We’ve probably all experienced a bad manager at some point in our lives, but how many of us have worked for a truly inspiring boss who know how to motivate and get the best out of their team?

Unfortunately, being good at your job doesn’t guarantee that you will be a good leader or manager. Effective management is an art – but luckily, it is one that can be learned if you follow some basic principles.

Here are 5 principles for being a great manager:

1. Select the right people

It all starts with getting the right team in place – together, the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. You need to select the right people for the right jobs, build a complementary team, and align your people with your organisational goals and culture.

Recruit right. Make sure the person not only has the right skills but, more importantly, fits the culture.

Knowing how various roles will help to achieve your organisation’s goals will help define the requirements against which you will interview and assess candidates. 

The development of key people may be the single greatest factor of an organisation’s ability to deal with uncertainty and succeed. Central to development is a leader’s ability to engage people and align the needs of individuals with those of the organisation to deliver a united and cohesive team.

2. Show empathy

Empathy is the ability to listen to people, relate to their emotional experience and let them know that you are doing so. According to many leadership experts, it is the most important core competency for managers and leaders. 

Developing the ability to understand people and connect with them in a genuine, meaningful way is a key determining factor in how effective you can be at influencing them, setting them objectives that motivate them, and rewarding them in a way they each actually find rewarding.

3. Communicate

Communication is the key to fostering empathy and building relationships of openness, trust and honesty with your team. The first step in effective communication, is to create the time and space for people to talk, and to ask questions. 

It is important to clearly communicate your goals and expectations, and define people’s roles and responsibilities in line with these. You can’t motivate people if they don’t know what you want! Set clear specific goals for your both team and your people. Openly discuss and negotiate these. Let people know what support and resources they have access to, and to clearly link rewards to objectives. 

Providing timely and meaningful feedback to your staff is crucial, as is determining how best to give them this feedback. Tailor your approach to each individual; some people require regular assurance and support, while others prefer more autonomy. It’s important to let your staff know what they’re doing right as well as what areas they need to work on. 

Non-verbal behaviour is just as important as what people say, so effective managers need to be keen observers to gauge how people are responding to a work situation at an emotional level. Managers need to be intuitive since staff don’t always tell you when they’re struggling. 

Communication needs to flow in all directions, from managers to their staff, from staff to managers, and between team members. An effective leader is a good listener and fosters an environment where people get to know each other and understand each others’ strengths, weaknesses and styles. Good managers are open to the input of their staff and learn from their feedback.

4. Lead by example

People will pick up on the verbal and non-verbal expressions of their manager’s state of mind, so leaders need to take responsibility for the atmosphere they create and shape it with their own behaviour.

This can be as simple as your posture and demeanour when you arrive at the office in the morning, or more systemic like outlining values and protocols for working with each other.

It’s also important to practise what you preach. You can’t expect your staff to work harder than you’re willing to. Respect doesn’t simply come from your position – you have to earn it.

5. Delegate

It’s important to let your staff take ownership of their work and find their own ways of doing things. Delegate responsibility rather than tasks. 

Watch out for micromanaging: Don't interfere – know when your staff can run with things.