7 skills for a successful management career

To successfully lead a team and become a respected manager you'll need a specific set of business skills. Find out more about the qualities of a good manager and how to develop and hone these attributes

If you're invited to interview for a position as a manager, supervisor or team leader, use your past experience to explain how you've acquired and developed the following skills as you answer a selection of management interview questions.

Interpersonal skills

Management jobs are all about people and being able to build successful relationships is integral. To lead a team you'll need to earn the respect of your colleagues, which involves learning how to effectively deal with people.

Setting time aside to get to know team members on both a personal and professional level, through social activities or team-building events while still maintaining professional boundaries, will go a long way to earning their respect.

You need to demonstrate your managerial qualities and authority, as well as playing your part as a member of a team.

Communication and motivation

Effective leaders must master all forms of communication, including written, verbal and listening skills. As a team manager you're the line of communication between frontline staff and senior management. You'll liaise with a variety of people, from entry-level employees to heads of departments and CEOs, in a number of ways - via email and social media, over the phone and in presentations, meetings and one-to-ones.

You'll need to establish a trusting relationship with employees, so they feel comfortable sharing information with you, and vice versa. To ensure that lines of communication remain open, you'll need to make yourself readily available and accessible to your employees to discuss any issues or concerns that arise. Having an open-door policy or weekly or monthly team meetings should facilitate this. Let your staff know they matter by maintaining eye contact, smiling and listening attentively.

An open, positive attitude goes a long way to creating a healthy work environment. Don't shut yourself off or put yourself on a pedestal. Simple gestures, such as active encouragement, recognising achievements and taking an interest in the lives of your employees, ensures that staff feel valued. A positive workplace creates happy, motivated employees.

Organisation and delegation

As a manager you'll juggle multiple responsibilities, so excellent organisational skills are vital. You'll need to manage your own time and workload, oversee the work of other employees, attend meetings and training sessions, carry out appraisals and review company policies. Sloppy working practices, tardiness, poor time management and a general lack of organisation won't be tolerated at this level and will set a bad example to your staff.

Effective organisational skills reduce stress, save time and ensure that important deadlines are met.

Many managers ease their own busy workload by delegating tasks to colleagues. To do this effectively, analyse and identify the skills of your employees and assign duties to each depending on their skillset.

Delegation isn't a sign of weakness and can in fact increase the amount of work a manager can accomplish - while developing the team's confidence and skills.

Forward planning and strategic thinking

It's a manager's job to think of the bigger picture, so as well as focusing on today's tasks and responsibilities you'll need to plan for the future. This means setting priorities in line with company goals, reviewing systems and policies, and attending training and managing the continuing professional development (CPD) activities of your team. As a strategic thinker, you'll encourage innovation and change to make your team and the organisation as a whole more productive and profitable.

Problem solving and decision-making

You'll be tasked with spotting and solving problems on a daily basis in a managerial position. This requires outstanding attention to detail and the ability to remain calm under pressure. To ensure your team is productive, and the workflow runs smoothly, you'll have to think on your feet when problems arise. Creative thinking will help you to come up with innovative solutions that minimise the impact on your team and the business.

Thinking on your feet also comes in useful when you have to make a snap decision about how to successfully complete a task or meet a business goal. Being able to quickly weigh up the pros and cons of a situation and make an informed decision is essential.

Commercial awareness

According to recruiters, commercial awareness is something that most graduates lack. It’s therefore in high demand among business employers.

If you want to progress to management level, an understanding of the marketplace in which a business operates and what it is that makes a business successful is crucial.

To demonstrate this, you'll need to show that you:

• are aware of the organisation's mission and aims
• have an understanding of the sector the company operates in
• know about the political and economic issues affecting the business
• can identify the company's competitors.

Mentoring

As well as being business-focused decision-makers, managers also need to play a supportive role. If you've reached this senior level, you have a repertoire of experience, knowledge and skills, and it's your job to pass this knowledge on and share your skills with others.

This involves training and advising staff and building their confidence and skills. In a management position, you'll be the driving force behind the progression of team members.

How do I develop leadership and management skills?

They can be learned, honed and developed through various activities. While at university you could:

• Join student societies - put yourself forward to be captain of a sports team or sign up to chair a pre-existing club. If your area of interest isn't represented you could use your initiative to create and become president of your own society, or alternatively apply to represent the student body as a students' union officer. Read about standing for student elections and the importance of extra-curricular activities.
• Complete an internship or volunteer - upon graduation you could take part in an industry internship. These look great on your CV and provide a first-hand glimpse of what it's like to manage a team. As well as building your skills and confidence, internships also provide you with a list of useful contacts, which could help you to secure a job in the future. To gain experience in a supportive capacity, you could volunteer as a mentor or sports coach. This could see you working with adults in the community or with children in education settings. Other relevant volunteering activities include leading a community team on an environmental project and managing a group of charity fundraisers.
• Find part-time work - management and leadership skills can also be developed through part-time employment in team/department leader and supervisory roles. It doesn't matter where you work - you could manage bar or hospitality staff, supervise retail or factory workers, or lead admin teams. All experience is valuable, especially when you're in a position of responsibility. Consider how to balance work and study.

After graduation you could hone your managerial skillset by:

• Studying for professional qualifications - research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) reveals that three quarters of employers believe more graduates should undertake professional qualifications since these provide evidence of, and help to develop, practical managerial skills. To discover what training is on offer, see professional qualifications.
• Taking online short courses - if you feel that your management skills need a boost consider signing up for an online short course, such as the people management skills programmes run via FutureLearn. Get more information on microcredentials and online learning in general.
• Seeking out a mentor - this could be a current or previous employer, a contact you've made through work experience or an internship, a family member or friend or even someone that you admire from afar. Contact them and ask if they will act as your mentor. In this capacity, they will be able to give you advice, guidance and personalised feedback regarding your management style.

Find out more

• Learn about other skills employers look for.
• Study a relevant management course.
• Explore the range of business jobs available.