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These competencies all leverage individual skills and individual effectiveness. They are valued skills and make people more productive, but all except for the last one (collaboration) focus on the individual rather than the team. When we went back to our data, the skills that our analysis identified as making a great manager are much more other-focused:

The study is called "The Skills Workers Say Management Needs To Improve Most," from Robert Half. 1,000 workers (non-managers) were simply asked the question: "Which skill do you think your manager needs to improve most?" The results:

Communication/diplomacy - 30%

Technical expertise - 18%

Leadership - 17%

Strategic thinking - 14%

Project management - 8%

Other - 14%.

The ability to manage people is the foundation of organizational success. Test your management skills by taking quiz.

If you're going to be a successful leader, you are going to have to learn how to ask good questions. Here are seven tips for taking this skill to the next level.

One of the most important, leadership skills to develop in managers is the ability to coach effectively-including how to connect with employees and get the best out of them on an ongoing basis. From my own experience, here are three employee performance management best practices I've found effective in turning frontline managers into first-rate coaches.

For fun, try this. Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine yourself taking the point of view of one of your employees. Once you reach that point, ask yourself: "As an employee, what do I want?" Then take the time to ask yourself: "As an employee, what do I fear?"

Most of our team members want to be known by us. They want to know that they matter and that we care. As coaching leaders, we are looking for ways to inspire those we lead so that they can accomplish greater things and grow more than they could if they were not being coached. To accomplish this, we must work to find out what personal and professional goals our teammates have, what motivates them, what hurdles get in their way, what fears hold them back, or what bad habits derail them. We must really get to know them before we work on action plans, skills, knowledge and process if we want to have the highest probability of helping them to grow and perform at higher levels over the long haul. How well do you know those you are responsible for developing?

Skilled managers have never been more critical to the success of firms than they are today.  Not because employees can't function without direction, but because managers play a vital role in talent management. Gone are the comprehensive career management systems and expectations of long-term employment that once functioned as the glue in the employer-employee contract.  In their place, the manager-employee dyad is the new building block of learning and development in firms.

The best way to empower employees is not to manage them. Coach them to success. This is a process of developing their skills and providing them specific feedback to meet high standards. Employees want to be on the same team with their bosses.

But today, tighter budgets, flatter organizations, a heavy workload, and too many direct reports often leave managers without the time - and sometimes without the skills - to shoulder the responsibility of being coach and mentor. And yet, this function remains critical to the long-term health and productivity of the organization.

Knowing how to effectively give positive feedback is a powerful tool to develop employee skills and talent. Yet leaders on the front lines, middle management, and upper tiers of organizations often overlook positive feedback and reinforcement, or are unsure or uncomfortable giving it.

Save more general updates for emails and group stand-ups. Instead, use that one-on-one time to bring up key topics like how you want your career to grow, skills or opportunities you're interested in developing, and roadblocks you're struggling with. Of course, not everyone has a great manager that is willing to talk about these things, but it is worthwhile to bring these topics up to make sure you're successful.

No matter how successful a coaching session feels while it's underway, if it doesn't lead to change after it's over, it hasn't been effective. Unfortunately, too many managers don't adequately follow through and thereby squander the important time they've invested in coaching. You can make the process more effective by adopting these practices after every session.

Through coaching - a.k.a. collaborative development discussions - with their managers, direct reports can learn and grow in key ways. Coaching can help people gain greater self-awareness, increase their autonomy, reinforce strengths and skills, and take more responsibility for their own development and career path. Direct reports will also be more likely to agree with and implement their individual development plans and be more engaged in their work.

With this shift, there is still a "me" in the picture, but it's not front and center. The "me" involves finding one's own personal motivation, enjoyment and engagement in learning the skills of leadership beyond their individual performance.

People who are masterful at acknowledgment listen carefully to what is important to others and then look for ways to acknowledge the other person when she has done things or made choices that support those values or goals.  An example of acknowledgment is: "I want to acknowledge the courage it took for you to volunteer to be the spokesperson.  I know that public speaking is a personal skill that you want to improve."

Another great coaching skill for managers - silence. It's not as simple as it sounds!

Interesting conversation on the differences between a Supervisor & a Manager.

Good Coaching advice