If you’re looking to progress into the next step of your career, you need to build on your leadership skills. Most senior positions involve a degree of leadership and management. You will need to send reports to the company directors and keep track of your team members. As you move through your career, it’s important to look for development opportunities. Here are a few skills companies look out for.
People management skills
People management includes communication, trust and patience. These are mainly soft skills that you will naturally develop over time as you grow and mature. However, you should also take proactive steps to improve yourself through training workshops and courses. You could use a leadership assessment service to find out which skills you need to improve on.
People management skills will make you a better leader, and ultimately, a better boss. You will be able to communicate with your team effectively and keep them motivated throughout the day. It takes time and dedication to hone these skills. It’s not something you can simply learn in an hour or two. Soft skills often come from lived experiences and development opportunities.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the skills involved in people management.
Trust
There needs to be trust between you and your team. Your employees should be able to talk to you about any issues they are facing at work to resolve them together. Trust is built over time and through your reputation. Employees should respect you, and you should trust them to take responsibility for their work. Trust will help your team to grow and succeed in the long run.
Motivation
A good leader needs to motivate and inspire their team. Work can be tedious and stressful. Everyone needs something to strive towards when they are struggling to stay motivated. You could hold one to one goal-setting sessions with each employee. Write down what they want to achieve in the short and long term, and use these goals to motivate them.
Patience
Managing a team requires a lot of patience and empathy. Remember that your employees have personal lives too, and sometimes work isn’t their priority. You need to be patient with them and accept that things don’t always happen as quickly as you want. Patience is also important with difficult employees who can be hot-headed and unprofessional at times. It is your responsibility to be calm and professional in these times. After all, you are the model employee they look up to.
Problem-solving
It is your job to solve problems and keep the business running. You need a solution focussed attitude and a lot of patience to do this. Things go wrong all the time in the business industry, and you need to know how to handle those situations.
Start working on your management skills now, so you’re ready for the big promotion in a few years time.