Before you got appointed as a new manager, you probably were an expert in your field. You have now a team of employees and you might feel overwhelmed or scared by the new responsibilities. Employees might come to you with their problems or they might be late and non-effective at their work or show a lack of commitment and motivation. When you manage employees, you will necessarily deal with conflict and negotiation. In the beginning, you might be stressed and want to avoid it. If you want to excel as a team manager, invest in you and move beyond your fears to develop the #1 soft skill.
One skill is the foundation underneath success in a one on one or group format and this skill is communication.
In today's society where individuals are generally self-absorbed by their cellphone, we tend to develop less and less one on one or group communication skills. The manager of today, who will invest time in it, will have a strategic competitive advantage compared to the other ones. With clear communication, you are forced to be very organized and you develop managerial courage. So invest in this #1 skill through going out of your comfort zone with new managerial experience, training and books.
Here are two great books that I recently read and wanted to share with you:
Employees & Mobilization
The inspirational manager does not issue orders, nor demand to be obeyed. He uses influence rather than positional authority to make people want to jump into action. Do you obtain the results you want from your team? Do your superiors listen to you? Your colleagues? In short, are you an inspirational manager?
The Inspirational Manager: The 10 Rules of Leadership Communication, Isabelle Lord
Employees & Conflict
In every interaction, every conversation and in every thought, you have a choice, to promote peace or perpetuate violence. International peacemaker, mediator and healer, Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg shows you how the language you use is the key to enriching life. Take the first step to reduce violence, heal pain, resolve conflicts and spread peace on our planet, by developing an internal consciousness of peace rooted in the language you use each day.
Non-violent communication, a language of life, Marshall B. Rosenberg