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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 57 G reat management skills are more important than ever in today's tight labor market. Businesses large and small need to take steps to retain top-performing people and attract new ones. Dealing effectively with employees can do just that. Management mastery, however, is not a one-and-done affair. Effective leaders continuously assess their workplace performance and seek ways to improve. How good are you as a manager? In this article, business experts specify 10 indicators of effective leadership. Read what they have to say, then assess your own managerial skills by taking the quiz on Page 60. 1. Do you listen well? Effective listening is a core competency that underlies other management skills. "When speaking with employees, managers need to hear both the words and the music," says Johanna Rothman, founder of Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant in Arlington, Mass. "at means understanding not only what the person is saying but also the subtext. For example, suppose a manager asks Jane, 'Is everyone on your team working well together?' and she responds with a lackluster 'It's OK.' at, to me, is a red flag and an early warning signal of bigger problems." On the surface, notes Rothman, "OK" is positive. e subtext, though, is that Jane's team has dysfunctional elements that need to be addressed. Doing so will require follow-up questions that encourage Jane to speak out. A simple "Tell me more about the situation" may do the trick. 2. Do you communicate company priorities clearly? Shared goals energize a business. "Everyone's priority should be the same as the company's top executive," says Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., president of Corporate Coaching International in Pasadena, Calif. "When you talk about your company's big picture, where it's going and how the employees can help it get there, that's real leadership." Inspired by the knowledge of a company's motivating mission, employees will develop their own creative techniques for boosting performance. "People will not be managed; they will only be led," Frankel Great Manager? TIPS FOR BECOMING A MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE SUPERVISOR. By Phillip M. Perry ARE YOU A

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