In today’s highly competitive business environment, being an effective manager requires a diverse set of skills. As such, if you have just been appointed to a managerial position or are currently serving as a manager and want to improve in this capacity, you should read the following from Alice Harrison.

Managing your time

To accomplish your business objectives, you will have to be focused. You can’t be easily distracted by things that are not pertinent. To become more focused, you should:

• Start your day by writing down your goals for the day in order of importance and thinking about the best ways to accomplish them

• Figure out what has to be done immediately and put that at the top of your list. For tasks that don’t have to be done immediately, try to pick times in the day when it will be easiest to accomplish them according to your schedule

• Knock the jobs off your list one at a time and don’t think too much about what’s coming up

In addition, it can be hard to ignore a stack of work when you first enter the office, but take some time to get settled each morning. If you rush, you will get frantic and probably make mistakes. Also, make sure to take breaks between accomplishing tasks. This will help your brain to reset and stay fresh throughout the day. For more detailed advice on how to manage your time effectively, read these tips from Entrepreneur magazine.

Keeping your team on track

If you ever hope to accomplish anything in your role as a manager, then you will have to figure out how to keep your team on track. This means setting reasonable goals for those under your leadership. In addition, you will need to stay aware of reports that are due on a recurring basis (daily, monthly, yearly, etc.) and make sure that they are completed on time.

Without being annoying, try to create ways to remind yourself and your team of deadlines. One way to do this is by creating a large calendar and placing it in an area that allows your whole team to see it. Mark all the important events and upcoming deadlines on it to ensure that everyone stays in the loop.

Also, just check with your team from time to time to see how they are doing on their projects. If it seems that they will have trouble meeting a deadline, offer to help. Doing so will ensure that work gets done on time and make your team respect you as a good leader.

Motivating your team

As a manager, you will have to motivate your team to be successful and reach your business objectives. One of the best ways to motivate your team is to set a good example. If you are helpful and hard working, then your employees will see this and feel guilty about slacking off. However, if you tend to take it easy and only boss others around, your team will probably have no qualms about being lazy and doing the absolute minimum to get by. In addition, your employees may even throw you under the bus at the first chance they get.

Also, to motivate your team, take an interest in their lives. Ask how they are doing both inside and outside the office. If you are able to build a real friendship with your employees, they will start to respect you as a manager and be motivated to follow your lead.

Communicating effectively

If you are going to be directing others in what to do, you will need to be able to communicate effectively. This means being assertive and clear about the ideas you are trying to get across, regardless of if you are communicating with a customer, the big boss or other employees. To do this you will need to practice your skills in the areas of:

• Speaking

• Writing

• Listening

Developing your speaking and writing skills will help those you are trying to reach understand you quickly. However, communicating is not a one-way street. As such, building better listening skills will assist you in understanding the needs of those you are working with better. Overall, having good communication skills will help you:

• Build better relationships

• Resolve problems more quickly

• Resolve problems more effectively

This article does not include everything you will have to do to be an effective manager. For more advice on this subject, check out this article by Forbes. However, by following the advice in this article, you

will find that it is much easier to handle your position, deal with your employees and obtain your business objectives.  

Alice Harrison  is a writer who works on a freelance basis for Spearhead Training, a leading provider of quality training courses in management, sales and marketing, PA and office support, business skills and specialist FMCG training since 1981