by Carmel Brulez

Created on: October 24, 2009   Last Updated: November 03, 2009

A good manager needs a mixture of many skills to be successful. He must appear confident so that people feel they can rely on him and trust him. Anyone who dithers and is indecisive will not be a good manager. Sometimes things needs to be worked out or changed or dealt with very quickly. A good manager will also realise that time and motion are important. He cannot spend 2 hours doing what another manager would do in 1 hour. Every time he spends twice as long on a task he has wasted valuable time.

The very best managers find staff to delegate to and do this as much as possible. They realise that the more the staff do the less they have to worry and they have more time to concentrate on tasks which only they can handle. There will be times, unfortunately, where they may not be there, because they are off sick or on holiday, so they cannot make themselves so indispensable that they must be there all the time. If they do that they are making a rod for their own back, as how will the company cope when they are away for a week on holiday then.

A good manager will be able to spot which staff to hire, which staff to retrain, which staff to move to a different department, and which staff to fire. He will also be very good at making decisions quickly and effectively. Spotting problems in the workplace before they happen, when possible, as it is so much easier to put them right before than try to after. He will be approachable so that his staff feel they can talk to him and be honest with him. Some managers are so aloof and snooty that their staff hate him, and this can spoil moral amongst them, which in turn decreases productively, which in turn decreases profit.

Anyone who is thinking of becoming a manager has to ask themselves if they really have what it takes. The idea of being in charge sounds lovely, but it is a huge responsibility and a lot of hard work, it can also mean working long and unsocial hours. Managers have to be willing and able to step in when needed, even on a Sunday or evening. Being a manager can be a very rewarding job and pay well but your employer will want his pound of flesh in return. If you want a job when you work a set number of hours and never have to work overtime or through your lunch hour then this is not for you. If you are ambitious and want to do as well as possible, happy to put your family and social life second, and you have the necessary qualities, then you will do well.

Good managers thrive on hard work, if your boss can see that you are enjoying the challenge and it never phases you you will have a job for life.

Learn more about this author, Carmel Brulez.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.