Top Skills Every Frontline Manager Should Have

Your frontline leaders are responsible for a lot of the daily activities of your organization. They take care of the relationship between your employees and customers and are usually the largest population of leaders within an organization. In many cases, they are the glue that holds your organization together and operating smoothly. 

These managers are often the supervisors of individual contributors, and they can be newly promoted into their first leadership role as a manager. Or, they serve as functional leaders who do not have any formal direct reports but are responsible for the work of others through their influence. These leaders most likely hope to move up into a first-line managerial role in the future. They can also be the least experienced tier of management within a company. 

There are few roles as demanding as a frontline manager. The role needs specific technical knowledge and expertise, along with soft skills like communication, team building, and conflict resolution. Frontline managers have a direct impact on key performance metrics. This includes employee engagement, turnover, customer satisfaction, and overall productivity levels. 

Managers are a crucial component for sustaining quality, service, innovation, and financial performance within an organization. Despite their importance, they are typically neglected when it comes to leadership development. To be successful, every frontline manager should have the following leadership skills:

Strategic Thinking

Frontline managers will need foundational business skills so they can understand their company’s strategic priorities and how their department can best support these priorities. When equipped with the appropriate business knowledge, frontline supervisors are able to ensure that their work and the work of their employees are both aligned with the objectives of the company as a whole. Their daily decisions can be thoughtfully made based on the organization’s overall success in mind, instead of relying on their instincts or gut feeling. 

Versatility

Frontline managers need to be able to stay up to date with the latest technology and business changes in their organization. The ability to adapt and learn quickly from new experiences and then be able to apply that knowledge to recognize, analyze and address problems allows frontline managers the agility to deal with a myriad of issues that can crop up daily. 

Team Building and Leading

One of the main responsibilities that comes with being a frontline manager is to manage the people that are on their team. The best supervisors are able to clearly show their team how their work is meaningful and connected to the larger organization, and how their work contributes to the company’s success. 

There will also be times where supervisors are needed to inspire and guide team members to help them exceed expectations. Effective managers are able to accomplish these goals by having influence over others’ actions, decisions, and mindsets. 

Self-Awareness

Managers who are aware of their own strengths, weaknesses, and preferences are better equipped to deal with daily decision-making and be able to interact effectively with others who have personalities that differ from their own. 

Communication

As a manager on the front line, communication is key. Whether that be between your direct reports, customers, or important stakeholders, effective communication helps you convey goals and expectations, enforce rules, and provide feedback. Effective communication relies on both being empathetic and assertive. Having this skill allows frontline managers to get their message across in an approachable yet authoritative way. 

Motivating Others

A frontline manager’s ability to motivate and inspire their team is a crucial skill. Giving meaningful feedback to their teams in areas where they can improve and where they excel will help give them a sense of direction as well as outline a clear understanding of what their role is. This can include motivating team members to go above and beyond – without needing to rely on monetary incentives. 

Level Up Your Team Using 1Huddle

At 1Huddle, we offer cloud-based employee gamification software, our gamified training platform can easily adapt to any employee training or gamification strategy you want to implement at your workplace. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, anytime, and at the push of a button. You can use our gamification platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Request a demo today.