14 Qualities Of A Good Manager (And Why They Are Important)

Updated 30 September 2022

A manager is a team leader who inspires team members to deliver their best work. They employ many soft and hard skills to perform their duties, which include delegating work, conducting evaluations, overseeing routine operations and helping their team to align its efforts with organisational goals. If you are interested in understanding the impact of a good manager in a workplace, then learning about their qualities can help you better understand their role in a company's success. In this article, we list various qualities of a good manager and discuss the importance of these attributes.

14 Qualities Of A Good Manager

Here are some qualities of a good manager, along with why these attributes are important:

1. Communication

When supervising project tasks, it is crucial for a manager to ensure clear communication so that all members of the team understand their duties well. These professionals realise the importance of promoting open communication in the team and facilitating a workplace environment where team members feel confident in asking questions. A manager's effective communication can result in more productive and successful projects. Proficiency in using different communication forms such as text messages, emails, telephone calls and in-person conversations can help team leaders communicate with team members, clients and other stakeholders.

2. Relationship building

The ability of a manager to connect with others can help them build strong, cordial and positive workplace relationships. These skills help managers establish credibility and build a strong team where all members support each other. Apart from encouraging collaboration, managers with strong relationship-building skills can understand the significance of empathy and recognise the feelings of others. These skills also help them network effectively, which can help them meet new people, exchange ideas and discover new opportunities. A good manager also acknowledges the perspectives and opinions of others without any judgement.

3. Emotional intelligence

When managers are emotionally aware, they tend to exercise sensitivity and fairness in the workplace. With their emotional intelligence, they can quickly recognise the factors that may be affecting the performance of their team members, like conflicts between colleagues and physical or mental exhaustion. This awareness may enable them to determine why a team member is feeling stressed and offer an appropriate response. Managers with emotional intelligence can be more compassionate towards team members and effectively build a supportive workplace environment.

4. Organisation

Managers require the ability to manage various projects simultaneously. Their strong organisational skills allow them to monitor correspondence, implement project plans, assess key performance indicators (KPIs) and accomplish other administrative tasks. Their organisational skills can enable them to think strategically, identify potential challenges, improve team efficiency and implement solutions. An organised manager can also effectively prioritise their work and guide team members to focus on the most important tasks to deliver urgent tasks.

5. Work ethic

A strong work ethic can help them inculcate dedication and accountability in the team. Managers who work ethically are more likely to perform tasks better, build stronger professional relationships and motivate team members. It can also help them foster productivity and collaboration among team members. With a strong work ethic, a manager can contribute to achieving the company's business goals and advancing their own career goals. Honesty, humility and integrity are some essential aspects of a manager's work ethic.

6. Positivity

When managers remain positive, they can manage complex situations easily and influence the workplace environment positively. This can inspire other team members to improve their outlook and innovate. Their optimism can signify their confidence in themself and their team members. Managers who are positive and show passion for the objectives of an organisation can effectively lead their teams by example. This can allow them to motivate others, create a positive workplace culture and promote work-life balance for team members.

7. Teamwork

A manager who can facilitate teamwork can help improve the team's efficiency, communication and motivation. Managers with teamwork skills usually work well with others and encourage their team members to contribute positively to the growth of the team and the organisation. Good managers inspire their teams to work together and take responsibility for their assigned work. When they promote teamwork, managers can ensure higher morale and creative thinking. It is also vital for managers to stay aware of the team dynamics and leverage them effectively to help team members work together.

8. Conflict resolution

Leading an efficient team generally requires focusing on positive connections between team members and the team's relationships with other departments. Managers may require conflict resolution skills to resolve disputes between two or more team members. A conflict may also occur between their team member and a customer or a client.

To solve such problems, managers utilise their resolution and negotiation abilities. This helps them to identify challenges, resolve them quickly, give solutions that align with the interests of all stakeholders and improve relationships between the parties. Good managers are also usually adept at understanding the beliefs of different people and can devise appropriate solutions accordingly.

9. Goal-oriented

Good managers possess the ability to establish achievable goals and develop strategies to meet those goals. One of the approaches they utilise is setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based (SMART) goals. With this SMART framework, managers can create strategic and measurable plans. They are also usually adept at dividing larger goals into smaller tasks. This allows them to help their teams accomplish long-term projects. Task-oriented managers can inspire their team members to remain focused and complete tasks within deadlines. Delegation, time management and communication are some key abilities that help managers stay result-oriented.

110. Growth mindset

Managers who have a growth mindset believe in the process of continuous learning. They take different actions to gain new skills and improve their weaknesses. A manager with a growth mindset can find new opportunities that help their team find opportunities. Such managers realise that obstacles are an opportunity to learn and grow. With this quality, they can continue delivering their best even when they experience setbacks. A good manager is capable, resilient and can focus on self-development, accept feedback and remain flexible in their approach.

11. Problem-solving

Recognising and solving problems quickly can be a vital quality of a good manager. Besides possessing industry and job-specific technical skills to address work issues, they also utilise other soft skills related to problem-solving, like research, decision-making and analysis.

Research helps managers to determine the source of a problem by gathering more information about the issue. With analysis, they can fully comprehend the situation to suggest practical solutions. By employing problem-solving and decision-making skills, they can take appropriate actions that may solve the problem. These skills also enable them to evaluate the scale of the challenge and the impact of the solution.

12. Trustworthiness

A good manager is a leader team members can trust to make decisions in their best interest. When team members trust their manager, it can result in a work environment where both the manager and the team members are mutually supportive and can depend on each other. When leaders trust their team members, it can increase the morale of the team and promotes mutual respect. A team that trusts and respects its manager may also perform better. A manager's trustworthiness also includes respecting the privacy and decisions of their team members.

13. Adaptability

The tasks, goals and responsibilities of different team members can often be dynamic. When a manager is flexible, they can better adjust to these changing expectations and circumstances. They may also prefer making decisions based on specific situations over following rigid protocols. Flexibility and creative problem-solving can help managers manage team members, achieve deadlines and optimise workflows. Their adaptability skills include improvising, staying curious and utilising technology to simplify task allocation and monitoring. Observation and persistence are some other vital adaptability skills.

14. Recognition

A good manager regularly praises their team members and recognises their achievements to make them feel valued. This can enhance the morale of the group, increase team participation and promote growth-oriented company culture. A good manager remains consistent and unbiased with recognition and finds relevant opportunities to appreciate the work of their team members.

For instance, they can mention the name of the person who has achieved the maximum number of team goals at a meeting. Similarly, they may recognise and celebrate the achievements of their team members by implementing other innovative employee recognition ideas, such as announcing employee of the month awards.

14 Qualities Of A Good Manager (And Why They Are Important)