Overview
The personal qualities of managers play a vital role in contributing to the effective running of organisations. According to Morehouse (1997), the way in which managers interact with their subordinates will have a direct and “definite impact on their success” (p53). Ancona & Bresman (2007) assert that “good team leaders build camaraderie, confidence in members' abilities and a solid process for working together” (p133).
Managers who display positive attributes such as; leadership, communication and listening skills, as well as emotional intelligence, are able to motivate and mould their employees to achieve high efficiency and successful results for the business. Considering relationships, trust and dialogue are the “foundation for building organizational knowledge sharing” (HRMagazine, 2009, para3), it is a necessity that managers possess a wide variety of interpersonal skills including the ability to; listen, communicate, empathise, persuade, influence, motivate and resolve conflict effectively.
The Skill of Leadership
The skill of leadership is “an important attribute for a line manager, supervisor or team leader” (Morehouse, 1997, p53). Without this personal quality, managers would face a range of difficulties in everyday situations that arise in the workplace. Morehouse (1997) asserts that leadership requires “courage, good communication skills and the ability to resolve ethical dilemmas” (p53), while Johnson's (1971: in Adler, Rosenfeld & Towne, 1989) research on conflict resolution outlines that "skilful expression of emotions actually increases the quality of problem solving" (p87). Meisinger (2004) believes that “it is almost impossible to be productive in today's business environment without being an effective communicator” (p8). Personal qualities such as leadership and good communicative skills allow managers to successfully deal with and resolve workplace problems and conflict.
Emotional Intelligence and Self Awareness in Managers
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness are also essential qualities managers should have in order to ensure the successful running of organisations. Personnel Today (2002) insist that “managers must expose their flaws to staff if they are to become great leaders” (p4), while according to Rob Goffee, professor of organisational behaviour at the London Business School in Personnel Today (2002), "revealing weakness enables leaders to build solidarity with others" (p4).
Conclusion
The personal qualities of managers are an undoubtedly essential element in contributing to the effective running of organisations. A manager lacking qualities such as interpersonal skills, leadership and emotional intelligence is most likely to find it difficult to resolve conflict, interact appropriately with subordinates or deal with workplace issues, hence reducing workplace efficiency, productivity and effectiveness.
Sources
Adler, R. B, Rosenfeld, L.B & Towne, N (1989) Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication. (5th ed.) Fort Worth, Tex.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Ancona, D. and Bresman, H. (2007). Thinking outside the team: in today's world where team success depends on innovation and speed, leaders need to take an external approach.(Management Tools). HRMagazine 52.9 (Sept 2007): 133(4).
HRMagazine (2009). Leveraging HR and knowledge management in a challenging economy. 54.6 (June 2009): S1(9).
Meisinger, S(2004). Communication skills are key to achieving HR's goals. HRMagazine 49.5 (May 2004): 8(1).
Morehouse, Robert L. (1997) Three keys to becoming a leader. HRMagazine 42.n11 (Nov 1997): 53(3).
