Essential Leadership Qualities of the Modern Manager
Overcoming supply chain shortages. Pivoting to a 100% remote workforce. Managing employees who are afraid to come to work. Simply struggling to maintain liquidity.
Priorities and responsibilities like these have dramatically altered the role of the modern manager – and the leadership qualities required to work effectively.
In today’s volatile, uncertain and ambiguous operating conditions, what attributes are essential to management success?
5 Leadership Qualities to Manage in a Changed World:
- Sound decision-making (with imperfect data).
Right now, managers are tasked with making high-stakes decisions when information is limited, and time is of the essence. Great leaders avoid the “analysis paralysis” trap, which bogs down decision-making, by using a 5-point process:- Defining priorities.
- Setting hard deadlines.
- Considering options, potential conflicts and smart trade-offs.
- Empowering the appropriate decision-makers.
- Embracing action – and learning from mistakes.
- Flexibility.
Most businesses have been forced to make major changes in recent months. Effective managers adapt their own behavior to accommodate necessary changes, and provide the plans, resources and confident leadership to help their teams change, too. - Transparency.
Conditions are evolving rapidly right now, and employees may worry about their company’s financial health, future plans and decision-making criteria. Successful modern managers help employees make sense of what’s going on in their organization by communicating plans, changes and news (both good and bad) thoroughly and frequently. People work better when they have the facts and understand the landscape (even if it’s rough). - Radical empathy.
The past several months have been more than “tough;” they’ve been overwhelming – and sometimes devastating. The best leaders have deep empathy for their employees, customers, vendors and clients. They:- Acknowledge the mental and emotional battles others are facing.
- Accept and resist the urge to judge.
- Strive to authentically connect with others to serve them better.
- Ability to manage hybrid teams.
The rapid shift to remote work has made it critical for modern managers to master the best-practices, embrace the technology, and build the right culture for dispersed work teams. Effective leaders broaden their thinking to anticipate and proactively address the myriad challenges of managing hybrid teams – so collaboration, efficiency and engagement are optimal, no matter where work is performed.
Great leaders need great support.
Whether you need flexible staffing solutions, or qualified, reliable employees who will thrive in your new workplace normal, PrideStaff is ready to help. Contact your local PrideStaff office today to get started.
