If you’re stepping into a leadership role for the first time, you’ll face a new set of responsibilities that can be difficult to juggle if you’re unprepared. If you’d like to start off on the right foot, our consultants at Plum Leadership Group can help you develop key skills to ensure you’re leading your team with confidence and productivity in mind.
Below, we’ll cover four main management skill fundamentals that will help you succeed as a leader and how you can continue your growth with Plum. Keep reading to learn more!
Effective Communication
Your ability to communicate well is likely one of the reasons you were brought into a management role. However, this type of skill can only be improved upon. You may need to adjust your expectations and methods to ensure you’re able to work within the culture of your organization. Skills like active listening are critical to properly understanding the needs of your new team members. Further, providing definite instructions and speaking clearly will ensure you and your team are on the same page about company policies, upcoming projects, and other important matters.
Setting Clear Expectations
If your employees aren’t sure what’s expected of them in their role, this can cause serious issues with productivity and coherence within your team. You may also see employees feeling discouraged and unmotivated if they’re unaware of the impact their work has on your organization. Setting clear parameters and expectations regarding seniority and capacity will contribute to a more motivated and driven team. You can help set clear expectations by regularly discussing and reviewing your employees’ progress, communicating clear project deadlines and timetables, offering constructive feedback, and holding your team accountable for the work they produce.
Time Management
As a team leader, you are ultimately responsible for the productivity of your team, which will reflect how you spend your time. Leaders who prioritize time management set a good example by showing how they value the quality of their organization’s work, which will encourage team members to show the same attitude. If you struggle with managing your time, some effective techniques include breaking tasks into smaller jobs, delegating tasks to employees with the bandwidth to take on extra work, eliminating distractions, creating a to-do list, and using teamwork software to block out focus time.
Decisiveness
Decision-making is a big part of management, from impactful decisions like hiring new team members to small choices like replacing office chairs. Having the ability to make purposeful and permanent decisions is vital to succeeding in your role. Indecision can cause issues, delays, and missed opportunities and will forge a lack of direction for your team. On the other hand, cultivating decisiveness will help your employees to have confidence in your leadership. Focusing on critical facts in a situation, such as a problem needing to be solved and who it most impacts, will help you to come to a sound decision that removes your personal bias and focuses on what benefits everyone.
Develop Management Skill Fundamentals with Plum
Are you ready to enhance your managerial skills? Our Leadership Development program at Plum Leadership Group will help you focus on the management skill fundamentals needed to succeed as a team leader. Contact us today to learn more about our program and course offerings!
