Business
What makes a Great Manager: Know the Qualities and Skills
The need for an effective manager in a fast-paced work environment cannot be denied. Spotting a manager who envisions both organizational growth and employee growth is tough. A study conducted by Gallup in 2013 shows that there are over 500 billion dollars of lost productivity in a single FY because of disengaged managers. The number is quite alarming considering the lost revenue. A proper manager can help the company to combat organizational loss. But the question is what makes a good manager? Several traits make a great manager. Let's have a look.
Who is a good manager?
A good manager is someone who holds the middle ground of being a critic as well as a friend of their employee. S/he does not try to be overbearing rather aim to be a mentor who guides through the development process. Organizational growth and strategic goals aren’t the only concern of a good manager. S/he is also concerned about employee satisfaction and output as well.
While most managers are disengaged with their employees, an effective manager fosters a sense of reliability and engagement that makes them a great mentor as well. Overall, a good manager not only finds the balance among the organization, employee, and workload but also manages these components for collective growth.
Read:Leader Vs Boss: Know the Differences
Top 10 Qualities of a Good Manager
A proper manager has a lot of distinct characteristics. Here are the top 10 qualities of a great manager.
Being a Good Listener
We mentioned how most managers are disengaged with their employees. This happens due to communication gap. An effective manager doesn’t simply delegate responsibilities. S/he finds the time to sit with their subordinates and listen to them. Whether it’s a personal matter or a work-related issue, an ideal manager is always ready to lend their ears and thoughts to an employee.
Read:How to improve your productivity and efficiency at Work?
Showing Genuine Interest
Employees can make or break an organization. Their needs and comfort should be the priority of any organization. There is a saying that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your organization in return.
A right manager is concerned about the employees. S/he will show genuine interest in the life and well-being of the employee. It won't take much out of a manager's time to ask about what an employee is doing, but these little gestures will go a long way to ensure employee satisfaction.
Read:How to improve your professional networking skills?
Showing Fair attitude
More often than not, we see managers showing bias towards or against an employee. Favoritism or nepotism in the workplace can bring harsh consequences for the organization. Activities like this will create resentment and depression among the neglected employees and drive down their productivity. A fair manager recognizes these consequences and practices fair and equal approach to each employee.
Communicating Well
The main responsibility of a manager is to manage their employee. In this regard, communication is an important key. Whether its task delegation or work evaluation, it becomes hard to manage the employees without proper communication skills.
Read Traits of the Smartest and Most Efficient Employees
A great manager is always a good leader. S/he tends to be vocal and communicate well with their peers. This trait not only helps to keep any sort of confusion at bay but also keep the progress of the employees in check.
Fostering a Productive Environment
A fair manager works to ensure that the employees are performing at an optimum level. Most of the time, employees get overburdened with work resulting in burnout. A manager has to ensure that the employees aren’t overworked. The idea is to find a proper balance between work and life all the while being productive.
Read Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
Being a Good Coach
An employee looks up to their manager for guidance and direction. It’s completely unrealistic that a manager would delegate the task to their employees without ensuring their competence. The right manager makes sure that s/he is mentoring the fresh hires. Collective growth is achieved by the dissemination of knowledge and experience.
Recognizing Employee's Talent
A good manager would try to identify what you are good at. Your strengths define you as an employee. A great manager would recognize your strength and delegate tasks accordingly. S/he tends to focus on their skills and creates a productive environment around them. As a result, the overall productivity level of the organization goes up.
Read Perfect Resume: 12 Effective Tips for writing professional CV
Taking Responsibility
More often than not you will see managers solely blaming the employees for a mistake. This type of behavior induces fear among the employees and they tend to stay on constant alert. Needless to say, this creates a toxic environment and drives down the employee satisfaction rate.
On the other hand, a decent manager takes responsibility for a situation rather than directly blaming the employees. Furthermore, a great manager feels the need to be accountable to his/her employees for any action. These initiatives promote an environment of trust and confidence among the employees as well as motivation to do better.
Read Effective tips for hunting jobs during pandemic
Being Empathetic
You might be having a tough time at work or may simply feel off. Instead of being rude at you, a good manager would show genuine concern about your situation. S/he will try to understand the issue and do every bit to make things better. Being empathetic is a simple human trait. However, this simple trait in a manager often makes them a blessing for the employees.
Setting Clear Expectations
A good manager would clearly outline what is expected from you. Often managers fail to define the strategic goals of the organization; as a result they fail to understand what should be expected from the employees. The lack of proper vision creates confusions that often hinder the performance level of the employees. A responsible manager works to ensure that every employee understands his/her part and acts accordingly.
Read:How to Restart Your Career after a Break?
Final Thoughts
It's not easy to define what makes a good manager. An fair manager has many traits and qualities. In this article, we have highlighted 10 qualities of an effective manager. In simple words, a proper manager makes a balance between employee development and task management. And, these certain basic elements set them apart from the rest.
Read Post Retirement Career Planning: How to pick your dream job?
SpaceX to partner local firms to make satcom gear in India
Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to partner with Indian companies to locally manufacture satellite communications equipment, including antenna systems and user terminal devices, as it gears up to launch its high-speed Starlink satellite broadband services in the country next year.
SpaceX is excited to find ways to work together with the Indian industry for manufacturing products for its Starlink devices,” Matt Botwin, director (market access with the Starlink program), said on Monday during SpaceX’s first official interaction with Department of Telecommunications (DoT) secretary Anshu Prakash, reports The Economic Times.
The company always looks for opportunities to maximise the efficiency of its (global) supply chain, and “is now looking forward to working with its partners in India to recognise those opportunities”, Botwin said.
This was also SpaceX’s first official comments on its India plans in the satellite communications space.
The DoT had called a meeting with global satellite companies to discuss a holistic roadmap for locally manufacturing satellite communications gear and ways to create an enabling regulatory regime for global low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operators to establish in-country gateways in India.
Also read: SpaceX to send Dogecoin-funded satellite to the Moon in 2022
Those present at the meeting included officials from OneWeb, Viasat, Hughes, Airtel NSE 0.08 %, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, Department of Space, and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
India's satellite based communications space is heating up with the likes of SpaceX, Bharti Global-backed OneWeb and Jeff Bezos-led Amazon’s Project Kuiper looking to enter the country’s nascent satellite broadband space starting next year.
During the meeting, Botwin, one of Musk’s key lieutenants, said, “SpaceX has been working with the Indian industrial sector for a long time, buying steel and steel-tubing for many of its rockets.” It is now committed to manufacturing hardware and satellite components and components of (satellite broadband) networks in India, he said.
The company, known for its vertical integration, manufactures the gamut of rockets, antennae systems and user terminal devices.
Also read: SpaceX capsule departs station with 4 astronauts, heads home
SpaceX has been accepting pre-orders for beta version of its Starlink satellite internet service in India for a fully refundable deposit of $99 (above Rs 7,000). According to its website, the company’s satellite broadband services are being targeted in India in 2022, although availability, it says, is subject to regulatory approvals.
During the meeting, satellite companies strongly discouraged the Indian government from auctioning mmWave satellite spectrum in the 28 GHz band for 5G mobile services, saying such a move would impact their data download speeds and geographical reach in India.
“Unlike the mobile use case, by its very nature of usage, satellite spectrum is not dedicated to a single satellite operator, and the world over, it is not auctioned but assigned as per International Telecom Union (ITU) regulations,” said Anil Prakash, director general of Satcom Industry Association of India (SIA-India), who was present at the meeting with Prakash.
The coveted 28 GHz spectrum – with a band range from 27.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz – is currently used exclusively by satellite players but it is considered a highly efficient band for 5G services.
Also read: Biggest space station crowd in decade after SpaceX arrival
Telcos, on their part, have repeatedly told DoT that unavailability of 28 GHz spectrum could jolt India’s 5G business case. Without these airwaves, 5G deployment costs would surge and make the ultra-fast wireless broadband service unaffordable in the country, they said.
Leader Vs Boss: Know the Differences
The role of a leader is crucial in driving the output of the employees. Besides this, leader is a key figure in an organization, when it comes to the matter of workplace satisfaction of the employees. A study in the US showed that almost one in every two employees or sub-ordinate leaves their job to stay clear from their bad manager. But the question is, how can you tell what your senior colleague is? Is s/he a leader, or simply a boss? Let's find out the differences between a leader and a boss.
Who is a Leader?
A leader is a person who will always lead from the front. The characteristics of a leader are defined by certain principles that highlight their approach and vision towards organizational growth and employee management.
A leader shows a high sense of empathy and emotional intelligence. They are always self-aware and try to understand each employee on personal levels. Even though a leader is motivated by the final goal, it doesn’t define how s/he manages the employees. Instead, the leader justifies the final output to better motivate the employees. To a leader, the employees come first and then the organization.
Read:How to improve your productivity and efficiency at Work?
Who is a Boss?
While there are a lot of characteristics that make a leader, a boss is someone who is focused on a singular goal. A boss would, as the name came to be, boss around without any significant long-term implication.
In most organizations, bosses hold an employee-management position. Most of the bosses out there are driven by profit and increased output for the strategic long-term goals of the organization.
In the process, they end up completely ignoring the individuality of each employee and how their action affects them both mentally and emotionally. However, they might lack the vision, even though it's not all negative. Some bosses are considerate and try to relate to the employees at a humane level.
Read:How to improve your professional networking skills?
10 Key differences between a Leader and a Boss
A leader and a boss might hold the same organizational position. However, their approach to the work distinctly sets them apart. Let's have a look at 10 differences between a leader and a boss.
Building Confidence vs Inducing Fear
You might have noticed that bosses seldom have a conflict management plan. That is because they do not expect their employees to ever disagree with them. Their will acts as the law and every employee is bound by it. This totalitarian attitude only induces fear.
On the other hand, a leader is someone who focuses on what he needs to know. They create an environment where employee can express his or her thoughts. This process not only makes the employees feel valued but also motivates them to work better.
Read Top Qualities of Genuine People
Daraz launches online 'Qurbanir Haat' ahead of Eid
Online marketplace Daraz has started "Qurbanir Haat" ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Qurbanir Haat will allow customers to buy sacrificial animals through the Daraz app by looking at photos, videos, and details, including the weight, age, breed, and colour.
Read Digital Haat and more Qurbani Cow online shops targeting Eid-ul-Azha in Bangladesh
Daraz's online Qurbanir Haat comprises 1,000 animals – 700 cows and 300 goats – ranging from Tk55,000 to Tk8,00,000.
The haat will continue till July 16. It is offering up to Tk6,500 discount on the sale of cows and Tk2,500 on goats accompanied by free shipping services and no hasil (tax on the sale of sacrificial animals).
Read Digital Haat 2021 launched with target to sell 1 lakh cattle before Eid
Also, there will be additional benefits for the buyers, such as prepayment options.
IBBL Bogura Zone holds webinar on Shariah compliance
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Bogura Zone organised the webinar "Compliance of Shari'ah in banking operations" Saturday.
Syed Abu Asad, director of the bank, addressed the webinar as chief guest and Muhammad Qaisar Ali, additional managing director, as special guest.
Also read: IBBL Dhaka North Zone holds business development conference
Professor Dr Mohammad Gias Uddin Talukder, chairman of the IBBL Shari'ah Supervisory Committee, addressed the webinar as chief discussant.
Mohammad Harunar Rashid, a member of the committee, also addressed the webinar.
Md Abdus Sobhan, head of Bogura Zone, presided over the programme.
Also read: IBBL Sylhet Zone holds webinar on Shariah compliance
Also, Md Shamsuddoha, executive vice-president, head of branches and officials of Bogura Zone attended the webinar.
IBBL Dhaka North Zone holds business development conference
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Dhaka North Zone organised a business development conference Thursday (July 08, 2021) on a virtual platform.
Mohammed Monirul Moula, managing director and CEO of the bank, addressed the programme as chief guest and Md Omar Faruk Khan, additional managing director of the bank, as special guest.
Also read: IBBL Dhaka North Zone holds seminar on Shariah compliance
Taher Ahmed Chowdhury, deputy managing director, Mohammad Ali, chief risk officer, also joined the programme.
Senior executive vice-presidents Md Siddiqur Rahman, Mohammed Shabbir, Md Mahboob Alam and Mizanur Rahman; and Assistant Vice-President AM Shahidul Amran spoke at the conference as well.
Also read: IBBL Mymensingh, Rangpur zones host agent banking conference
Customers can now buy sacrificial animals online through bKash
Customers can now buy sacrificial animals from online cattle markets through bKash payment.
Apart from buying animals from 11 online markets, they can also get home delivery and meat processing services through bKash payment.
Of the 11 online markets, customers can buy cow and goat from Daraz, Othoba, Priyoshop, Gorur Hut, and Sadeeq Agro; cow from Ajkerdeal, BD Gorur Hut; goat from Jogan, Hungrynaki, and Khasihaat through bKash payment.
Read: Online shopping: Up to 25% cashback on bKash payment
A customer can choose the animal by visiting a relevant link or website. There is also a chance of talking to the seller directly over the phone or in some cases seeing the animal through video. After proper scrutiny, the customer can select the preferred animal and pay through bKash.
Not only buying sacrificial animals, but customers can also enjoy services like booking of butchers and home delivery service from TruckLagbe. Customers can make home delivery payments through bKash as well.
Customers from Dhaka will be able to pay for cattle on Priyoshop, Hungrynaki, and Khasihaat among 11 digital markets while customers from all districts can buy sacrificial animals from Ajkerdeal, Sadeeq Agro and Gorur Hut.
Read: Up to 500 Tk Cashback on card to bKash 'Add Money'
Customers from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet can buy a sacrificial animal from Daraz.
How to improve your productivity and efficiency at Work?
Have you ever felt that you are not achieving enough at your workplace? Every morning you go to the office with a certain plan and goals for the day. But there are times you are left with the feeling that you could not achieve enough. This is not because you are less competent. It is the things that you are doing wrong and the things you are failing to include in your work regime. The lack of productivity at the workplace is a serious issue from both organizational and personal perspectives. So, what can you do to boost your productivity and efficiency? Let's find out.
Why is it necessary to improve your productivity at work?
The simple answer to this question would be to increase organizational proficiency. You are not the only employee in your workplace. You are part of a team that is relying on you to do your part. It is the combined effort of everyone within the organization that drives it to become better. If you are not being productive, it will have multiple drawbacks. In addition to driving down your motivation, you will also hinder organizational growth.
Increasing productivity helps to boost the morale of other employees. They will feel motivated to do better resulting in increased overall output from the organization.
Read:How to improve your professional networking skills?
The improved performance and productivity will be reflected in the customer satisfaction rate also. Study shows that highly efficient companies tend to retain more customer. So from a customer service point as well, it's necessary to be productive.
However, the responsibility of being productive isn’t on the employee alone. The organization itself needs to promote a productive and growth mindset among its employees. The strategic goals and vision of the organization should include the personal development aspect of its employees. The rule of thumb here is that if you take care of your employees, the employees will take care of your organization.
Read:Post Retirement Career Planning: How to pick your dream job?
10 ways to improve your efficiency at Work
Improving productivity and efficiency at the workplace is important. But the question is, how can you do it? Here are 10 ways to get you started.
Avoid multitasking
Getting a number of things done at one go might feel efficient. However, that is the opposite of being productive. When you are multitasking, you are essentially dividing your attention and effort. As a result, the quality of the finished work might not be as good as it would have been if you had worked on it alone. It also ends up taking more time. Hence, it's better to avoid multitasking.
Set realistic goals
If you plan on getting a week's work done in a single day, that won't be happening. The human mind has its limitations. If you set an unrealistic goal for yourself, you will end up working more but that will downgrade your productivity. You will face energy burnout, as a result your overall level of efficiency will drop.
Read:How to Restart Your Career after a Break?
Taking break
Don’t stretch your work regime like a machine. The brain needs its optimum level of a timeout as well. The more you try to push it to overwork, the more it’ll slouch. It’s recommended that you take breaks throughout the day in certain intervals. This will rejuvenate your brain and you’ll find yourself being able to concentrate better.
Stop finding perfection
There is a common misconception that you need to keep doing something over and over again until perfection is achieved. In reality, you can never find true perfection. There will be always a scope of things being better. So, you should not get stuck with a single problem. Do your best and move onto the next one.
Read:Traits of the Smartest and Most Efficient Employees
Minimize interruptions
The idea is to work smarter, not harder. You need to reassess where you are spending your time and how you are spending your time. Instead of cramming your schedule with more and more work, focus on how you can minimize interruption to your work. Whether it is limiting the interaction with your colleagues or turning off the notification of your phone, take initiatives where you can work for an extended period without any distraction.
The two-minute rule
This is a rule of thumb that everyone should follow. The two-minute rule states that if the work can be completed in 2 minutes, it should be done right away without any distraction. Therefore rather than setting big goals to work with, break them down into small objectives or micro-goals. Once those achievable targets are brought under short time brackets it will be easier for you to tick them off.
Read Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
Set your deadline
Procrastination can kill productivity more than you can imagine. When you stack up everything for the last minute, they only add up. This will lead you to multitask or rush works which will ultimately reduce the quality. So rather than following the organizational deadline, create your own deadline. Try and stick to it so that you never fall behind the clock.
Reduce meetings
This might sound counterintuitive at first. But you should try and avoid unnecessary meetings. In this day and age of connected communication, most of the official tasks can be effciently delegated over a memo or a mail. You are simply wasting your time and productivity by attending mindless meetings.
Read Perfect Resume: 12 Effective Tips for writing professional CV
Wake up early
Successful CEOs wake up as early as 4 AM. This is just a stat to show that when you wake up early, you have more time to get things done. Go for a run or a walk if you can. This will not only freshen up your mind but will also prepare you for the day.
Learn to say ‘no’
Every once in a while, you will see your boss or peer dumping more work on you. You should learn to say ‘no’ to that. There is no need for you to take up more than you can chew. Instead of getting overloaded with bulk of tasks, focus on having your own ones done first.
Read Effective tips for hunting jobs during pandemic
Final Thoughts
Your productivity and efficiency will be added to the overall output of your organization. In addition to making yourself productive, you should try and foster the same mentality among your peers too. Being more productive and efficient is not really a tough thing. You just have to do what you already do; but in a more efficient way.
IBBL Sylhet Zone holds webinar on Shariah compliance
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Sylhet Zone organised the webinar "Compliance of Shari'ah in banking operations" Saturday (July 10, 2021).
Dr Mohammad Saleh Jahur, director of the bank, addressed the programme as chief guest and Mohammed Monirul Moula, managing director and CEO of the bank, as special guest.
Also read: IBBL Dhaka North Zone holds seminar on Shariah compliance
Dr Md Ruhul Amin Rabbani, member additional secretary of IBBL Shari'ah Supervisory Committee, addressed the webinar as chief discussant.
Sikder Md Shehabuddin, head of Sylhet Zone, presided over the programme.
Also read: IBBL Mymensingh, Rangpur zones host agent banking conference
How to improve your professional networking skills?
Networking is one of the key secrets of getting hired, whether you are looking for employment as a fresher or considering a midlife career change. According to many career specialists, professional networking is the make-or-break aspect of job hunting. But does networking really matter that much? And if so, how to network in the right way? Read this article to get the answers.
What is Networking?
In simple words, networking is the process and steps that you follow to develop professional and social contacts. The development occurs through the exchange of information and ideas. People often confuse the idea that networking should only be done to get hired. In reality, there are far more useful and impactful uses of networking than to just get hired.
Whether it’s a career advancement aspect or getting a new perspective, networking can help you find the solution to different issues quite easily.
Read Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
How professional networking skill can help your career?
As we were saying, the scope of networking is not limited to getting hired alone. In today’s word, the work-processes of diverse sectors and industries are being managed and influenced through professional networking, connections and metrics.
Networking helps you to stand out of the bunch. Having someone to vouch for you, or someone who understands your skills in a particular field can be of better help than a piece of CV.
Professional referencing is a common thing practiced in the big organizations. Someone with proven skills and reliable references will always hold the upper hand. Nowadays, most organizations do not believe in taking chances; rather they want to hire somebody who can deliver equal or more in return for what they are paying.
Read: Post Retirement Career Planning: How to pick your dream job?
The implications of networking go far beyond than getting hired. For example, creating a connection with one of your industry leaders will give you better industry insights than others. You can hardly find information about such practical intricacies in Google or data banks.
For instance, when you experience an issue regarding your employment or business, a highly experienced and knowledgeable person in that field might mentor you in the best way to overcome the problem.
When you put things into perspective, the benefits of having robust and relevant networking are limitless. We mention the term “relevant” here because not everyone will generate value for you.
While networking, it does not matter whether they are your senior or sub-ordinate. What matters is whether they have the potential for value generation. As long as there’s a mutual benefit at play, networking is always a good option regardless of the industry.
Read Top Qualities of Genuine People