Regardless of the particular area of the company, each department manager must be in immediate contact with the people under their charge. They are the supervisors who are on "the front lines" and oversee and hold people accountable to the company goals. However, their position also requires them to coordinate the efforts of many people directly, be available to their numerous team members, and be flexible when dealing with change.
For this reason, department managers must possess certain behavioral traits in order to be effective in their role. A few of these traits include:
| Problem solving Results-oriented Authoritative |
Persuasive People-oriented Encouraging |
Organized Dependable Adaptable |
As mentioned in Chapter One, these characteristics come from three of the behavioral styles. The "core" or primary style for a department manager would be Dominance. These traits are listed in the first column. However, in order to achieve a good balance, this manager will also need to possess certain traits of Influence and Stability (the traits listed in columns two and three).
The effective balance of these three styles will result in a person who takes charge and lets others know where the chain of command lies. S/he will be capable of driving the team toward the desired results and of solving daily problems which inevitably occur.
However, your department manager, being a people-oriented person, will also be persuasive, capable of communicating the "big vision" to his/her team and encouraging them to strive to reach the company goals.
Finally, due to the attributes found in the Steadiness style, this manager will be fully prepared to organize and prepare records, reports, meetings and other necessary tasks that require a good deal of organization. S/he will be dependable and will easily adapt to the ever-present changes that befall a department manager.