The managers or superiors of a company are key figures for the proper functioning of the company , since their actions have a determining role in the results.

Moreover, as many investments indicate, their behaviour affects the rest of the staff and their occupational health, which has a strong impact on their performance, their productivity and, therefore, the company’s results.

The difference between being a boss or a leader

Being a successful manager is not about being a boss but about being a leader . A boss has authority over his team, but that doesn’t mean he knows how to manage it. To be a good manager you need to be a good leader, and this is achieved by mastering a series of managerial or directive skills, which not all managers possess.

A manager’s actions, as I said, affect the productivity of the organization and the productivity of the employees. It also affects their health at work, because if the supervisor-employee relationship is toxic, it can cause such harmful phenomena as stress, burnout and even boreout. Good leaders trust in themselves, convince and do not impose, guide and listen to the opinion of their employees and know that these are the real capital of the company.

  • If you want to know more about this difference, you can consult our article: “The 10 differences between a boss and a leader”

The most important managerial or directive skills

But, what are the most important management skills? What attitudes or skills should good leaders possess?

In the following lines we answer these questions.

1. Self-knowledge

One of the necessary management skills is self-knowledge, that is, knowledge of oneself , one’s objectives, emotional experience and how one relates to others. Self-knowledge is the basis for being able to regulate one’s own emotions and to deal successfully with employees and partners. You cannot be a good leader without leading yourself, and to do that, you need to know yourself in depth.

2. Management of problems

The difference between boss and leader has a lot to do with how both figures manage conflicts . Conflicts and problems may arise in the day-to-day of the organization, but how they are dealt with has a great impact on how they are solved. While the boss can point out who has made the mistake, punishing, shouting and pointing out the guilty party. A good leader invests his or her time in trying to solve the problem and, if necessary, helping the person who may have caused it.

Problem-solving management, like all other management skills, is trainable. Therefore, it is important that managers are trained in the knowledge of processes and strategies for the optimization of solutions. Within a team and the company, problems will arise, and it is up to the leaders to solve them in a more appropriate and operational way.

3. Decision-making

Managers and directors must, as one of their functions, make business decisions (both economic and strategic as well as personnel management) for the good functioning or behaviour of the organisation. Mastering this skill is necessary for their own success and that of the company.

4. Self-confidence

Self-confidence is key in any interpersonal relationship, and especially when it comes to leading groups of people. Not only is self-knowledge important and knowing what our strengths and weaknesses are, but confidence in ourselves and our possibilities is fundamental to successfully face our objectives in the company.

While a boss may view the problems that occur with fear, distrust and even a threatening attitude, a confident person has the capacity to better manage the threatening environment that may surround him/her .

5. Resilience

Resilience is the ability to cope with change, i.e. the ability to adapt to change and how to get back to normal after this process. Resilient people grow during change and use it to develop and improve aspects of themselves. In other words, they make the best of every situation they face.

6. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is a style of communication that every leader should possess , as it is the ability to express one’s opinion correctly, defending one’s point of view while respecting the opinion of others.

  • To learn more about assertiveness: “Assertive people: 10 characteristics they have in common”

7. Emotional regulation

Good managers know how to control their emotions, as they are aware of how decisive this is when it comes to relating to others. Leaders who master this skill and understand and manage their own and other people’s feelings appropriately. This allows them to tailor their behavior, tone and message to the circumstances.

8. Capacity to delegate

One of the most important skills a manager must possess is the ability to delegate his work to others . Many managers want to have everything so controlled that they are unable to delegate less important functions and that they take away valuable time. It is important to know the priorities of the tasks in order to be able to give in on some of them. The leader must surround himself with competent people who can help him improve the quality of his work.

9. Social and communication skills

Social and communication skills are essential to be a manager , because, in the professional field, they can determine whether the company grows or not. Knowing how to relate to others, with active listening, with openness of mind, with emotional validation, etc., and knowing how to say well what we need to transmit to the rest of the team is fundamental for the good running of the company .

10. Vision and strategic thinking

Managers are strategists and must have a clear vision of the company: where it is and where it is going . He is responsible for the success of that path and it depends, to a large extent, whether or not the objectives set are achieved. Therefore, self-knowledge skills are also useful if applied to the organization (to know the environment and the moment in which the company is), knowing how to interpret current information and having the visionary and anticipatory capacity is necessary to perform a good job as a manager.

11. Empathy

Empathy is also essential to relate to others and to be a good leader. It is one of the keys to emotional regulation and an indispensable skill if we are to understand not only the needs of our employees, but also those of our customers.

12. Leadership

Leadership skills are a set of abilities that a leader must possess in order to influence the minds of the members of his or her team, causing the group to work with motivation towards the objectives or goals. Not all leadership styles are positive in any context; they depend on the type of company, the personalities of the group and many other variables.

  • If you want to know more about the types of leadership, you can read our post: “Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leaders”