4 Must-Have Qualities of a Good Business Manager

Most business managers are hard working individuals who want to achieve success, but not many are able to accomplish this. At the end of the day, everyone is judged based on the outcome they generate and not on the number of hours they work in a week. There are some traits that are common to all the accomplished leaders in the business world and these traits can be emulated by others to transition into good managers. 

1. Understanding the Team: 

A good manager knows that no matter how talented an individual is, it is ultimately the team effort that can get the work done quickly and more efficiently. While it is good for a leader to hone her skills and develop as a person, it is equally important to have the ability to understand her team. 

Even if each member of a team is performing the same task, there will be a difference in how each individual member works. A good business manager should know her team well in order to employ their special skills for the accomplishment of the goal. Just as the skills of each individual are different, so are their motivations. A leader who understands her team should be in a position to devise a motivation strategy that is tailored to the individual needs of her team members. 

According to Harvard Business Review, understanding the uniqueness of each employee saves time. If a manager forces an introvert to build relationships with customers, it could lead to mediocre results and a frustrated member of the team. Instead, if the leader identifies the natural talents of her team and assigns each one of them tasks accordingly, it could mean a higher standard of achievement, and a happy and exciting atmosphere at the office. 

2. Self-Awareness and Self-Confidence: 

Every leader, no matter what stage she has reached in her career, will have moments of self-doubt. A business manager who is self-aware will be in a better position to overcome these moments of weakness and take on new challenges with relative ease.  

A team will be able to perform a task better if the leader exudes confidence. This firm belief in a strategy or a plan by the business manager will motivate the team to give it their best, and they will be more willing to adapt to the situation when things don’t pan out as originally planned. 

Being a confident business manager also has additional perks. According to a study by Stanford Graduate School of Business, women who are “aggressive, assertive, and confident,” but know when to tone done on these aspects of their personality, have higher chances to get promoted when compared to other men and women. Female leaders who can show their dominant side and have a self-monitor to make sure their behavior doesn’t go overboard to create a backlash have the potential to reach upper management. 

3. Perseverance: 

If there is one character trait that is common among all good business managers, it is perseverance. The market place is in a constant state of flux with unpredictable changes. A leader should be prepared to face these unexpected changes and persevere until success is achieved. 

There have been many studies that evaluate how men and women react to unexpected changes. These gender studies are often too generalized. According to Forbes, female leaders should be ready to face gender biases, but they should also know that each individual is different and has the ability to succeed. 

In most cases, it is not the knowledge, the ability, or the connections that ultimately determines which leader succeeds. The business manager who has grit will be able to face multiple adversities and still manage to come out on top. Having grit will not only inspire the manager’s team members, it will also come in handy in other situations like interacting with investors to raise funds. 

4. Ability to Take Risks: 

Taking reckless risk in an uncertain market conditions is like gambling. However, taking calculated risks is what good managers do. A company that has the culture of taking bold and unexpected steps will have a strong chance to capture more market share than those that are stuck doing this the same way for decades. 

Innovation happens only when the employees are allowed to experiment and find new ways of doing things. The only challenge is that most people fear failure, especially in a company that only rewards those who succeed and the organizational culture doesn’t accept failures. 

According to a blog post by Harvard Business School, if a company has a culture that accepts failure as a part of a learning process, the employees will become fearless in voicing their ideas. Such an atmosphere will also make personnel feel more valued because their creative suggestions to solve a business problem is recognized by their manager.