We’ve all had what could be considered a bad manager. A manager who plonks piles of “urgent” tasks on our desks, without giving any guidance or direction on how those projects should be handled. A manager who doesn’t care to check in with their team to provide support, or even give encouragement for a job well done. Worse, they fail to enquire with team members about their current workloads before insisting they drop everything and finish that report, yesterday. This type of management style does not help teams succeed; instead, it hinders them.
On the flipside, a good manager does all possible to understand how the team members in their charge work, by uncovering what makes them tick, and learning how best to motivate them. It doesn’t matter if they’ve obtained a fancy management degree, a leadership qualification, or a graduate diploma in business administration online; if their emotional intelligence is not where it needs to be, they’re not fit to lead.
Say, like me, you’ve ever been on the receiving end of poor management, you may well be asking yourself: “Could I be better at this management thing than they are?”
If you’re curious about the answer, stay with us as we take you through the telling signs that could indicate a career in management is the right fit for you.
Sign # 1: Your Emotional Intelligence is High
If we’re aiming to be good managers, the reality is that we need to care about the people beneath us. Genuine empathy for our team members is what makes us approachable, supportive and competent at managing a team.
Importantly, empathy is not a skill that can be learned by studying a management degree; it’s innate. And it comes down to our emotional intelligence: being able to tune into and comprehend the emotional cues displayed by those around us is key to being a good manager.
But emotional intelligence is more than just understanding emotional cues. It also means having self-awareness and being attuned to the effects that our behaviour – and composure – have on others. Stress, for instance, can be contagious. If your manager is running around like a headless chicken, huffing, puffing and hyperventilating about an overdue task that’s slipped through the cracks, this will surely have a flow-on effect on the team. A calm, controlled manager, on the other hand, who keeps their composure when things go awry, sets the tone for how to handle situations that require urgent attention.
Sign # 2: You Can Adapt Your Management Style
As mentioned earlier, being able to competently manage teams is contingent on our ability to understand our team members and how they work best. It means tuning in to the management styles they respond to, whether that’s positive reinforcement, structured project planning, or flexible workflows, and adapting our management style to suit them.
Of course, it also helps to understand some of the different management styles that exist before attempting to figure out which one is best suited to each of your team members. Yes, this is where your degree in management will come in handy: likely, you’ll also learn about different team member personality types and how each management style can be adapted to suit them.
Sign # 3: You’re Ready to Push Yourself
Let’s be honest: sometimes, taking a step up is selfishly motivated. But to be real, there’s nothing wrong with a little shameless self-promotion. The reality is that you need to push yourself to progress in both your career and your personal life.
But, if you’re ready to take the next step, be sure to ask yourself: “Am I ready to take on the extra responsibility?” Managing a team is not just about caring for the staff members you’re in charge of; you also need to look after your own well-being. Management can be a high-pressure role, especially as you’ll be the person people look to when things go wrong.
So be honest with yourself: if you’re thinking you might not be able to handle the additional pressure, you may be correct. But if you’re keen to take on a new challenge, it could be time to finally push yourself and step up into that management position.
If you’ve ever considered a career in management, it’s time to tune in to the signs that indicate it could be the right move. Are you emotionally intelligent, highly adaptable and motivated? Do you genuinely care about other people, and learning how to help them work best?
Reaching your full potential as a manager brings a raft of rewards – recognition, respect, financial benefit – that often outweigh the pressure of the extra responsibility you’ll be taking on.
