When it comes to managing a team, a manager must possess several skills so that he can manage the team effectively. He needs to be able to quickly identify those who can add value to the whole team.

Essentially any management and/or leadership require several skills and you may want to quickly review the same listed below so that you can fine-tune the same.

1. Integrity

The first thing that you need to know is that a good leader leads by example. You need to maintain a high standard of integrity and work ethic.

Chances are that the rest of the team are already looking towards you as a peer role model and you need to make sure that you set an example, for the rest of your team to follow.

2. Team building

One of the marks of any good manager or leader is the innate ability to form inclusive teams irrespective of gender or any other metric other than skill set.

You must have the ability to identify valuable skills in all those you come across irrespective of any difference and make them part of your team. It is vital that you support them at every stage of their work and work with them to get it done on schedule.

3. Positivity

You need to make sure that team knows that you back every decision that the company makes and that you believe in the company’s goals and priorities. This mark of positivity should help enthuse and even motivate the team to perform better.

4. Communication

It is important, that as a manager, you are able to communicate all your goals, priorities to the rest of the team and even repeat it at times so that there is no miscommunication on the same.

You need to ensure that everyone is on board and understands their role and what’s expected of them, as you move ahead with the rest of the project.

5. Listening

Any good leader would know that it is important, to say and, equally vital to listen as well. While it is true that you do have to communicate all project related information to the rest of your team or employees, at times, you would also need to listen to what they may have to say on the issue as it can help you streamline your performance and help you achieve your targets faster.

6. Motivated

Every leader needs to be self-motivated; this is not just another job but an opportunity that you can use to redefine your own career goals. To that end, you need to stay motivated and try and accomplish all you possibly can.

7. Confidence and optimism

In this case, both confidence and optimism go hand in hand. Just remember that the rest of your team is looking towards you for cues and you need to be optimistic and confident at all times – as this should help the rest of the team remain confident about their chances as well.

8. Accountability

When it comes to sharing the blame, the buck stops at the top man and that happens to be you. You need to be responsible enough to take responsibility for any mess up and try not to shirk the same by passing the buck to someone else.

9. Courage

As a leader, you may be required to take a decision which may be highly unpopular. But these decisions have to be taken nevertheless and a mark of any good leader is one who does not shy away from the task at hand.

10. Engaged

One of the best ways to get the most out of your team is by staying engaged and that means involving yourself in the process and not sitting it out by the sidelines shouting directions at others.

11. A healthy sense of humour

When working on various projects, things can go wrong as they inevitably do – but it is important to retain that healthy sense of humour, and refocus on what’s positive, at all times.

12. Passion

It goes without saying that every employee needs to be passionate about his work as it can help propel them up to greater heights.

The same is true of any leader or manager, you must believe in the goals you set as this can help motivate the rest of your team.

13. Respectable

Any good leader would know that being respected by others can go a long way to make yourself heard; at the least, the others pay attention to what you are saying and try to understand the reason ‘why’.

14. Likeable

A good leader is always feared, respected and liked by the rest of his employees. The same cliché holds true for any team that you may manage since being liked enables you to easily build a rapport with others and build a closer relationship with those working under you.

15. Ethical

It goes without saying that you need to maintain a high standard of ethics, otherwise, the rest of your employees may not have the same respect they once had for you.

16. Loyal

While it is true that you can and should expect loyalty from your employees, you should also show them the same loyalty towards them by helping them with their work and even supporting them on various personal issues as well.

17. Charisma

Every good leader needs to have a magnetizing persona or charisma that can help them stand out in the crowd.

18. Drive

Any good leader or manager would have the necessary drive and motivation to succeed in all their key goals; doing what you love doing can help motivate you and give you the drive you need to achieve your goals.

19. Emotional intelligence

More often than not, people often lack in the same. The fact is that emotional intelligence can help any good leader or manager performs better since they retain better control over their emotions and can gauge the reactions and emotions of others around them.

20. Emotional control

As a mark of a good leader, you must be able to control all emotions within yourself. Sure, when you are at home, you can let go but doing so at the office is a big no-no.

21. Opportunity cost

Any good leader would know the value of opportunity cost and while the opportunity is often realized in USD, it takes everything into consideration such as resources, man hours etc.

22. Humility

As a leader, it is important to remember that humility can help transform you for the better, so do not forget asking other team members for their feedback regarding your own performance as a manager as it can help you identify problem areas you need to work on.

23. Discipline

No one’s asking you to be a hard taskmaster but as any leader would be aware, it consists of you of retaining an inner discipline and being resolved to attain those goals.

24. Perspective

At times, as a leader, you must have the ability to seek out a fresh perspective since you may well be missing the forest for the trees.

25. Risk management

As a leader, you must be able to identify, evaluate and address risks so that your team can perform better.

26. Time management

You must be adept at managing time since it can help you multi-task various tasks at the same time.

27. Self-assurance

As a leader, you may need to chart a new road ahead for your company and need to be self-assured to overcome the various challenges you are bound to face.

28. Maturity

As any good leader knows already, maturity rarely goes hand in hand with age; maturity is when you know how to communicate with others effectively when you listen to others and take their feedback seriously.

29. Serve as an example

Before you have high expectations from the rest of your team, it is important that you set an example for others to follow and emulate as well.

30. Network building

Often it is important as to who you know, as this can help you with your career and any decisions you make. This is why most leaders often try and build a network and keep in touch with people from various walks of life.

31. Sociable

It is important for any leader to be sociable and outgoing as it can help you communicate better with others and even help in building a relationship as well.

32. Public speaking

A good leader must be an effective communicator and that often includes speaking in public, at large gatherings. You must be able to convey your ideas adroitly and with the right amount of panache.

33. Reasonable

As a good leader, you must know your limits and that means that you cannot make unreasonable demands from the rest of your team as this can result in you being disliked by everyone.

34. Boldness

As a leader, you would often be required to take tough decisions and you need to boldly take the same, in the interests of the company.

35. Empathy

Often, a good leader who stays too focused on his goals can lose sight of all those around him. While it is good to be focused on the task at hand, you need to empathize with all those around you, and especially with the rest of your team.

By being empathic to their current plight and needs, you can help bridge any gap and build a better relationship in the process.

Conclusion

Leadership skills can help you win over your subordinates and colleagues. All one needs is passion for learning such skills and inculcating them in his or her life for getting maximum results.

35 Leadership Skills Every Manager Needs To Master