This is a compilation by our contributor, Mr. Hassan Saeed, Mr. Hassan Saeed is a career hotelier with over 25 years of experience in Maldives tourism and resort operation. He is passionate about behavioral economics and how concepts like ‘Nudge’ can be applied in service settings. Mr. Hassan identifies himself as a lifelong learner. He currently holds the position of Resort Manager at Dhigali Maldives. .
1. Get to know yourself better
The first thing that you need to do is to get to know yourself better. Explore your likes and dislikes and try to find out about your personality. Think about the goals that you would like to reach in the future. Think about how much you relate and interact with others. Once you have discovered all this, it will be easier for you to manage people.
2. Get to know your team better
Another important thing to do in order to become a better Manager is to get to know your team better. No one can reach success on their own and will need a team of people to help you climb up the ladder of success. Identify what the core functions and operational objectives of your team. Think hard about whether or not you have OKRs or KPIs and recognize the level of teamwork displayed by your team.
3. Understand the importance of emotional intelligence
Being a good Manager does not require thinking in only a business perspective. You need to think in many other areas. Such an important one in understanding the importance of emotional intelligence. Be aware of the feelings of people around you and make sure to take that into consideration. Control your own feelings and don’t let your personal thinking overrule your rational decisions.
4, Learn to de-bias your judgement and decision making
When taking decisions, there are 2 systems that you need to be aware of named system 1 and system 2. According to Upfront Analytics, System 1 and System 2 are two distinct modes of decision making: System 1 is an automatic, fast and often unconscious way of thinking. It is autonomous and efficient, requiring little energy or attention, but is prone to biases and systematic errors. System 2 is an effortful, slow and controlled way of thinking.
5. Practice your delegation and feedback skills
The most basic requirement of being a Manager is that you have to manage and look after employees under you. In order to do so, you need to learn how to exercise your authority over them properly. For instance, you need to allocate their work on a daily basis and monitor the progress they make on it. Encourage your team to delegate other members and work together to complete their assigned work. Give feedback when necessary to ensure that they improve in their individual work.
6. Learn to manage your time
Managing time is one of the hardest things to do when working in a corporate environment. You feel like you are being bombarded with so much work that you find it hard to manage your time and complete all your work in the allocated time. In order to avoid this, allocate time wisely for your tasks and be proactive and plan ahead. Keep in mind about the Murphy’s and Parkinson’s Laws which reminds of how people procrastinate when given work to do. This could be helpful in motivating you to manage your time better.
7. Don’t let social media control you
One of the biggest reasons why most of us find ourselves being drawn away from work would be social media. Social media apps such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram take up your focus and attention. In order to avoid losing concentration, try not to look at Facebook first thing in the morning so that you are able to work your best. In addition, avoid using social media a few hours before bed. Especially one of the most important things to avoid while using social media is getting into unnecessary Twitter wars as they drain your energy and can be quite toxic.
8. Be a continuous (Lifelong) Learner
You are never too old to learn what you want to learn. As long as you have the necessary passion and motivation to learn, keep going to improve more and more day by day. If you are the kind of person who does not enjoy reading, subscribe to education channels on Youtube or podcasts so that you can watch videos or listen to the podcasts and gain the knowledge that you require.
9. Engage in a fitness routine
Being a good Manager requires you to be in a good physical health as this will affect your moods. Set aside time from your schedule for exercising to stay in good health and think more about what you can do to maintain your good health. Watch what you eat and make sure that you maintain a balance between work and your personal life.
10. Read one book a week
Reading is extremely important to keep learning. Try to read at least one book per week which could either be fiction or non-fiction. With fiction books, try to look for a genre that interests you by trying out all different kinds of genres. With non-fiction, go for subjects that enrich your knowledge in order to learn about more and more subjects in the world.
There are so many more things that you should do in order to become a better and smarter Manager. This is a list of 10 tips that can aid you in making you more able to supervise people and be in charge of them.
