What Skills Do Managers Need to Be Successful?
Managers succeed one project or job at a time. What constitutes career success depends on the long-term goal of the individual. Success may mean more money, more power or the opportunity to do work that is more interesting. Companies, on the other hand, view a manager as successful when she consistently delivers a quality product on time and within budget. Possessing a few core skills will help you achieve a successful management career.
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Organizational Perspective
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Managers do not function in a vacuum. They function and succeed within organizational cultures, priorities and constraints. Ambitious managers need to work on high-visibility projects and execute those projects successfully. Because organizations prefer problem solvers, be willing to take on a challenge and always do more than expected, suggests Jack Welch, author and retired CEO of General Electric. Networking within the organization provides useful information to help identify and become part of an important project. Pay attention to individuals in key positions and let them know your career goals.
Communication Skills
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Practice communication skills by getting feedback and noting the response to presentations, reports and memos you write. The Wisconsin Business School Alumni Association recently reported that managers spend 75 percent to 80 percent of their time communicating. Communication skills require clarity of thought and well-organized presentation. Successful managers communicate in terms their audience understands, which means translating from the shop floor or software developer's tech-speak to the money-centric concerns of senior management or the quality issues that motivate customers.
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People Skills
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Although good managers have mastered the key skills of planning, organization, costing and evaluating, successful managers also possess excellent people skills. They know how to motivate employees. Successful managers care about the working conditions of their staff and strive within the organization to achieve continuous improvement. A manager needs the ability to listen and ask questions that allow employees to provide meaningful information. When instructing staff, managers should give praise and constructive criticism fairly and make their performance expectations clear.
Self Knowledge
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No manager can do every task well. Successful mangers possess self-knowledge about their skills and limitations, and they get help accommodating their shortcomings. Skill improvement can result from training and practice. Alternatively, the most successful managers find someone on their team with the skills they lack and use those individuals to get the task accomplished while acknowledging the individual's contribution.
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References
- Photo Credit Young business man and woman at office image by dimis from Fotolia.com
