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October 10, 2024
Did you know, according to a study, “Nearly 1 in 5 people hate their boss and even more people think they’d do a superior job? And a fifth of employees say their manager is the single worst thing about their job — even worse than the commute.“
In this blog, you will learn how you can be a good line manager so that your subordinates don’t hate you.
You will also learn the roles and responsibilities that line managers have and the skills that all successful line managers possess, such as good communication, analytical thinking and delegation, among others.
What is Line Management?
Before understanding line managers, you first need to have a little idea about line management. In simple terms, line management is the management of employees who are directly involved in producing or delivering products, goods, or services.
As companies grow, line management becomes a necessity. It should be noted that line management is the lowest level of the management hierarchy; despite that, its importance can’t be overestimated. Line management is like the foundation on which depends the success of the company.
Now that you know what line management is, let’s talk about the people who are in charge of keeping that line running smoothly.
Line Management Course
This Line Management Course course is the best way for you to gain deep insight and knowledge of this topic. You will learn from industry experts and obtain an accredited certificate after completing the course. Enrol now for a limited-time discounted price.
Who are Line Managers?
Line managers are the people who look after the employees who are directly involved in the production or delivery of products, goods and services.
Line managers also keep reports and update the upper management on a regular basis.
Line managers act as the primary means of communication between upper management and employees. They guide employees by giving them direction, feedback and motivation to achieve the business’s goals.
The upper management also relies on the line managers to implement strategies effectively and solve day-to-day problems that come up in running a business.
As you can guess, line managers are responsible for a lot of things, and as such, the people appointed to this role must possess a variety of skills.
One thing that you should be aware of is that line managers are sometimes also referred to as supervisors, section leaders, direct managers and team leaders. Although the title varies depending on the organisation, the job responsibilities remain largely the same.
What does a Line Manager do?
So far, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what line management is and who line managers are, but for you to become a good line manager, you must also have a crystal clear idea of the roles and responsibilities of line managers. And that’s what we are going to talk about now.
As line managers are in charge of a lot of things, their job role consists of a large variety of tasks. Let’s look at the roles and responsibilities of line managers:
• Recruiting and hiring the right people for open positions
• Training new employees
• Communicating messages from upper management
• Creating Reports for upper management
• Conducting annual reviews
• Identifying knowledge gaps and arranging training
• Identifying bottlenecks and solving them
• Providing coaching and performance feedback to all team members
• Effectively communicating the business goals of the team
• Identifying problems and taking corrective actions when necessary
• Ensuring compliance with organisational policy and legislation
• Measuring performance metrics against set expectations and taking corrective actions where necessary
• Ensuring quality standards are maintained at expected levels
• Motivating and engaging the employees in a timely manner to ensure productivity
• Creating successful working relationships with each and every employee
As you can see, the list is quite long and depending on the situation; line managers take on additional responsibilities to solve company problems.
7 Key Skills That Successful Line Managers Have
From an outsider or a person without the proper knowledge, the work of a line manager may seem like just administrative work, but this is far from the truth.
As line managers have to look after a lot of things in a company, they must have a wide arsenal of skills at their disposal. Just think about it, most employees only have to do one thing at their job, but line managers have to juggle a lot of things at once. Sometimes they are taking care of the big picture stuff, while other times, they are taking care of something that, to an outsider, may seem mundane.
Here are the key line management skills that are required of every line manager:
• Good Communication
• Leadership
• Organisation
• Motivational Skills
• Analytical Thinking
• Multi-Tasking
• Delegation
Good Communication
As we discussed in the “what line managers do” section, a good portion of a line manager’s duties relies upon communication. So any line manager worth their salt must master the art of effective communication.
A line manager must be able to speak clearly, and while communicating, they must not leave any room for confusion or misunderstanding.
You can check out this course on effective communication to learn how to communicate like a pro.
Effective Communication Skills Course
his effective communication training course will equip you with a range of skills needed for a wide range of professions, from teaching to sales and marketing.
Leadership
As line managers are in charge of taking care of employees and motivating them on a day-to-day basis, good leadership skills is something that should be at the top of their skills to master.
Line managers must be able to command respect from the team members without having to use the powers of their position. Line managers should know how to motivate their subordinates and get the job done with minimal effort. Confidence and authority should be a staple in their personality, and they should know when to step up and take charge of situations. Team members should be able to rely on the line manager.
Organisation
Messy people don’t make for a good leader; if they can’t even organise their own lives, how can others rely on them to organise the company and get things done? Good line managers should be organised and should never be messy.
Organisation skills are a cornerstone for getting things done and managing things effectively. Staying organised means everything is done in a timely manner, each task is assigned to the best person for the job, and no task, however small it is, falls through the cracks.
To ensure maximum efficiency and productivity in the team, a line manager must have impeccable organisational skills.
Motivational Skills
The primary duty of a line manager is to get things done through team members, so it stands to reason that line managers must know how to motivate the team members. Unmotivated employees are less productive, and they bring down the morale of the entire team, so knowing how to keep everyone motivated and eager to complete tasks is a must for all line managers.
Analytical Thinking
A line manager should know how to analyse things critically. A huge portion of the line manager’s job is to solve problems that come up in the day-to-day running of the business. Having good analytical thinking skills help line managers to think about problems and situations deeply and find the optimal solution, thus keeping the business on track and running smoothly.
Multi-Tasking
Line manager, the job itself by nature demands multitasking; a typical line manager works on various things at the same time. From solving problems to creating reports, from taking interviews to training employees, all of these things are done by line managers on a regular basis, so a line manager should have mastery over juggling multiple tasks at the same time.
Finally, to be a good line manager, you must be able to multitask. With so many different responsibilities as part of your day-to-day job, keeping multiple tasks in mind and completing them in the most efficient way possible is essential.
Delegation
Many line managers struggle with this one. But a good line manager should know which tasks to delegate and which person to delegate to. Unfortunately, some line managers try to do everything themselves and often fail.
No person can do everything themselves, but with proper delegation, a line manager can get a lot of things done quickly.
How to be a Good Line Manager [5 Easy Steps]
You now know what line management is, who line managers are and what they do, as well as the 7 skills that all line managers must have.
But if that’s all there is to it, then why do so many employees hate their line managers? Surely there must be something amiss here.
How come good line managers are so hard to come by?
Line managers need to have some additional traits to become good line managers. Let’s look at a few of those:
Be Empathetic
Many line managers make the mistake of becoming too rigid and by the book. But one thing every line manager must remember is that at the end of the day, all employees are people.
And people are emotional beings, so if a team member is going through something, then instead of disciplining them or lecturing them, try to be empathetic and ask them what’s going on and how you can help. It’ll go a long way towards making the employee feel safe in the workplace.
Be Approachable
Some line managers become too busy or assertive that team members don’t feel comfortable approaching them. This is a big mistake; line managers should be open and always approachable to team members. Team members should be able to come to line managers with issues and expect to be heard.
Be a Good Listener
A lot of the time, listening is more effective than talking. To be a good line manager, you must know when to listen and hear what team members are saying. You’d be surprised to know just how much people are willing to tell you if you are willing to listen.
Give Recognition and Praise
Team members need to see that they are valued and that their hard work gets noticed. A simple recognition from the line manager can make an employee feel extremely valued and motivate them to work harder to achieve goals. A good line manager ensures that every good work gets recognised.
Don’t Micromanage
Throughout the blog, you have learned what line managers should do, but if there’s one thing that line managers must never do, then it’s micromanaging. Nobody likes micromanagers. It destroys motivation and makes employees despise the line manager. Nobody likes a nosy line manager who always pokes their nose in everything.
Line Management Course
This Line Management Course course is the best way for you to gain deep insight and knowledge of this topic. You will learn from industry experts and obtain an accredited certificate after completing the course. Enrol now for a limited-time discounted price.
FAQs
1. How to Become a Line Manager?
There are no specific qualifications needed to become a line manager. Typically, skilled employees are promoted to line manager roles.
If you want to become a line manager who’s liked by employees and gets things done, then check out this course – Line Management Course.
2. What is the Difference Between a Manager and a Line Manager?
“Manager” can refer to a lot of roles; there can be a manager of all managers, there can be a manager for a certain region or area where the business operates, there can even be a manager for certain departments within a company, but the term line manager refers to a specific job, and that’s to manage, organise, and liaise with employees.
3. Is First-line Management the Same as Line Management?
Yes, first-line management is just another word for line management; they both mean the same thing. The “first” in first-line management refers to the point that line managers are the first point of contact between the management and employees.
4. Who are Front-line Managers?
All the managers in an organisation who have the most direct contact with employees are referred to as front-line managers.
5. What are Line Management Systems?
Line management systems are the structures and processes that a company puts in place to aid the line managers. This may include everything from regular appraisals and reports to disciplinary procedures.
6. What is Micromanagement?
Micromanagement refers to the management style where managers always control and observe the employees, they closely monitor everything that the employees do and this also includes constantly reminding employees to work. Micromanagement is a sign that the company does not trust its employees and is generally found in workplaces that are toxic and lacks freedom.
7. What is a Micromanager?
In simple terms, the manager who micromanages the employees is a micromanager. Micromanagers are generally hated by team members, and they are often accused of making the workplace intolerable and the work life-sucking.
8. Is Line Manager and Project Manager the Same Thing?
Although they may sound and seem like the same thing, there’s a big difference between line managers and project managers.
Line managers as discussed throughout this blog, are responsible for taking care of employees who are directly involved production or delivery of products, goods and/or services. In contrast to that, project managers are people are in charge of particular projects. A project can be any initiative taken on by a company.
To put it simply, line managers run a particular department and project managers run projects.
Line managers are also in charge of the administrative management of employees working under them, but project managers don’t have to do any administrative management for the people working on the same project as them.
Summary
Managers are the people who are in charge of the people who are in charge of taking care of customers. If the people who take care of the customers are not happy, then the customers won’t happy either.
Line management is a fulfilling and rewarding career path for people who find it challenging and enjoy doing dynamic work. But oftentimes, the wrong person gets put in charge of line management, which makes the lives of all subordinates miserable. If you aspire to climb up the corporate ladder and become a manager someday, then definitely keep in mind the things we discussed in this blog.
