The Modern Manager & The 5 Must-Have Skills

No one can dispute that the working world has seen major changes in recent years.

As such, the modern day manager must adjust and gain new skills that leaders in previous years did not need.

Those that do not innovate with the times, will simply fall behind in their career.

Here are 5 must-have modern management skills.

Managing Remote Employees

With remote work blowing up all over the world, today’s manager must have the technical knowledge to work with these employees.

This requires the ability to work with Skype or Facetime (for iPhones) or other comparable video chat applications.

Working on collaboration platforms and documents, such as Google Docs and Asana, is essential to oversee the work of employees and give your team the ability to work together without geographical constraints.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Most skills that leaders focus on are hard skills that can be measured, such as typing speed or knowledge of certain software, but a soft skill such as emotional intelligence is vital for modern managers.

This involves the ability to control one’s own emotions not to lose your cool and get angry.

It also involves showing your emotions when appropriate, to show empathy or provide support.

Critical Thinking

Managers are presented with many decisions and options throughout the day, and they must possess the skills to think clearly and critically in order to make educated decisions.

This involves being able to research required information, having the wherewithal to interpret it, evaluate the pros and cons and come to a swift, yet reasonable decision.

Team Building

Modern employees want to feel a sense of community at work, which is something that was not a priority before.

As such, leaders must be able to form true teams with their subordinates, helping them learn how to work together, respect each other, listen to different opinions and help one another.

Team building is a critical managerial skill that not only helps employees but also improves productivity for the overall company.

Mentorship

All individuals have some sort of goals for their careers, even those that have worked for decades on end.

Today’s manager needs to realise that and help employees meet their goals.

In order to improve employee loyalty and reduce turnover, the boss needs to put in the effort to provide employees with new challenges, expanding their skill sets and improving their CVs.

Want to develop your management skills further? Check out our open management training courses.

Thanks again

Mark Williams

Senior Management Trainer and Consultant

MTD Training