Developing a Manager: Best Skills to Learn

Good management is crucial to all aspects of the business environment. Management practices deeply affect company culture and can help or hinder productivity and morale. 

Data from Gallup even shows that the quality of a manager accounts for 70% of the variance in employee engagement from team to team.

Are your managers up to par? Are you looking to better develop your own skills? Knowing why managerial skills are so important, which core skills matter most, and how to develop the characteristic traits of great managers are crucial steps for the long-term health of your team. 

Discover best practices in developing a manager below.

Good managerial skills have the potential to help you take your organisation to the next level. Here’s how.

Managers who can provide clear direction, delegate effectively, and offer constructive solutions when giving feedback can easily boost team productivity. 

Those skilled in building relationships and creating supportive and inclusive environments can motivate employees, strengthen teamwork, and reduce turnover. 

All of these, in turn, can enhance team performance and ensure employees remain highly engaged and enthusiastic.

Good managers are the driving force behind strategic planning, efficient operations, and strong employee development. 

When managers are organised and display effective time and priority management skills, they can better translate vision, strategy, and goals and implement practices that guide people to achieve them.

The first year in a management role often sets the tone for the rest of a leader’s career. 

New managers are suddenly responsible for motivating teams, handling conflict, and delivering results without always having received formal preparation. 

By prioritising learning in their first year, they can avoid common mistakes, establish credibility with their team, and accelerate their growth. Early investment in training and mentorship helps new managers build confidence, reduce stress, and adopt best practices before bad habits take hold.

Good management is more than just a subjective idea. Many have studied successful leaders and identified these common skills that can help managers improve their practice and achieve success.

Assertive communication is what ensures everyone understands the overall vision and their roles and responsibilities in achieving it. 

Active listening builds trust by ensuring that employees feel heard, reduces conflict, and improves decision-making by helping you incorporate diverse perspectives.

Emotionally intelligent managers can recognise and mitigate their biases so they don’t negatively affect their managerial policy and leadership practices. 

They also know how to tailor their communication styles for various employees, which improves communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

Good managers have a keen ability to quickly assess situations and determine what is needed to overcome hurdles. 

When managers can make good decisions in line with the team’s vision and objectives, it fosters a sense of trust and builds team momentum.

Good managers assign tasks according to employees’ strengths to maximise productivity and enhance performance. 

Effective delegation also builds trust, demonstrating confidence in employees’ abilities and promoting personal and professional growth.

Modern management requires more than people skills. It also demands comfort with digital platforms and technology. From AI-powered analytics that guide decision-making to collaboration tools that support remote or hybrid teams, digital fluency is now a core management skill. 

Leaders who embrace these tools can streamline workflows, monitor performance in real time, and maintain strong connections with dispersed employees. 

Developing digital literacy ensures managers remain effective and adaptable in today’s work environment.

Great management is about having the ability to lead a team toward a common goal. 

Here are the foundational skills your managers need to tackle short-term roadblocks and create long-term success.

Today’s leaders must be able to navigate complex situations, anticipate and adapt to future challenges, and design effective solutions. 

Your managers must be able to set goals, align employee actions accordingly, and use creativity and logic to keep the team moving toward success.

Managers must know how to build rapport with others and motivate them to perform better. 

They should have the necessary skills to host effective one-on-one meetings with empathy and objectivity and collaborate with employees to devise viable solutions.

When employees aren’t getting along, it can hinder team performance. 

Good conflict management involves communicating calmly and without bias to help employees come to a mutual understanding and continue working together effectively.

Resilience is no longer optional for managers. Leaders must remain calm and composed in the face of rapid change, uncertainty, and disruption. 

Building resilience means developing the ability to adapt quickly, make decisions under pressure, and support employees during challenging times. 

Resilient managers inspire confidence in their teams, reduce anxiety during transitions, and maintain focus on long-term goals even when short-term setbacks occur.

Operational and organisational skills ensure that your team and the company as a whole function effectively. Here are just a few that can prove critical to team success.

Prioritising tasks helps managers focus on what is most important, ensuring they meet critical deadlines. 

This, along with proper time management, focuses efforts on high-impact activities, reduces distractions, and minimises wasted time for greater productivity.

Project management skills ensure managers know how to complete tasks on time, within budget, and according to expected quality standards. 

These skills include setting clear objectives, allocating resources, and effectively communicating to resolve issues that might hinder progress.

Budgeting and resource allocation skills prevent time and resource waste. 

They ensure that all employees have what they need to effectively execute their roles and tasks, leading to increased productivity, morale, and performance.

Managers today must be comfortable making decisions based on evidence rather than intuition alone. 

Data-driven leadership involves analysing key performance indicators, gathering employee feedback, and monitoring project outcomes to inform next steps. 

By using data to guide priorities, managers can justify decisions more clearly, reduce bias, and improve overall performance. This approach also helps teams understand how their daily actions connect to broader organisational goals.

Building a high-performing management team isn’t easy. Consider the following ways to help your team develop the skills and traits they need to improve in their craft.

Formal training and courses often have established curricula with proven methods to help managers develop and enhance their skills. 

This relieves the burden of developing training materials and provides reliable skill enhancement for your leadership team.

On-the-job experience allows managers to encounter real-world situations and solve problems on the spot. 

You can see their skills in action, assess their responses, and provide manager performance evaluation examples in real time.

Seeking feedback from employees can help managers see where clearer communication may be needed or how they can better support those on their team. 

This fosters an attitude of continuous improvement and helps build even more trust.

One of the most effective ways to structure growth is through a 90-day development plan. 

This plan allows managers to focus on short, actionable goals while building momentum. In the first 30 days, managers can focus on understanding team dynamics, setting expectations, and building relationships. 

The following 30 days should involve applying core skills such as delegation and conflict resolution. The final 30 days can focus on measuring progress, gathering feedback, and refining leadership approaches. 

A structured plan ensures development is consistent and measurable.

Progress in management development should be visible and measurable. 

Self-assessments help managers reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, while clear KPIs provide objective benchmarks for success. 

These may include employee engagement scores, retention rates, or project delivery timelines. 

Regular reflection combined with data analysis ensures managers stay aligned with both personal growth and organisational objectives.

As you strive to improve your daily management practice, consider how you can avoid these common pitfalls.

While technical skills are essential for career success, soft skills help you build better communication and collaboration with your team. 

Your managerial rituals are foundational to getting the job done.

When you neglect the complex discussions, neither you nor your employees have an opportunity to improve. 

Difficult conversations help you build courage and empathy and improve your communication skills.

The current business landscape moves fast. If you’re stuck in your old ways, you may miss opportunities for improvement and growth. 

Good managers are able to problem-solve in real time to take advantage of the open doors in front of them.

If you want to improve as a manager, here are a few of the ways you can accomplish that goal.

Online Learning Platforms and Certifications: Consider self-serve platforms that allow you to learn at your own pace and earn credentials to validate your skills.

Mentorship and Peer Learning Networks: Mentorship programmes aid in the effective transfer of knowledge and can help bring teams together.

Books, Podcasts, and Industry Events: These resources are easily accessible and provide continuous learning and relationship-building opportunities.