What Traits are Desirable When Hiring a Manager?

If you are looking to add a project manager to your business or organization, you'll want to conduct your search with care. After all, this is a very important role and one that is critical to the success of your projects. So, how can you ensure that someone is going to be effective in the role? What sort of traits should you be looking for? Read on to discover more.

Key Traits you want in a Manager

• Stress management – You need to look for project managers that have the capacity to work under extreme stress. While some projects may be small and uncomplicated, there are going to be those that seem like a nightmare to manage, especially if failure could result in customers lost and millions of dollars wasted.
• Emotional intelligence – A project manager needs to have the ability to deal with a diverse and large group of people, all with different agendas. Emotional intelligence is a necessity because a leader needs to be effective in communicating with their team members, as well as holding meetings with senior managers. An effective project manager is one that can handle intellectual and emotional biases in a gentle manner so that creativity is not squashed. They know how to deal with everyone so that the group is focused on the goals, and they can empathize with the client so that the relationship is a long and successful one.
• Qualifications – Of course, you need to ensure the project manager has the necessary project management qualifications. There are many options available, from PMP to APM PMQ. [There is also the option to complete online project management programs.] It is imperative to ensure that the project manager holds the right level of qualification that is required for your organization and the type of projects that you deal with.
• Initiative – A project manager certainly needs to have a lot of initiative. You need someone that has already researched your business and has an understanding of the unique culture of your organization. The last thing you want is someone that requires a lot of direction. After all, they are going to be the person providing this for others if you choose to employ them.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication – When interviewing a potential candidate, try and gauge their ability to talk with people at all levels. If this person is going to be communicating with everyone from the stakeholders and senior management to the team members and the client, this is especially key. It is so important that their communication skills are of an outstanding standard. To determine this, consider asking behavioral questions about the person’s capacity to interact with customers. [You can also ask typical interview questions for managers.] It is also advisable to have as much of a conversational interview as possible, as this will say a lot about a person’s communication skills.
• Conflict resolution – Last but not least, the final trait you need to look for is the ability to resolve conflicts effectively. Conflict resolutions skills are of extremely high importance. There are going to be conflicts to manage throughout projects, as there are typically a variety of personalities involved, with different views and agendas. You need someone that can effectively resolve these conflicts that are bound to happen at some point.

Should you take a risk on someone?

This is a question a lot of business owners find themselves battling when it comes to hiring someone. You may have found someone who has really impressed you, but they may have something on their career history that causes concern. This could be a large number of jobs in a short space of time. Or, it could be something about their personal history, such as alcoholism or a criminal record.

Make sure in these situations that you treat every case individually. The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Take alcoholism as an example. Look at websites like Enterhealth.com to get a better understanding of the subject and the sort of treatment the person is likely to have gone through. You should also find out about how long the person has been sober and ask if there are any signs to look out for so you can help the individual if things get too difficult. Would workplace stress be a contributing factor? Also, think about support. How can you help your new employee should they need it, or if they worry about breaking their sobriety?

So there you have it, some key considerations when hiring a manager for your project. Pay attention to the different skills and leadership traits listed above that you should be looking for. We hope your new hire is a great success.