This week at the Ghana CEO Summit held at Kempinski Hotel in Accra let us discuss some of the leadership and Management qualities shared there from different perspectives. 

From the start moment of a new start-up business to a well-established multinational corporation, business management skills are the glue that holds a company together. We know leaders need a certain charisma, business acumen and iron-clad knowledge of whatever industry they’re in, but what are the other key skills and qualities that leaders in business management need to hone to make a business successful?

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

According to Brian Tracy what makes a good leader is the use of effective management skills such as spending 50 percent or more of their time listening carefully. Great leaders understand that some of the best leadership qualities entail listening to others with undivided attention. When was the last time you actually listened single-mindedly to one of your staff members?

Can you remember when you last listened to someone without interruptions or distractions from either telephone calls or drop-in visitors, when you just focused intently on the person speaking with you, ignoring all else? As expressed by former CEO Alan Mulally “It always comes down to incentives. What’s the incentive for someone to behave differently? Is it recognition, time, or more money? No. It’s usually visibility,” he said. “When you give a speech, you’ll be scored by the audience.”

So those executives who were smart enough to leave lots of time for Q & A got better grades than those who lectured. And those managers who encouraged a dialogue with the team came out on top. Great leaders with excellent management skills encourage input and change, and the best way to measure them is based on feedback they get from their best people. People usually give the best scores to leaders you trust and to leaders who listen.

It’s all very well having an idea that could make it big, but getting that end goal effectively communicated to a team that will spend their days working to achieve it is absolutely crucial. Without effective communication between all areas of a business, things will get lost in translation and the end goal will be vague and unattainable.

Help your team work towards your ultimate business vision by being clear, honest and concise in your communication in the written and verbal form. Clarity and openness will instill trust in you as a leader. Be approachable and demand the same openness and succinctness from your team.

CONFIDENCE AND THE WILL TO SPREAD IT

Confidence leads to inspiration, and inspiration leads to perseverance. Both having confidence in your own business acumen, your status as a manager as well as just the outward portrayal of yourself is essential for your company to get behind and support your cause.

Confidence is an attractive quality in any walk of life as it inspires trust as well as admiration; you wouldn’t want to be led by a weak leader. Especially in times of difficulty and uncertainty, confidence is the fuel that can help a business pull through together. Confidence breeds confidence, so you’re leading by example.

THE ABILITY TO DELEGATE

Any manager will know the importance of effective delegation. Working to your team’s strengths can make for comprehensive and successful campaigns that can be highly rewarding for all involved. When work is allocated well, teams are happier and more productive, resulting in higher morale and better quality output.

Delegation functions as oil for the well-oiled business machine; every part of the structure is playing a part that contributes to the advancement of the business as a whole. Trusting your team to work towards a collective vision is part of the art of successful delegation. Know your team and be aware of how individuals contribute to the overall aims you’re driving forward.

A FORWARD THINKING AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Inculcating a strong company ethos in terms of internal workforce interaction is an incredibly positive way of advancing in the business world. No one is productive when the prevailing attitude in a workplace is one of pessimism and gloom. A positive attitude doesn’t just mean in yourself; you must spread the positivity to your workforce.

Part of being forward thinking and spreading positivity outwardly in your workforce is to take an active part in your employees’ happiness at work. Look into the administrative ‘housekeeping’ and legalities like flexible contracts, maternity and paternity leave for instance, sick leave procedures, and any other aspect that contributes to the human side of your organization.

Make sure your employees are being treated fairly. Incentives other than pay are an excellent place to make further improvements – perks like gym membership, healthcare and social events make the working environment more positive and therefore, stronger.

CREATIVITY & INTUITION

As a business manager, creativity may not be the first word you think of in a list of key characteristics. However, a creative leader can take a mediocre business and make it stand out head and shoulders above competitors. Lateral thinking and outside the box initiative are that rare spark that can ignite powerful change and light the fire of positive action.

“You need the humility to remind yourself that you’ve got to get better at everything you do,” insisted Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. “I don’t know about you, but I’m never done growing my company or myself.”

In conclusion, “the most and critical factor for success in today’s business and managerial leadership is execution, execution and execution as expressed bythe Chief Executive Officer of Hollard Insurance Madam Lynda Odro.