Special note: This week’s post is a little different from the basic job advice found here on Campus to Career.  You see, we’re all working to land that job, improve our performance or develop ourselves professionally.  At one point, there’s a good chance you’ll be ready for management.  Guest blogger Valerie Cecil has a great post for you this week that will outline the 7 habits great managers employ.  They’re simple and easy to remember, helping you become the ideal manager.  Let us know what you think – please leave a comment below and if you like this article, pay it forward with a tweet, share via Facebook, or post to LinkedIn so that your network may benefit from the information shared.  

7 Habits Great Managers Employ by Valerie Cecil

There are bad managers, good managers, and managers that are great to work for. Which one are you? Are you interested in seeing how you measure up and possibly improving your management skills? The secret to good management isn’t especially difficult to learn; it simply requires you to follow a set of common sense rules that you can quickly develop into regular habits, so that being a great manager comes with little effort or thought. Learn the 7 keys to good management and improve your chances for success.

1. Communication

When you’re a manager, strong communication skills are especially important. Your employees rely upon you to communicate to them what tasks they are required to do, how they are doing, and if there is anything they need to do to improve. If you cannot effectively communicate your instructions and observations to your employees, how do you expect the business to function in an efficient manner?

Communication also comes in handy when dealing with vendors, clients, colleagues, and in networking events. If your company is a machine, then your communication is the oil that greases the gears and keeps operations running smoothly.

2. Define Goals

In order to stay on the path to success, you must have clearly defined goals for the business, your employees, and yourself. If you aren’t working towards achieving short term and long term goals, then you have nothing to gage your success, and could just simply be floundering along. Setting goals for your employees also encourages motivation and increased productivity. If your employees don’t clearly know what they need to achieve, they are likely to do just to the minimum that is required.

3. Be Honest, Understanding, and Fair

Your employees are your assets, but they are also people, and need to be treated with the same respect you expect from them. They have feelings and circumstances in both their professional and personal lives that could affect their performance. By combining the above traits with good communication, you can foster respect and honesty from your employees, provide encouragement to improve morale and motivation, and improve your credibility and establish trust. Lead by example, and your employees are more likely to follow your lead and develop your good habits and traits.

4. Research Your Target Market

Being informed about your target market, their wants and needs, and important demographics that may determine purchasing habits will equip you with all the knowledge you need to effectively market your product or service. Customer service is key to establishing customer loyalty—do your best to appease the customer, and they will be more likely to choose you over a competitor.

5. Recognize and Reward Employee Efforts

Your employees want to know that they are doing a good job, so give credit where credit is due. Thank employees for their hard work, and show gratitude when goals are achieved or a project is completed. Offering incentives for employees who excel above and beyond is also a good way to encourage motivation and improve morale, as well as show you who isn’t really interested in performing above the minimum.

6. Utilize Your Resources Effectively

Your resources are comprised of everything from the data you’ve collected about consumers to your marketing budget to any particular skills individual employees may possess. Carefully analyze and plan how to best utilize your resources for the benefit of the company. A wasted resource is a wasted opportunity and less money generated for the business.

7. Stay Organized

Proper organization is key to keeping things running smoothly and using your time effectively. Organization goes hand in hand with time management. If you can master these two habits, you’ll greatly improve your chances for future success. Make sure you also instruct your employees on how they can stay organized as well, so that their own productivity can improve.

About the Author:
Valerie Cecil writes on career advancement for Outbounding.com. In her spare time she’s quite handy and is currently working on a confined space entry from Etraintoday.com.