Edition: August 6th, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Excerpts from article by Stuart Gentle, published on onrec.com
In a competitive global marketplace, landing a job in management requires more than just good business acumen. Candidates on the hunt for the perfect role or those on a succession plan towards a managerial role have everything to benefit from brushing up on the skills needed to help them do the job well.
The key benefits of most management positions are:
- Leaders get the tools they need to spot and nurture talent.
- They have the power to improve the productivity of the team and generally streamlines processes.
People on the hunt for a new job will know that talking about skills is bound to come up at one, if not all, rounds of a job interview process.
These 7 management lessons can be a good place to start when brushing up your skills ahead of an important interview:
1. Self-awareness about limitations
- A good manager first and foremost needs a good sense of self-awareness. This is aided by acknowledging limitations, and having the ability to know when you need help.
- Management roles require meticulous time management as it is, but simply delegating tasks won’t be enough to thrive in the position.
- A workforce management software makes juggling all the balls in the air significantly easier.
- These types of solutions handle scheduling, compliance, opportunities for engagement with the team and more.
2. Consistent strategic thinking
- Strategic thinking is a skill that requires people to pause, step back and consider the bigger picture.
- Daily tasks are important, but they should be pointing towards a bigger vision that everybody is on the same page about.
- Doing so consistently means being good at spotting the areas where departments may have dwindled off the path slightly.
- When this happens, it also helps to be able to pivot to other avenues that may give more direct access to your larger, long-term goals.
3. Quick and calm problem solving
- Problem solving is a significant leadership quality, and is used in every single management team meeting.
- Being good at problem solving requires staying calm even in the midst of a crisis. Mindfulness practice can help a lot with that.
- It also requires acting quickly when problems pop up.
- Being able to draw up mental pros and cons in any scenario can help develop this skill.
4. Active relationship building
- No man is an island, and no company has ever thrived thanks to the efforts of a single person.
- Even the most successful solopreneurs have relied on clients, or even just a friendly barista bringing them a cup of coffee on a bad day.
- Relationship building counts as an important skill for managing a team as well. High quality connections can be game changers in a bid to reduce stress and improve job satisfaction.
- They can also enhance the communication skills of everyone involved.
5. Confident decision making
- Confidence to make decisions requires bravery, because sometimes management decisions have negative outcomes.
- Take the impossible decision to approve retrenchments in favour of keeping cash flow healthy, for instance. The alternative being that the company might go under.
- Being a good decision maker requires having a structured process in place.
- Related skills include analysing data and considering all factors, no matter how difficult it may be.
6. Awareness of the commercial and global landscape
- A good manager brings a strong element of commercial awareness to the table.
- Knowing the market and keeping on top of the global landscape can be invaluable for providing useful input related to the goals of the organisation.
- This requires understanding the mission statement of your organisation, keeping an eye on competitors and staying in the loop about political issues that may affect the long-term viability of the company.
7. Prioritising employee mentoring
- A business is only as good as the ‘weakest link in the chain’.
- Next generation leaders are not created overnight.
- Developing mentorship skills can mean the difference between companies starting over when leaders move on or retire and ones that have a good momentum in place that allows them to continue into the future.
The pandemic has made workplaces need to be more ‘human’ than ever before. Effective leaders see great value in human capital, and seek out professional development to not only benefit themselves but to extend growth to others in the team as well.
Anybody with an interest in a managerial role can benefit from these leadership lessons. They can lead to great professional and personal growth along the way.
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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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