5 Soft Skills Great Managers Transfer to Team Members

Great managers achieve their position in a team for many reasons.

Often, these employees have crucial technical skills that are essential to the work that they do. They may have the background knowledge that benefits the organization or unique talents that will help the enterprise reach its goals.

However, managers also have a selection of crucial soft skills that are essential too.

 

The soft skills that your managers have, from their ability to prioritize tasks to their
passion for proper time management, make them efficient in their roles.

However, these skills can improve company culture too.

That’s because the people in your workforce look towards their managers for insights on
how to act and what to do. If your leaders are always demonstrating essential soft skills, then
those proficiencies are sure to rub off on your employees too.

 

#1 Creative and Strategic Problem Solving

 

Frequently, managers are required to solve crucial problems in the workplace. Sometimes, they’ll need to figure out a new way of completing a task when the usual method doesn’t deliver results.

In other occasions, a manager might need to come up with ways to delight a particularly complex customer who wants things doing in a very specific way.

Often, leaders will need to think quickly and strategically to respond to challenges. The employees in your team will be able to witness how your manager responds to each challenge that comes their way, and what they do to thrive in difficult situations.

Managers need to be able to show their workforce that they’re not overwhelmed by challenges.

The Harvard Business Review suggests that most people struggle with strategic thinking because they don’t have enough time to practice it. Some supervisors could even consider talking their employees through difficult situations and asking for group assistance when coming up with solutions to problems.

 

#2 Adaptability

 

Change is the only constant in both life and business. When the seas get stormy in your workforce and things look worrisome, your teams will be looking to their leaders for guidance.

Managers need to be able to adapt quickly and take changes in stride.

If managers can force themselves to be optimistic and forward-thinking when changes come, this is sure to rub off on the workforce. Whenever your team faces a challenge, they need to see a manager that’s happy to see the silver lining, and ready to embrace the issue.

Managers should be encouraged to be transparent with their employees about everything that happens in an organization.

At the same time, as leaders of their team, it’s up to managers to make sure that employees understand why a specific route is being taken, while still being open-minded to new suggestions.

Allowing employees to step in and offer their own solutions nurtures creativity in the workforce.

 

#3 Respect and Collaboration

 

There’s more to being a good leader than getting everyone to follow the rules and do as they’re told. Disagreements are inevitable in any business environment. However, good leaders know how to treat others with kindness and respect in any situation.

If managers show that they can continue to work collaboratively and with respect for their teams, even when they disagree with them on certain topics, this will cultivate a better atmosphere in the workplace.

Other employees will learn that they can disagree with their peers, and still get work done through compromise and proper teamwork.

Managers can even teach their team members how to overcome issues through meaningful discussions with their colleagues.

Sometimes, avoiding issues in the workplace may even be as simple as helping employees to know when they should take a break and a breather.

 

#4 Time Management and Organization

 

Often, when people think about being organized, they envision clean workspaces and color-coded files. However, there’s more to being well-prepared in an office than this.

Managers keep a tidy office, but they also clean up their schedules too. They know which projects they need to focus on first, and how to make sure that they’re going to achieve their deadlines.

Leaders in a team environment need to show their peers how important it is to keep track of what they’re doing each day.

Make sure that employees know how to prioritize the most important tasks first, and when to ask for help when they need it from other members of staff.

Sometimes, it may even be valuable for employees to use tools like time management software and other applications to get their workflow up to scratch.

 

#5 Effective Communication

 

Finally, the best managers aren’t silent forces at the back of a team, sending out the occasional email to make sure that projects get done.

Effective managers know that they need to regularly check-up with their employees and communicate. They keep the lines of conversation open by allowing team members to come into their office and ask questions when necessary.

At the same time, supervisors and business leaders need to ensure that there are plenty of ways for people to communicate in the office, from in-person meetings to group chat on the internet, and even video conferencing.

If everyone is encouraged to speak freely and communicate consistently, the flow of knowledge in the workforce will benefit.

You may even find that more creative ideas are shared in the workplace because staff members feel comfortable offering up their ideas.

 

Measuring the Impact of Soft Skills

 

The impact that managers have by transferring soft skills to their employees can be measured in more than just increased morale.

Using dedicated business software, you can even track improvements in efficiency, motivation levels, and more. Companies can even use their software to track down the roadblocks in their path to success and examine friction points in the workflow.

Measuring your employees’ increasing productivity and efficiency will help you to determine whether your management style is having the right impact and driving the results you need. This way, companies can determine whether they need to pivot to a new way of motivating and supporting their employees.