5 Common Challenges Managers Face and How to Overcome Them

Being a manager comes with a unique set of challenges that can affect your team's success and slow your leadership journey if not tackled. It's no wonder that organisations are realising the risks of having unqualified leaders who struggle with the demands of modern management.

From navigating communication issues and managing time effectively to resolving conflicts, motivating your team, and making tough decisions, these hurdles can seem daunting.

For many businesses, ignoring leadership development simply isn’t an option anymore.

If you want to develop the leadership skills needed to face these challenges head on, our CMI Management and Leadership course will give you the support and tools to empower yourself and your team for success.

In this blog, we’ll explore 5 common challenges faced by managers, with some practical strategies to help you overcome them. So, let's get started!

1. Team Communication Issues

Good communication is crucial for the success of any team, but it can also be a challenge for managers. When communication breaks down, it can result in misunderstandings, inefficiency, and discord within the team.

These problems can often stem from teams working remotely, cultural disparities, or a simple lack of clear communication and messaging.

How to improve team communication

To enhance communication within your team, it’s important to take a clear and concise approach, with tangible goals and strategies.

Holding meetings, utilising project management software, and offering continuous team feedback can help to ensure that everyone is aligned and on the right track.

Additionally, prioritising active listening and constructive conversation are crucial for making sure everyone on your team feels acknowledged and appreciated.

At MOL, we offer accredited Management & Leadership CMI courses, perfect for anyone in a leadership role who wants to improve team communication.

This professional qualification is designed to equip learners with practical techniques, tools, and insights to help you enhance team communication and overcome barriers like cultural differences and remote work within your team.

2. Time management struggles

With so many daily tasks and targets to juggle, it’s no surprise that so many people in management roles find effective time management and organisation to be a major struggle – both for themselves and the teams they manage.

As deadlines start to pile up, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed, which can have a detrimental effect on both team performance and stress levels over time.

How to enhance time management

Improving time management begins with prioritising your workload. Using models like the Eisenhower Matrix and implementing time-blocking techniques can help you to decide what’s urgent, and what can be revisited later.

The Eisenhower Matrix splits tasks into four categories:

• Low importance, high urgency
• High importance, high urgency

High importance, low urgency

• Low importance, low urgency

This framework allows you to allocate time for tasks in line with how high they are on the priority list, making the time management process much easier. Setting realistic goals and avoiding multitasking are also good practices to keep you on track and reduce last-minute stress!

3. Conflict resolution

Disagreements are bound to happen in any team but how you navigate conflict as a manager can make a significant difference to the outcome. When conflicts are left unresolved, they can create a toxic work atmosphere which leads to decreased morale and productivity.

Techniques for effective conflict resolution

The key to resolving conflicts is addressing problems early on and staying impartial – don't be tempted to take sides! Following conflict resolution strategies like the Thomas Kilmann Model can assist you in handling disputes in a positive way.

The Thomas Kilmann Model outlines five ways to deal with conflict scenarios:

• Competing
• Collaborating
• Compromising
• Avoiding
• Accommodating

Each of these has its own pros and cons, and the best way to proceed will often depend on the context of the conflict, the goal of the resolution, and the personalities of those involved.

Promoting an environment of respect and empathy among team members is also crucial in preventing conflicts from intensifying. The CMI Management & Leadership course provides leaders with tools to address disputes, resolve conflicts, and cultivate a supportive team atmosphere.

I’ve been completely changed as a manager since I started the Management & Leadership course at MOL. The practical advice and tools I received have really increased my level of self-assurance and have resulted in a noticeable change in how I lead my team. If you want to improve your leadership skills, I cannot recommend this course enough.

MOL Learner

4. Employee motivation

Like many managers, you may find it challenging to keep your team engaged long-term, which can lead to a drop in productivity and an increase in the turnover rate.

How to boost employee motivation

Everyone likes a pat on the back—probably even more so when it comes from someone in a leadership position. Recognising and rewarding the efforts of your team makes everyone feel like they’re involved, and at the end of the day, valued in their work output.

One of the best ways to keep your team engaged and committed is by creating opportunities for their growth, along with regular feedback. Schedule occasional review sessions with employees, to reflect on their achievements and motivate them with goals to work towards.

5. Decision making

Tough decisions are an important part of management, as they can have a profound influence on your team and wider organisation - the pressure on leaders to get things right can be overwhelming.

How to make better decisions

To start making stronger decisions, it’s helpful to consider a wide range of perspectives and collect data before taking action. It’s also important to be flexible and leave some room for revisiting decisions as new information or vulnerabilities are discovered. 

Using templates like SWOT Analysis or 5 Whys can help you to get a complete understanding of the decision-making scenario.

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) Analysis is a framework which is used to evaluate an individual or organisation’s position and develop strategic planning. It considers internal and external factors, as well as current performance and future potential.

The 5 Whys technique is a problem-solving method which involves getting to the root cause of a problem by asking “Why?” 5 times. Once you’ve got to the bottom of the problem, you can decide on the best course of action and follow it through to prevent the same issue from arising again.

Level-up your management with MOL

Becoming an effective manager requires constant development and progress.  

By tackling common challenges like team communication, time management, conflict resolution, employee motivation, and decision-making, you can motivate and lead your team to success.

Take the next step in your management journey with MOL’s CMI Management and Leadership course and gain the critical skills and techniques required to overcome challenges and inspire your team. 

Explore our courses and get enrolled with MOL to start your journey with us today!