Seven pieces of advice from an experienced manager

Are you a new manager, recently promoted and lacking experience? Or are you an old hand in such a role but just want to remind yourself of some basic leadership advice? The following text offers seven tips based on years of management experience of the author of the original article; these will help you avoid unnecessary mistakes resulting from a lack of such leadership experience.

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These tips were provided by manager and entrepreneur Rune Sovndahl for the Business Matters website.

Tip 1: When recruiting, focus on the personal traits of the candidate

When putting together your team, focus not only on the hard skills of the candidate but also their soft skills. Primarily, you need to find out whether the candidate is a fit for the current team and if their personal attitude corresponds to the values of the company.

Tip 2: Do not be afraid to have people more competent than yourself in the team

Many managers dread the idea of having someone in their team who is in some way more able or knowledgeable than they themselves. Do not be afraid of your subordinate employees replacing you and try to have as competent people as possible in your team.

Tip 3: Praise hard-working team members

Hard work should not go unnoticed. Publicly praise team members who go one step further in order to help the team reach the common goal.

Tip 4: Do not jump to conclusions

One of the most difficult and most important tasks of a manager is to listen to their employees, evaluate every situation in an objective manner and, instead of jumping to conclusions too quickly, view situations in their overall context, not just through their own lens.

Tip 5: Present a clear vision to your team

Your team must have a clear vision and a clearly communicated goal in front of their eyes. This is the task of the team leader.

Tip 6: Do not be overly conservative

The fact that a certain method has worked for many years does not mean it will work forever. Times are changing and you must keep track of these changes. Do not be conservative; instead, be prepared to change your methods and procedures based on a new situation.

Tip 7: Teach subordinates to make best use of their mistakes

A leader should serve as a role model. They must show team members how to deal with mistakes that will inevitably happen from time to time and how to turn such mistakes into opportunities.

 

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Article source Business Matters - website of a leading British magazine for small and medium sized companies
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