It’s coming very close to Christmas, and I know everyone has been good and on Santa’s good list. Especially managers some have you have been particularly fantastic, and you can expect some great gifts.  For our effective managers, we want to focus on some excellent gifts as tips you can give yourself.  Go on you really deserve it…

1.  Delegate – Remember you need to delegate but also remember the real reason we delegate is to develop and empower others and not to give someone rubbish job because we don’t want to do it!  There is a big difference between delegation and abdication.

2.  Manage Your Time Better – Do the things you fear most first! Best managers know how to manage their time better, and at the very least they are aware of their current time management issues.

3.  Learn how to train people – I am a massive believer that managers should also be trainers as they inevitably have to educate people as part of their normal working role. Give yourself a bonus gift by not bore people with PowerPoint slides.

4.  Deal with conflict – Understanding how to deal with conflict will improve your confidence which will improve confidence regarding how they see you.  Remember putting your head in the sand is not dealing with conflict.

5. Recognise when your team is dysfunctional – Most teams are dysfunctional by their very nature.  As a manager, you must identify if your team is dysfunctional and then do something about it.  Building trust is essential to a functional team, and you can do this straight away by not thinking you have to do everything correctly every time.

Give yourself these gifts, and I guarantee they will pay you back again and again.

I just wanted to wish all our managers and readers a fantastic Christmas, and I wish you all the best for you and your family.

Ralph Moody is the founder of Target Training and specialises in trainer and management development.  You can read more about him here.  To see courses where Ralph delivers see our website here.