Want to Be a Better Manager? Work on These 7 Management Skills

By mbretous@hubspot.com (Martina Bretous)

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You’ve worked hard to become a manager and now you feel ill-prepared. Or perhaps you’ve been in your role for a while and feel stuck, stagnant.

The imposter syndrome sets in and you’re not sure how to succeed in this role.

Management skills aren’t innate, they’re learned over time so the work is never fully done. Succeeding as a manager is a fluid dance that requires a willingness to learn.

If you’ve already identified areas of improvement, this article will offer actionable tips. If you have no idea where to start, you will learn the top management skills every people manager needs and the ways to refine the ones you already have.

Types of Management Skills

There are three facets of management skills that every leader will need to succeed in their role.

The first is interpersonal skills. How are you with people?

Are you able to build relationships with leaders, peers, and direct reports? Would they describe you as trustworthy and reliable?

To be a great manager, you have to hone the skills to navigate conversations within – and outside of – your team. On a personal level, interpersonal skills will allow you to empathize, celebrate and motivate those around you.

The next facet of management is the strategic facet. As a leader, you’ll be tasked with identifying roadblocks, problem-solving and developing strategies to improve efficiency. This can be anything from helping your team improve its workflow to providing an innovative way to reach customers.

As for the technical piece, think of this as the foundational piece. It includes software knowledge, the ability to operate certain machinery, expertise in equipment used at your company.

To be a great manager, you should aim to be strong in all three management areas. Start by ranking yourself in each area and identify which one(s) you should focus on improving.

Read the following section on what steps to tackle next.

Developing Management Skills

So you’ve identified some management areas you want to want on. So how do you actually develop them? There are three main ways:

Training – This is the first thing you should do once you know what you want to work on. Ideally, your company offers internal training to help leaders like you improve their skills. You can also seek out training programs online and reach out to your business network.
Mentorship – A mentor is a valuable asset to have when learning how to model new behaviors and skills. With a mentor by your side, you can discover new ways to do things, get feedback on your process, and brainstorm ideas.
Experience – Nothing beats experience. While getting training and a mentor is great, going through your own experiences is the best way to learn. While it isn’t always the easiest route, as you can hit roadblocks and make mistakes, you’ll likely face unique situations that will prepare you well for the future.