Building a good management team is a prerequisite for a successful company, internally and externally. Companies can fail if their senior team does not know how to manage people at all levels.
1. Leadership
Quality leadership can affect the whole body of the team and is vitally important within a senior role. Leaders are the medium through which goals are expressed, hopes and expectations channelled and conflicts diffused. Look for this quality and ensure that the candidate gives you examples of how he/she has achieved effective leadership skills.
2. Teachable
An effective leader is not only a pathfinder, but also someone who is willing to listen to colleagues and learn from them. This is vital if you do not want managers who think they know it all.
3. Embrace change and manage change
You need a management team that will not only embrace change but also manage change. Effective communication is the key here and it is essential that the management team be able to think ahead of the game, anticipate employee dissatisfaction, recognize and manage their expectations or concerns and most important, think of ways to deal with their problems in a positive manner, so that the team are up for the challenge. Also opening up communication alleviates fear and ensures that the employee feels part of the decision-making progress.
4. Getting the “right” people
Plan your recruitment strategy from the outset and develop a recruitment timeframe which allows you to search for the “right” people. So who then is the “right” person?
When building a good management team you need to look at the candidates who are likely to excel in the following four areas:
- Planning and administration.
- Problem solving.
- Leadership.
- General management people skills.
You also need to assist if the candidate is to slot into the culture of the organization and enhance the environment so that employees will not want to leave. Use all sources within the market place to identify the key individuals who could make up your management team.
5. Team player
Are they team players? It is about individuals working together to accomplish more than they could alone and then sharing the rewards. However, it is not just a question of strength of numbers. This is achieved by pooling, harnessing and exploiting the resources available to the team- individual strengths, skills and experiences. Therefore you need to ensure that you have a balance within your management team. You do not want an individual who demands total autonomy and is protective about their work areas as this causes conflict.
6. Passion for their role and motivation
Motivation is a key to success in any role, so you need someone who has a real passion for their work and believes in what the company is doing. This is arguably one of the most important areas of responsibility for a manager and in turn will create a positive environment and motivation for their team.
7. Empowerment
You need managers who can empower people to do a job and also they need to be able to delegate effectively. This not only enables them to be able to concentrate on the projects that they need to manage, but it also really encourages employees to believe that the management trust them to get on and be part of the decision making process.
8. Take ownership
You want employees at management level who really “feel” that they are part of the company and are committed to deliver the results required for the organisation to succeed.
9. Be progressive
They should be able to receive constructive criticism and feedback and not ignore it, but respond in a positive way and make any necessary changes required. At management level they should not fear making changes within the company if the company is to move forward.
10. Reward and plan
Succession planning is a critical aspect when looking at building a management team. This can also be a positive way of keeping and motivating the senior team. Developing, maintaining objectives and goals should always lead to reward.
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Please call Noel Murphy today on 021-4310266 if you need further information on how to build a good management team or a consultation.