What do you do to improve your weaknesses as a manager?

I would say, simply study. Always read new materials regarding your field. This way you expand your knowledge, improve your skills and stay up-to-date with the new trends.

What do you do to improve your weaknesses as a manager?

First of all one should ask the question what is the role of a manager and what personality  traits or characteristics he or she should have

“A Manager is the person responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary. For many people, this is their first step into a management career. ”

A manager is said to be successful when he or she manages the paradox arising out of increasing costs, increase in competition, reducing margins, increasing organization and customer expectations, reducing product cycles and reducing turn around time.

A manager is said to be successful when he or she is able to achieve today’s results by utilizing the available resources and is able to develop the resources to achieve tomorrows results.

A manager is said to be successful when he or she is able to raise the averages of the Team Performance

In order to be a successful manager, one has to pay attention to the following essentials  and try to imbibe and develop these qualities

·         leads from the front and by example and walks the talk.

·         demonstrates his competence at every opportunity.

·         does not assume that he/ she is visible but actually ensures that it is true.

·         ensures that staff  know both their role and its importance. Encourages to use their own initiative whenever possible.

·         Plans well, is organized and is excellent at follow-up and delegates work diligently.

·         Encourages staff to achieve high but achievable targets Pushes them to perform better.

·         shows respect to his staff  and  in turn commands respect.

·         is highly motivated and provides  motivation stimulus to his/her teams.  He/she understands different people are motivated in different ways. He/she works to eliminate or reduce workplace demotivation

·         is able to read the behaviour of individuals in his team. He/she has learnt to see the difference between work problems and personal ones

·         is a sincere mentor and develops people under him or her.

·         is unbiased and honest

·         maintains eye contact whenever she / he speaks to her/his team.

·         She / He has unquestionable integrity.

·         Is an excellent communicator.

·         understands the needs of staff and makes genuine efforts to fulfil them.  supports them.

·         Is able to measure work place morale

·         Encourages staff in decision making.

·         delegates work and monitors  progress  and praises work well done. Is firm when drawing attention to errors. Makes use of positive elements of each person

·         Is aware of office politics and sets an example by never taking part himself / herself

·         By finding root causes of repeated complaints he ensures staff cooperation

·         Considers ideas from staff at all levels of seniority  

·         Confronts trouble makers as he becomes aware of their presence.

·         Takes the chance to improve himself or herself by asking staff to appraise him or her too.

·         Keeps providing training in regular doses than in one long course. Follows-up on any courses and check their quality and staff response . Encourages staff to enrol for regular training to pave the way for future success. Gives opportunities to staff to utilise newly acquired knowledge and skills

·         Pays staff for their responsibility and contribution and not for seniority and status. Efficiently controls costs. gives performance related  rewards and not just pay rises wherever possible. Uses certificates and engraved presents as reminders of high achievements.

·         Takes every chance to preach quality and practice improvement

It is a long list isn’t it? But to be able to manage a team one has to first aspire to be the successful manager  and then methodically one should work on oneself to equip oneself with essential traits as enumerated above.  

Individual weeknesses are related somebody own strengths!! Each individual has his own towering strength - Strategist, Executioner, Human capital developer and Talent manager. In one of the above somebody can be excellent, but not in all. This will be the strongest area for himself and other areas become weeknesses or opportunities to improve.

Depending on the managers role - what extent he needs to be strategist or talent manager or others, actions must be identified for development.

There are good strength finder tools available to identify individuals towering strengths. Once you know your towering strength, you can start working on the weeker areas as needed for the function.

Working with Talent management team and somebody's manager, development plan can be developed and actions can be initiated.

Inspite of working on this, still your towering strength is what you are passionate about and this will be your stronger area for your self!!

Identify them through performance measures and getting feed back from your managers, peers, & subordinates.

Plan to improve your those identified ro at least idealize them through education, training, and doing. Execute the plan and monitor your performance.

If some one is open to learn and can learn each day something ,like from mistakes, like from your subordinates, your colleagues, your seniors, events then there is continious scope of improvement and it helps you to be better Manager and better individual.

If the followings are followed in right way the weakness of a manager can be conquered

1.GREATER INVOLVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF WORK

2.BY VIRTUE OF SELF ASSESMENT ON DAY TO DAY BASIS

3.BY IMPROVING JOB KNOWLEDGE

4.BY MORE TACTICAL RATHER THAN PRACTICAL

4.BY KEEPING HARMONY IN PLANING & IMPLEMENTATION.

Knowledge is power. Weakness comes when we deny to acquire knowlecge. Employee get smart by acquiring Knowledge.

1) Analyse company's requirment and my ability and strong/weak points 

2) put a plan to achieve those

3) Acquire knowledge thru internet, fellow employee or joining short term courses, networking...

4) Apply those knowledge in real life instances...and get/analyse feedback

5) jot down possible Future enhancements............

See lessons learned from your provious projects and spend time specialy on those areas in which you are weak. because the best way to improve yourself is to learn from your mistake and to avoid them in future.

1- If the weaknesses are related to soft skills, it is a big problem.

2- If the weaknesses are related to hard skills, it is possible to improve through more training and reading.

Everybody has a limitation regardless of his or her intellectual capacity and intelligence, therefore, in order to improve your weakness as manager you have to learn.  Thus, reading and studying to keep up with the new knowledge and trend of the business is the best way to improve the weakness.