5 Tips to Become a Great Manager

Being a good manager isn't just about showing up to work on time and firing the employees who don't work hard enough. Your employees rely on you to make their workplace safe, to provide encouragement and praise and to keep everyone in line so that all employees are treated safely. Similarly, your boss counts on you to make sure that your team is productive.
There are plenty of qualities that can make you a great manager, but here are the top five:
1- Get the Best on Board
A combination of hard skills (work history, education, professional skills) and soft skills (communication, motivation, personality) will make the best team for a great manager. Whenever possible, use your managerial status to get the best employees in the company on your team. This means recruiting employees who demonstrate an affinity for the work and who are dedicated to getting the job done.
In some cases, a great manager will have to work with whatever employees he or she is dealt. If your boss is the one who determines which employees work where, you will have to mold your employees into the best of the best. This means training your employees constantly in the areas that will help them excel. Too many managers are focused on the work and not on helping their employees succeed.
2- Align Tasks to Motivation
When employees work on projects they enjoy, they are hundreds of times more productive. As a great manager, you will need to help align your employees with the work that motivates them. For example, if one of your employees is great at sales, his or her skills would be a waste working in shipping. Make sure that your employees are always working where they are most likely to succeed, and your job as manager will be far easier.
One of the best ways to determine your employees' tasks to motivation is by observing them on a regular basis. Get on the floor and out of your office and start paying attention to each of your employees. Are they happy? Are their talents being put to the proper use? A great manager will help his employees to succeed so that he can succeed.
3- Strike a Balance
Whenever possible, a great manager should ensure that his or her team is properly balanced. One project, for example, should benefit from both creative and logical thinkers. While they might argue every once in a while over the finer points of a problem, their individual talents will help to round out the work that they do. As a great manager, it is your job to help strike a balance in all work-related projects.
Of course, in order to make this happen, you will have to know your employees. What are their talents? Their skills? Their gifts? Work with each of your employees to reach his full potential and you'll be a better manager.
4- Continually Monitor
A group-think dynamic can often develop among team members who work closely together, and a great manager respects that dynamic. If you see that employees are working below their normal threshold, there may be a problem with the group dynamic that can be easily changed by consistent monitoring. Take time out of your busy day to talk to your employees one-on-one. Find out if they are happy working where they are and if they perceive any problems with other employees.
Individuals are unlikely to speak out when confronted with a group situation. This is why a great manager must step in and take control. If you see that there is a problem with a certain group of employees, switch them around. Change is good, and you'll want to find the perfect combination to make sure your department runs smoothly.
5- Give Credit; Take Blame
As a manager, you are responsible for how well (or how poorly) your team performs, but that doesn't mean all glory should go to you. A great manager will be quick to give credit and to take blame, regardless of the circumstances. If you allow your employees to take the fall for every mistake, or if you continually accept full credit for group decisions, you'll build dissension within the ranks.
Instead, work on sharing the credit and the blame in all situations.