to be able to listen and take critisim and make positive change
So true, and I have found that if I take the time to clearly state my thoughts & vision this in turn helps the team to know expectations. Which, once they know my expectations they are in a better position to offer their thoughts & recommendations, as long as I am listening.
Ryan
Some of the most critical skills in supervising others are patience and listening to the need and recommendations of your team. Many times, a lot of needless energy is wasted when you don't take the time to listen to the needs and concerns of your team. Listening to their needs, being patient, and including their input in the majority of the decision making process goes a long way in improving the work environment.
I believe the most important qualities to supervising others are a few. They must have the ability to remain level headed; be able to listen to eveyones points of view (whether they are a team member or a keypoint person). A leader has to have the ability to influence to benifit others as well as the end result.
I feel it's crucial to KNOW your team and what motivates them. Employees are inspired and will work harder for their leaders if they respect and believe in them..
I love all of the areas you identified, especially your point about the "vivid plan." It is so crucial to have a plan to continue to develop these traits in yourself & others, not just rest on laurels. Great.
Ryan
I believe the most important skills and qualities starts with you. We need to have consistency, good communication, open listening skills, and a vivid plan so these traits can and will build good relationships and teams to lead.
Yes, consistency is so crucial & can quickly make or break you as a leader.
Two that I feel at the top of the list are being consistent in your decision making and communicating well with your team.
Richard,
Great points & both are a crucial part of communicating. Managers too often think their job is to get others to do things rather than listening to their concerns & ideas.
Ryan
As a manager I have found the 2 most important skills are being a good listener and follow through of communications.
A manager that does not listen does not know what his team is thinking.
A manager that can not communicate well with follow up will loose his team on the path to success.
TJ,
Great delineation of the skills needed for managers & also great observation regarding self-management. Often managers are merely high-performing technicians who have been suddenly promoted & so this can be a real struggle.
Ryan
Greisy,
Great thoughts. I appreciate that you put "sometimes directive." I think too many people feel that being supportive & a good listener is contrary to being directive. I believe that you can be effectively directive while still being supportive & truly listening to the other person.
Ryan
The most importan qualities for me are, supportive, be a good listener, sometimes directive, and always keep in mind your company goals
I believe that managers or supervisors need certain skills such as how to delegate, communicate, hire, resolve conflict, and work with difficult people. I think that the first step for people to become excellent supervisors involves their managing themselves.
As a Manager/Leader over the years I feel that the most important thing you can do is to understand your team and know the sign of lost motivation and to include them in future plans for the department or team. We have had a pretty good track record at this and everyone feels like they are part of the successes and will also understand that they are part of the failiers as well. In this way we can move forward no matter what the situation.
I think it is important to be able to read other peoples personalities. You should be able to understand where each employee is coming from to better assist. Recognize that each employee is different and has different needs and wants.
I think it's important to have been in the same position that you are supervising to be able to understand the work your subordinates do. You have a better understanding of the things they have to deal with on a daily basis. You can listen to suggestions and give ideas on how to better do the task at hand. It's important to be creative, reliable and a good leader to be able to guide a group of employees.
Agree. Motivation comes from within. Fundamentally, we can't motivate anyone except ourselves. We can provide incentives, but it's getting to know people and responding to their needs that helps them to develop motivation.
Listening was my first thought, too. I like Covey's fourth habit: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This also ties in with the well-known, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Listening is one of the keys to caring. Many problems are cleared up just by listening and understanding.
