Abstract: Terence Traut from Entelechy, Inc. draws from interviews, research, and extensive experience to identify the most important management skill.

I’ve been teaching management and leadership skills now for over 10 years to new managers and supervisors as well as to seasoned veterans.

I’ve worked with some of today’s leadership and management thought leaders and researchers including Tom Peters, Dr. Warren Bennis, and Dr. Henry Mintzberg.

I’ve met, researched, and worked with some of today’s renowned leaders including Captain Mike Abrashoff (author of GrassRoots Leadership and former commander of the U.S.S. Benfold), General Tommy Franks (former commander of CentComm and author of American Soldier), Pat Mitchell (former CEO of PBS), and Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group.

I’ve talked to thousands of employees and looked at what they wanted – NEEDED – from managers that they felt they weren’t getting, or getting enough of.

And, perhaps most importantly, I am a manager. I hire, fire, manage performance, coach, cajole, and counsel.

Based on my unique set of experiences, I’d like to share my belief of the most important management skill and I’d like to count down to that skill in Lettermanesque fashion. You can see which skills I considered and why I believe each is important in its own right, but not THE most important skill.

#7 Know What Motivates People – Motivation is an intrinsic thing; theoretically you can’t motivate someone who doesn’t want to be motivated. While I agree with that, effective managers draw from a variety of techniques to cajole, encourage, inspire, recognize, and otherwise create an environment where many people ARE motivated. They recognize that each person is motivated by different things from simply having a job to contributing to something great. They also realize that what motivates someone tomorrow may be different than what motivates them today.

#6 Walk Around – The best way to manage – to know what’s going on, to build the credibility that only comes from someone “in the know” – is to regularly and frequently get out there. More and more managers and supervisors are isolating themselves to get the things done – reports, updates, budgets, analyses – that upper management is demanding. Effective managers know that without the effective performance of their people, all of the ancillary work is for naught. The best way to see what’s going on – and to be seen – is MBWA, Management By Wandering Around.

#5 Use the Right Tool – Effective managers can draw from a treasure chest of tools to use one that is most appropriate for the situation. Leadership and management research over the past 100 years has come up with a single definitive conclusion when answering the question, “what’s the best approach?” The answer is, “it depends.” It depends on the situation, the skills of the leader, the needs of the employees, and the unique interaction of the three. Effective managers have an arsenal of tools to draw from and, most importantly, they have the performance analysis skills to know which tools to use. Coaching, feedback, counseling, feedback, information sharing, self-disclosing, encouragement, recognition, problem-solving, corrective action, and others are options that the effective manager can use at will.

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