Transform Into a Top-Notch Manager: Adopt These 10 Game-Changing Habits!

Being a great manager requires more than just completing tasks and overseeing projects. It involves developing successful habits that drive high performance, identifying and clearing obstacles, streamlining processes, and establishing efficient feedback systems. Effective management is an art that demands a focus on intricate details to optimize team performance.

Whether you're a seasoned manager, a new appointee, or aspiring to become one, cultivating daily habits can help you achieve success in your role. By adopting these habits, you can improve your management skills and become a highly effective manager.

1. Don't shy away from discussions.

Effective managers encourage open and honest discussions among their employees, even if it means engaging in debates or challenging existing assumptions. They understand that allowing their team members to explore ideas and own their decisions can lead to better outcomes and foster a sense of transparency within the organization. By creating a safe and supportive environment for employees to express their opinions, successful managers can help them understand their roles better and foster their personal and professional growth. Asking thoughtful questions and encouraging brainstorming can help team members tackle problems with an open mindset, ultimately leading to more innovative and successful solutions.

2. Make promising opportunities available to your team members.

To be a great manager, it's important to invest in the careers of your team members. This means understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and personal goals, and then delegating projects that align with these factors. By doing so, you demonstrate your attentiveness to your employees' growth and development, and offer opportunities for them to further their careers. Effective managers aren't just there to cheer their team on; they actively assist their employees in shaping their professional paths.

3. Know when to give feedback.

It's natural for managers to want to provide feedback as soon as possible, but it's important to consider whether the employee is ready to receive it. Taking a moment to ask how they prefer to receive feedback can help create a positive environment for the conversation. Effective managers prioritize their team's well-being by checking in with them first, which can help them better process the feedback and be more open to it. By doing this, managers can ensure that their feedback is well-received and has a positive impact on their team's performance.

4. Emphasize building connections.

As a company grows, it becomes increasingly challenging for managers to maintain strong connections between their teams. However, effective managers understand the importance of building and strengthening those connections. They recognize opportunities to promote collaboration and communication within their teams.

By encouraging their employees to think beyond their individual responsibilities, great managers inspire them to achieve excellence in their work. They provide valuable feedback and offer context to help their team members understand how their contributions fit into the larger picture.

Additionally, top-notch managers work to create an environment where team members feel comfortable brainstorming, collaborating, and sharing ideas. They strive to ensure that their employees feel valued and appreciated, highlighting how each individual's work contributes to the team's success and ultimately, the success of the company.

5. Make time for creative thinking.

As a manager, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of overseeing your team, leaving little room for innovation and creative thinking. To be an effective manager, it's important to dedicate time specifically for out-of-the-box thinking. This means setting aside regular meetings solely focused on generating and evaluating new ideas, improving processes, and promoting innovation.

By creating an environment that encourages brainstorming and collaboration, managers can bring attention to non-urgent matters, kickstart new projects, and foster a culture of innovation within their team. Additionally, this type of creative thinking can enhance problem-solving and decision-making skills, leading to better outcomes for the team and organization as a whole. Don't let the daily grind of management stifle your team's potential – make time for creative thinking and watch the possibilities unfold.

6. Create an effective onboarding guide.

As a manager, providing an onboarding guide to new recruits is a valuable way to demonstrate that you value their role in the organization. This guide should include essential information such as the team's preferred working styles, day-to-day processes, and other critical details. By providing this guide, new team members will gain a clear understanding of their daily tasks and responsibilities from the outset, which can significantly improve their productivity.

If you're seeking to expand your team, taking the extra step of sharing the onboarding guide with top candidates during the interview process can foster psychological safety, trust, and transparency. It shows candidates that your organization values transparency and cares about their success within the team, which can lead to higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction.

7. Monthly reflections are a game-changer.

Month reflections can be an invaluable tool for managers to stay on top of their responsibilities and maintain progress toward their goals. As a manager's workload increases and targets evolve, taking time to reflect on accomplishments, areas for improvement and strategies for moving forward can help ensure that they and their team are on track.

One effective way to implement monthly reflections is by scheduling one-on-one meetings with each team member. During these meetings, encourage your team members to reflect on three things they did well during the previous month, as well as three areas where they could improve in the coming month. By regularly discussing these successes and challenges, you can help your team members stay motivated and focused on achieving their objectives.

8. Remember to treat your team with empathy and respect.

As a manager, it's important to focus on achieving goals and meeting targets. However, it's equally important to remember that the people on your team are human beings with their own needs, emotions, and lives outside of work. Effective managers understand that treating team members humanely is essential to maintaining a happy and productive workplace.

Rather than prioritizing deadlines and targets over the well-being of employees, great managers make an effort to understand and support their team members. They create an environment that fosters growth and development, and they encourage open communication and feedback. When employees feel seen and heard, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in their work, which in turn leads to better performance and results. By treating your team members with empathy and respect, you'll not only be a better manager but also create a more positive and fulfilling workplace for everyone involved.

9. Embrace mistakes.

It's inevitable that mistakes will happen, especially when trying new approaches. As a leader, it's important to view mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning. When your team messes up, it's important to approach the situation calmly and collaboratively.

Rather than assigning blame, take the time to explain what went wrong and work together to come up with a plan to prevent it from happening again. Remember to start with positive feedback, such as praising a quality of an employee, before offering constructive criticism. This approach can soften the blow and help employees feel supported, rather than demotivated.

Finally, it's crucial to communicate to your employees that you trust their decisions and are willing to help them navigate potential failures. When employees feel that their manager has their back, they're more likely to take risks and innovate. So, embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth and build a culture of trust and support within your team.

10. Invest in elevating your team's skills.

Exceptional managers understand the importance of continuous improvement. To become one, make it a priority to regularly assess the craft skills of your team members that set them apart from others in their field.

Encourage your employees to attend conferences or workshops, organize team-wide coaching sessions, or schedule personal development opportunities. By investing in your team's growth, you demonstrate a commitment to their success and the success of the organization. Successful managers prioritize up-skilling their team members over outsourcing, as they understand that a highly skilled team is essential for achieving long-term success.

In summary, there is no guaranteed blueprint for becoming a highly effective manager. However, by implementing consistent, small adjustments to your management style based on the tips provided, you can create a stronger, more efficient, and more productive team. It's important to keep in mind that a manager's success heavily relies on the performance of their team. Therefore, building a strong, capable team is the initial key to becoming a great manager.