A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that managers simply need to have technical skills, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. As a manager, having soft skills is just as important. These are the skills that are related to personality traits, behaviours, habits and attitudes. 

The Soft Skills All Managers Should Have

Dependability - As a manager, your team should be able to depend on you at all times. They should be able to trust that you will do what you say, when you say it. 

Work Ethic - Though you are sure to have a team working with you, a manager shouldn’t sit back and watch everyone else work. As a manager, you should get stuck in and be just as hardworking as everyone else.

Candour - Candour refers to being able to convey information without sugarcoating things, which is key in the workplace. Instead of saying what you think people want to hear, managers should be forthright and honest with their team.

Communication - There’s a lot of information to convey from one person to another at work, and as a manager you need to be able to do this correctly. A manager should be able to communicate with those above and below them, both verbally and in writing.

Teamwork - With people working remotely and in a hybrid setting, you need to be able to encourage and enforce teamwork across the board. As a manager, you need to be able to work well with a whole host of different people, in a variety of locations.

Goal Setting - With a lot of things going on, goal setting is vital if you want to keep your team engaged and working hard. You should be able to prioritise tasks, before delegating them and putting deadlines into place.

Flexibility - There are a lot of hurdles to overcome as a manager, ranging from staff calling in sick to large project errors. In order to deal with these challenges, you must be flexible. You should expect change and plan for it, and be willing to change things at a moment’s notice if you need to. The more flexible you are, the less disruption change will cause.

Time Management - As a manager, you are likely to have a lot of tasks going on at the same time. This is why time management is so important. You need to be able to develop and improve your time management skills at all times. This includes being able to chase projects, delegate tasks and communicate with people in a timely manner.

Take Direction - Despite being a manager, there will be times when you will be told what to do by someone else. When this happens, you need to take direction well. This could be a change in strategy or some constructive criticism from another member of staff. Being a manager usually means that you are telling people what to do on a daily basis, but you need to be comfortable should the roles reverse occasionally.