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What Qualities Do Companies Look for in Managers?

Companies tend to look for commitment, confidence, communication, leadership, influencing, and honesty as the core values of a good manager. Also, past effective people management is one of the essential skills companies look for in managers.

A manager is responsible for managing the activities of employees, which requires strong interpersonal skills. However, a manager also needs to be able to meet company objectives and keep others on the right track.

A good manager requires a combination of good qualities and skills, including the ability to coach, motivate, nurture, influence, and manage people.

While good leadership, confidence, and commitment are the positive qualities of a manager, the ability to communicate well at various levels is arguably the most important skill companies look for in a manager. A manager who can’t communicate is a disaster.

Managers need to have exceptional communication skills. This includes the ability to actively listen to others to receive valuable input and then speak clearly.

Good communication drives performances and it is the key to uncovering the strengths of individual team members.

The most effective managers can identify the positive qualities of others and then capitalize on those qualities to achieve better results.

 16 Qualities Companies Look for in Managers:

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While each company has unique goals and needs, the 16 traits below are key leadership skills and obligatory characteristics of a successful manager.

If you don’t have any of those qualities, convincing others to follow your instructions may become difficult.

1. Leadership

Being a manager doesn’t automatically mean you are a leader. Yes, most management positions involve a great degree of authority. But leadership is not about authority or power. It is instead the ability to influence others to take action good or bad.

The role of a manager requires a serious leader with a serious approach. To be a good manager, you need to know how to influence others through your character, competence, consistency, and personality.

It’s your behavior as a manager that influences and determines whether or not your team members respect, listen, trust, and follow you.

2. Confidence

Confidence and decisiveness are at the top of the list of personal characteristics of a successful manager. Confidence is the most basic ingredient needed for leadership. It allows managers to take risks and meet goals more effectively.

However, one of the main features of confidence is the ability to follow through with your decisions.

When you remain dedicated to your choices, others are more likely to follow your lead. Confidence is also contagious. Showing your confidence inspires confidence in others.

If you let your team know that you believe in their abilities, they tend to believe in their own abilities as well.

3. Commitment

Managers are directly answerable to their employers. While managers should have distinct career goals, their main goals should align with the needs of the company. This requires a great amount of commitment.

As with confidence, demonstrating your commitment helps others remain committed. It shows that you believe in a cause, which makes it easier for employees to buy into the company’s vision.

This often brings out the best in employees. It allows them to concentrate their efforts on common goals instead of focusing on promoting their own agendas.

4. Communication

Managers that cannot communicate may find it difficult to get others to complete tasks. Good communication is one of the most important behaviors required to be an effective manager.

You need to communicate instructions, feedback, and the goals of the company. Without good communication, your employees may fail to understand their roles and responsibilities. It also helps managers understand their own responsibilities based on the needs of the company.

Communication is also about listening to others. A good manager actively listens to team members and hears their concerns. Strong communication skills allow a manager to understand the needs of their employees.

5. Honesty

A good manager is honest and shows integrity. As managers should lead by example, honesty is an important trait. When you remain honest, you inspire the rest of your team to be more truthful and open.

If your team stops believing that you are telling the truth, they may stop listening to your advice or instructions. This makes you less effective as a manager.

Always lead with honesty. When a challenge arises, avoid trying to downplay its significance. By giving your team honest answers, they gain the information needed to help find a solution.

6. Focus

Managers need the ability to remain focused on objectives. There are many moving parts in any company which may distract a manager, including team conflicts, delays, and other challenges.

To keep things moving forward, a manager needs to be able to work around these distractions.

A manager needs to be able to multitask without getting too distracted from their primary tasks. You may need to manage team members, attend meetings, and handle dozens of other responsibilities.

If you cannot remain focused while juggling these various components, you may experience greater setbacks.

According to a study involving people in leadership positions, efficiency is mostly determined by your ability to stay focused on tasks and goals. You need to remain aware of the big picture while paying attention to the smaller details.

Read more: How to Sell Yourself for a Management Position

7. Openness

The positive attributes of a great manager include openness. A great manager needs to be open to ideas and feedback.

Managers with an open-door policy tend to inspire greater trust and confidence in their subordinates. You are more likely to maintain higher morale and team commitment by allowing others to openly share their suggestions.

Openness also results in greater flexibility. Managers that stay open to ideas tend to adapt to easier to change. This gives you the ability to quickly shift direction when an obstacle arises instead of becoming overwhelmed by the challenge.

8. Awareness

Good managers need to be aware of the small details in everything, from details related to current projects to the needs of their employees. Managers should keep their eyes and ears open to avoid being the last person aware of issues that lead to setbacks or challenges.

Along with paying attention to deadlines and the progress of the current project, managers need to pay attention to the performance of each employee.

Remain aware of who is struggling and who is excelling. By identifying the challenges that your team members face, you can provide them with greater support.

9. Optimism

One of the most common traits of a good manager is optimism. If you are pessimistic about your abilities or the abilities of your team, you are less likely to achieve success. Pessimism keeps people from striving to perform at their best.

To inspire greater confidence and efficiency, always remain positive. Look for the silver lining when you face challenges.

Most workplaces suffer from occasional failures. How you address the failure directly impacts the ability of your team to quickly recover from the setback.

For example, setbacks are often learning experiences. Encourage your team members to embrace their failures and use them to improve their skills.

10. Delegation

Delegation is one of the main skills companies look for in managers. Your primary role as a manager is assigning tasks to teams and individual team members.

A common problem that managers face is the desire to handle everything on their own. A successful manager knows when to let someone else take over.

You are rarely going to be the most capable person for every task. Instead of taking on too much work, delegate tasks.

Delegating is not always easy. You need to understand the strengths of your employees. This allows you to delegate based on effectiveness instead of playing favorites.

11. Perseverance

Managers frequently need to work under pressure, which requires a high level of perseverance. When an obstacle occurs, you need to have the strength to not let the pressure overwhelm your decision-making process.

Perseverance refers to your ability to maintain a course of action, even when things get tough. As with many other traits associated with great managers, perseverance rubs off on others.

If you can handle the pressure of the situation, your team gains the confidence to deal with the pressure as well.

When a challenge arises, try to avoid losing your cool. Evaluate the situation honestly and openly to try to find a suitable solution. After you choose the best path forward, remain committed to your decision.

12. Motivation

Managers need to stay motivated to help others stay motivated. Motivated managers tend to help increase employee engagement. Your passion for your job helps others stay engaged and interested in their work.

Without motivation, employees become less productive. Unproductivity leads to mistakes, slower progress, and decreased morale.

Instead of staying focused on their responsibilities, your employees may waste more time surfing the internet or talking about non-work matters.

Always start your day with a positive attitude to increase your motivation. When you start feeling unproductive, take a short break. You cannot keep your team motivated if you start to slack off.

13. Organization

A successful manager needs good organizational skills to handle their various responsibilities. Staying organized helps projects stay on track and reduces the risk of unforeseen obstacles.

There are also many hidden benefits of staying organized, including less stress.

When you stay organized, you are less likely to become overwhelmed with your day-to-day responsibilities. You know what to expect from the day, which can also make it easier to handle setbacks as they occur.

Showing your organizational skills also builds trust with team members and upper management. It demonstrates your aptitude for your role, which leads others to trust your abilities.

14. Creativity

Out of the qualities of effective managers, creativity is one of the most overlooked. However, managers need creativity to think outside of the box. They occasionally need to come up with creative solutions to existing problems.

Creativity is an essential part of problem-solving. It helps you explore situations from multiple perspectives and find unlikely ways to resolve issues. This creativity also fosters a healthier work environment by encouraging others to use their creativity.

If you encourage creativity in your team members, they develop greater trust in their ability to succeed. It inspires them to use their own creativity to produce better results.

15. Empathy

Managers need to empathize with their team members. By understanding their emotions, you can become more effective at communicating your needs and solving their problems. This helps build even more trust and commitment.

Studies show that empathy boosts productivity. It helps you learn more about what motivates your team members. You also uncover their greatest concerns and weaknesses.

Discovering these details improves your ability to delegate tasks more efficiently, which naturally leads to greater productivity.

Empathy is also the key to collaboration. You need to read emotions to determine whether your team members remain on the same page, as not everyone verbally expresses their opinions.

16. Responsibility

In the end, responsibility is one of the most important qualities of a great manager. You are responsible for the outcomes of your team and the success of the company.

Companies focus on responsibility when hiring managers. If you have demonstrated irresponsible behavior, a company is less likely to entrust you with the management of others.

Managers should set positive examples for team members. When you show irresponsible decision-making, others may follow your lead, which is something that companies want to avoid.

You have a responsibility to yourself to remain honest and open. Demonstrating responsibility also means accepting blame when necessary and admitting to your own shortcomings.

Conclusion – What Qualities Do Companies Look for in Managers?

What companies look for in managers is great qualities and skills that include decisiveness, commitment, strong communication, people management, and leadership.

A manager has dual roles. They need to focus on meeting the objectives of the company while actively managing one or more teams.  Managers are intermediaries between upper management and individual employees.

The roles require managers to carry out the needs of the company and bring out the best qualities of their employees.  To focus on company goals, a manager needs dedication and commitment.

However, they also need to be attentive to the needs and concerns of their employees. This involves communication and mindfulness.

In the end, being a good manager is not something that will come overnight. You need to continue to analyze your best and worst qualities and constantly strive to improve your skills.

Was this article helpful? What other qualities and skills companies look for in managers? Please let us know in the comments below

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