Searching for a project manager is complex, and everybody has preconceived notions from managers they have previously enjoyed or have seen in the media. This can cause mistakes in choosing new management. What qualities should your managers have to best fit your needs and brand? What makes a great manager?

Experience in Your Specialty

Obviously, it is critical that your project manager have experience in your field’s specialty. However, experience in the work involved is not the only tool needed. An excellent manager will have experience collaborating with others, as well as having excellent interpersonal communication. Those things take hard work to develop, and an experienced manager will have both. A manager’s field of knowledge must include these as well as the skills of the project itself.

Adherence to Protocol

Safety is of critical importance, so having someone who is a stickler for details is crucial. A good manager is someone who balances between being precise and not being punitive. You need your team to follow the instructions and protocols given. Safety protocols should be in line with best practices for keeping employees safe as they go about their duties. However, overly punitive managers will punish for things which are not protocol and safety based. This is destructive to team morale. Finding someone with the excellent communication skills to balance these two needs is crucial.

Look Beyond Your Comfort Zone

If you want your business to soar, you want someone who loves their job and is brilliant at the work. It’s important to define what technical and intrapersonal needs are necessary in advance. In order to look beyond your comfort zone, you need to know what you’re looking for in personality and temperament to fit your team. This doesn’t come in just one gender, race, or physical ability level! Knowing what qualities you’re searching to find will help you locate the human best to lead your team, not a clone of who you remember from teams you’ve known in the past.

Your business will skyrocket only if your project management is a great fit for your team’s needs, and for what you are working to achieve. Finding the most skilled individual, who follows safety protocols, and has great interpersonal communication, can be a high order but is completely possible! Pretty soon, your team will have the organized mediator they need to work more efficiently than ever.

Read this next: Issues That Property Managers Need to Be Aware of This Winter