manager, soft skills are equally important to creating effective leadership and, ultimately, a successful business.

Not sure how to identify the necessary soft skills for your open management position?  Wondering how you’ll identify the right candidate?  The professional HR consultants at YES! Your Human Resources Solution have your back.  We’ll team with you on talent acquisition to help you find the candidate with the best blend of technical and soft skills.  And if your business already has a promising manager who could use some soft-skills development, we can help with that too!  Ask us about our HR training programs and how we can help your business to succeed.  Our free consultation will start you on your way to harnessing the power of saying YES!  Check out our website for more information on our customized services.