Management 101: 8 Ways To Develop Your Management Style

Updated December 22, 2022

An effective management style can positively impact the success of your company or organization. The basics of management style, regardless of field, are relatively similar and involve motivating and understanding employees. If you're interested in pursuing a managerial role, it's helpful to understand these basics.

In this article, we discuss what effective management is, how it differs from leadership and eight ways to develop your management style.

What is effective management?

Effective management refers to the successful running of a company, office or organization. An effective manager directs employees and oversees them as they complete important tasks. They manage the day-to-day operations of a workspace and ensure that they inform people, so they're prepared to handle their assigned duties.

Managers also support their employees, especially when they have questions. They also facilitate communication between employees and executives, so they handle the relaying of messages and updates. Members of a company or organization's management are usually responsible for any developments that occur during their time on the job, so steady employee progress on projects helps managers evaluate their own success. Other characteristics of effective managers include:

Delegation
Problem-solving
Ability to build trust
Project management skills
Ability to support others
Empathy
Ability to receive and provide constructive feedback
Humility
Professional development

Why is effective management important?

Having effective management in a work environment is important for building a productive and cohesive staff. Management ensures that employees have the information and resources they need to complete their jobs. Because of their daily encounters with employees, managers are often the best source of information regarding employee practices and skill sets, which are important details for long-term strategic planning.

Management vs. leadership

While many people use the terms "management" and "leadership" somewhat interchangeably, they're actually two distinct concepts. Here are some of the key differences between management and leadership:

Purpose: The purpose of leaders is to motivate others to meet goals using charisma and determination. Managers provide the proper resources, information and support for employees to meet their goals.

Role: Leadership can appear across all levels of a company structure or organization, while management typically refers to those in supervisory higher-level roles.

Focus: The focus of leaders and managers differs. Leadership is more people-based in its objectives, while management focuses more on the goals of the company or organization.

Motivation: Management emphasizes productivity when motivating employees. Conversely, leadership focuses on creativity and innovation for motivation.

8 ideas to develop your management style

Here are eight ideas that you can use to develop an effective management style:

1. Conduct regular group meetings

Group check-ins can take the form of in-person meetings, or you can conduct them virtually using conferencing technology. Group settings are a great way to encourage people to share their thoughts and opinions, which can often result in the generating of new ideas. Regularly meeting with staff is a way to communicate with everyone and help build relationships between colleagues.

2. Use a virtual scheduling system

A virtual scheduling system can be helpful for management because it streamlines the entire scheduling process into a single program. There are plenty of scheduling programs available, so try to do some research to determine which one fits the circumstances of your work setting the best. A virtual scheduling system can make it easier to schedule shifts, keep track of time off requests and trade shifts among employees.

3. Give employees opportunities to provide feedback

It's important to foster a work environment that encourages employees to provide feedback, whether that be concerns, questions or praise for management. Getting regular feedback from employees can bring awareness to workplace issues you may not otherwise notice, and it can also be a way to recognize people for their hard work. Some ways you can provide avenues for feedback are through surveys, questionnaires or an in-person question-and-answer session.

4. Meet with employees one-on-one

Another way to get honest employee feedback is to meet with employees one-on-one consistently. For people who are more reserved, this offers them an opportunity to share their thoughts and ask questions while also giving management the ability to address specific topics with them. You can do one-on-one meetings in the traditional in-person format or virtually using technology.

5. Incorporate challenges and incentives

Many management departments use challenges and rewards to encourage employees to work hard and meet their productivity goals. Consider splitting staff into teams or by department and assigning them specific goals with the promise of a reward if they meet their targets. Rewards might include a catered meal, a half day off of work or gift cards. Knowing each team members' preferences can help you select more creative and personalized rewards for them, which may serve as a greater incentive.

6. Learn about everyone's strengths and skills

Effective management involves a thorough understanding of the staff's strengths and credentials. When different assignments arise, it can be very helpful to have a familiarity with the staff and automatically know who would work best for each duty. You can also ask employees about the skills they want to develop and delegate new tasks accordingly.

7. Keep employees updated

Informing employees about changes to company policies and operations helps them manage their daily work. This can help facilitate trust between management and employees, which can make employees more loyal to their company. Consider the most effective methods for distributing timely information to the team. For example, if a team conducts most work remotely, creating a centralized channel on a communication platform specifically for company updates may be helpful.

8. Communicate with executives

As a member of management, it's important to create an environment where employees feel comfortable providing feedback to share with the company's executive team. Depending on the size of the organization, team members may not have any direct contact with executives. Because of this, it's important to fulfill this communication duty and always consider the employees' interests when making management decisions with higher-ranking executives.