The 10 essential qualities of a good manager

Although there are as many different ways of managing as there are managers, being a manager implies the possession of certain indispensable soft skills. These skills are essential for guaranteeing good management, team commitment and employee operational efficiency. Here is an overview of the ten qualities of a good manager.  

1. Leadership

Innate for some, acquired for others, leadership is the first quality that describes any good manager, regardless of their management style. Leadership means being able to unite, animate and motivate teams, and to generate commitment without ever resorting to abusive authority. A good leader must therefore succeed in naturally inspiring respect through their dynamism, charisma and benevolence. Generating respect is also achieved through exemplary leadership on a daily basis: punctuality, good mood, organisation, operational excellence, etc. In short, the leader must become a true role model for teams.  

2. Emotional intelligence

A manager must also know how to show humility in team management: an essential human quality, in fact, to succeed in leading a team. The manager must, for example, be aware of their own limitations and weaknesses, and accept criticism. They must also know how to convey their knowledge without being pretentious or superior. On the other hand, the manager should have strong empathy to discern the needs, fears, and aspirations of their coworkers. Indeed, the role of the manager is also to care about the quality of life at work of their teams, seeking to improve it to ensure the well-being of each employee. A good manager must therefore demonstrate great emotional intelligence and maturity.  

3. Pedagogical sense

The manager's role is above all that of a mentor, a "manager-coach", which implies being very educational. This is essential if the manager is to succeed in transmitting knowledge effectively and with humility. The manager should help teams progress by providing constructive and compassionate feedback. This also requires knowing how to congratulate and reward teams to give them confidence and maintain their commitment, but also being able to reframe any inappropriate behaviour or practices with natural authority. A good manager will also understand how to develop the skills of their teams, in particular by organising training (coaching, e-learning, etc.).  

4. Stress management

As a manager, facing stressful situations is par for the course.  However, any good manager must possess excellent stress management skills, knowing how to calmly manage conflicts, crises and emergencies with optimism and confidence. Indeed, a manager who allows themselves to be overwhelmed by stress and anxiety risks transmitting their emotions to their teams and compromising the efficiency and involvement of all their coworkers.  

5. Adaptability

In a company, the proximity manager has to work with a wide variety of profiles, each with very different personalities, ages and skills. The manager must therefore adapt their management to each profile, as well as to the context (conflict, crisis management, profound transformation, change of leader, etc.). This is what is known as situational management. Adaptability is therefore one of the essential soft skills in management to manage a team well in all circumstances.  

6. Relational skills

The ability to communicate with others is another key asset for a manager. Any good team leader knows how to deliver directives clearly and fluidly, leaving no grey areas or ambiguities. This is fundamental to avoid misinterpretations and misunderstandings. An experienced manager also knows how to be diplomatic when giving feedback. On the other hand, a good manager must also be an active listener and available to answer questions and address fears by establishing regular and transparent dialogue with their teams. This is essential to create a bond of trust and closeness.  

7. The ability to delegate

For many managers, it can sometimes be difficult to delegate certain tasks. However, this is indispensable for reinforcing autonomy and empowering teams. It is therefore crucial to know how to trust and distribute tasks according to the skills of each individual. This is especially true for managers of managers, who must maintain a strategic posture, far from the field. It is also important to solicit collective intelligence in the face of certain problems, by employing participative management.  

8. Organisation

A manager often juggles several projects at the same time. This means having to demonstrate flawless organisation to ensure the smooth running of daily tasks and to steer large-scale projects. A manager must also use effective project management tools and management techniques, regularly monitor the progress of assignments, be proactive, draw up clear and structured schedules and action plans, and ensure that they always have an overview of the various projects in progress.  

9. A positive attitude

The manager's state of mind can greatly impact the dynamics of the entire team. This is why a positive attitude is a fundamental quality to be a good manager, even in the tensest situations. This will encourage employees to do the same and will help create a supportive, caring, and positive work environment.  

10. Pragmatism

Lastly, a seasoned manager must be able to make decisions in a pragmatic way. They must step back and not let emotional involvement cloud their judgment. They must also be reactive and agile in their decision-making, without acting hastily, especially in crisis or emergency situations. Beyond all these human qualities and managerial skills, a good manager must have a solid knowledge of the fundamentals of management (management styles, management methods, project management tools, etc.). It is also imperative that they have a solid expertise in the sector of activity of the company for whom they work.