You’re ready for a new challenge: more autonomy, more responsibility, and a chance to lead and support others. Management seems like a logical next step. But is it the right direction for you?
Managers shape employees’ experiences from their first day on the job. Their actions affect employee engagement, job satisfaction, productivity, performance, resilience, and well-being. All these factors determine how likely an employee is to stay with an organization. They also have a direct impact on an organization’s success, growth, and bottom line.
If you don’t have formal management training, that may sound like a lot to take on. The good news is that, like any skill, management skills can be learned and strengthened over time. First, ask yourself: Is shifting to a management focus something I’ll enjoy and be good at?
Management is a different job
Management means leading people and running the day-to-day work of an organization. Good managers must have a broad range of conceptual, technical, interpersonal, and communication skills. They must be ethical, empathetic, and self-aware. Perhaps most importantly, they must be good coaches who embrace a people-centred approach to their work.
Technical excellence doesn’t necessarily translate into management aptitude. Being a good manager requires different skills than being a good employee because they have different roles in the workplace:
Good employees are strong performers who excel at the work they do. Good managers help other people do good work.
Good employees take direction—both for how they do their work and how they deal with the challenges of their job. Good managers set direction.
Good employees use the resources they’re given wisely and well. Good managers allocate resources, design structures, supervise operations, set goals, and monitor progress.
Get to know the differences between managers and experts.
If you’ve spent years in a technical role, shifting into a more people-focused role may be a welcome change. On the other hand, it may be uncomfortable and take some getting used to.
Is management right for you?
I enjoy coaching others.
I can let go of control.
I can give constructive feedback.
I can handle ambiguity and conflict.
I like solving people-related challenges.
I can balance individual and team needs.
I am comfortable being accountable for team results.
Conceptual skills
Moving into a management role means taking a higher-level view. Managers are responsible for delivering results. They must:
Design strategy, communicate vision, and develop operational plans
Set goals and know when to adjust them
Deal with changing politics and economics
Understand how the different parts of an organization work together
Understand the effect of competitors
Technical skills
Managers coordinate tasks, people, and resources to keep business operations running smoothly. They understand their industry and how it works. They also make sure laws and policies are followed.
Here are some of the technical skills managers need:
Human resources management
Time management
Decision making
Problem solving
Budgeting
Resource allocation and tracking
Performance monitoring and evaluation
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills and communication skills are related. You can’t be good at one without being good at the other.
Coaching
Coaching is the top capability companies expect from managers. Good coaches empower their people and help them learn and grow every day. They remove obstacles, create opportunities, build skills, and support employee success.
Managers coach by encouraging professional development and providing opportunities for new experiences.
People-centred leadership
Good managers are positive and inspirational. They keep their teams motivated in times of crisis or change. They know how to delegate, and they don’t micromanage. Rather, they empower their people and give them space to do their best work.
Managers should aim to set high standards and live up to them. They should be fair, transparent, and consistent. They don’t make excuses for bad performance, and they have the courage to make hard decisions.
What’s the difference between management and leadership?
Leaders are future focused. They inspire, motivate, and set direction.
Managers plan and control day-to-day operations. They handle the systems and processes that turn vision and direction into results.
The lines between leadership and management often overlap. The best managers lead and manage at the same time.
Conflict resolution
Conflict is normal, in life and in the workplace. Managers need to expect conflict and know how to address it before it escalates. They:
Address issues early on. Ignoring conflict creates a culture of avoidance that damages trust, morale, and engagement.
Seek to understand the perspectives of all parties. They are empathetic. They treat people fairly and listen to their concerns.
Focus on solutions and encourage respectful conversations. They guide their teams toward compromise and collaboration.
Trust building and collaboration
Good managers build trusting relationships. They create safe, caring, inclusive workplaces where employees feel valued and supported.
When managers do this well, staff feel confident about sharing their ideas, asking questions, challenging assumptions, taking creative risks, and innovating. They know that making mistakes is part of learning rather than cause for dismissal.
Why engagement is important
Engaged employees feel connected to their company. They are enthusiastic about their work and willing to do more than the minimum required of them. Companies with engaged employees are more productive and more profitable. They have fewer safety incidents, less absenteeism, and lower staff turnover.
Communication skills
Managers should aim to master 4 communication skills:
Championing—motivating team members and leading change
Connecting—developing a shared vision, collaborating, and building community
Coaching—providing honest, constructive feedback
Conversing—sharing information and listening
Clear expectations
Good managers share information freely. They set clear, precise goals. They make sure people know exactly what’s expected of them and how their job contributes to the organization’s success.
Meaningful feedback
Feedback is a 2-way street. Managers should provide their staff with ongoing feedback that helps them learn, grow, solve problems, and perform at their best. At the same time, they should seek and value input from their team.
Good managers are generous with their praise, celebrate their employees’ success, and thank them for their effort.
They also know how to provide constructive criticism when it’s needed—not just at formal performance reviews. Employees want to know when they’re doing something wrong. It’s the manager’s responsibility to tell them and help them correct the problem.
Signs of a bad manager
Most of the behaviours of a bad manager reflect a lack of interpersonal and communication skills:
Micromanagement
Poor communication
Unclear or inconsistent expectations
Failure to share information
Failure to address performance issues
Failure to develop employees
Failure to recognize employees’ contributions
These behaviours can create a toxic workplace.
Personal characteristics
The best managers are:
Emotionally intelligent. This means they are self-aware. They understand how their own emotions and actions affect others, so they think before they act.
Empathetic. They are good listeners who can put themselves in other people’s shoes.
Honest and ethical. They are trustworthy, sincere, and transparent in all their dealings.
Hard-working. They serve as role models and mentors for their teams, leading by example and freely sharing their knowledge and expertise.
Lifelong learners. They keep their technical skills sharp. They also work on their leadership skills, people skills, and emotional intelligence.
If it feels right, go for it!
Not everyone is a good fit for management. Some people are more comfortable with other types of work or less responsibility. Being a manager may also require working longer hours, dealing with bureaucracy, managing change, and working for less pay than technical experts.
On the other hand, it can allow you to make more decisions, build your own team, and make a difference to your company.
If you would like to be a manager but don’t feel like a natural leader, remember that all managers grow into their roles over time. Through experience, training, and mentorship, you can build your skills and confidence on the job.