Do you Have What it Takes to be a Manager?

GETTING a promotion into management is exciting, but do you really know what you’re letting yourself in for?

For the fortunate few, getting things done effectively, without enormous fuss and tension all round, comes naturally.

For the rest of us it requires training, practice and concentrated effort. The good news is that managers who consistently outperform their peers share a number of identifiable characteristics and skills which the rest of us can work on.

Research conducted by Dreamfedjob.com over the past three years has identified 17 core competencies of good managers use-fully categorized under three main headings.

Managing self:

They have a clear understanding of the job to be done and are good at setting themselves challenging but achievable goals

• They get things done, are efficient, reliable and meet deadlines
• They constantly monitor their own performance and welcome feedback (they are more interested in identifying any shortcomings than in receiving praise)
• They are technically competent for their jobs and keep up-to-date on technical developments
• They can be creative as well as analytical in their search for solutions
• They use time efficiently; avoid time wasters and concentrate on productive activities.
• They create a good balance between work, play, family and rest

Managing others:

• They are good at establishing team goals and getting others to sign up to them
• They work with their teams to set challenging yet achievable goals
• They give regular feedback, address problems in a constructive way and seek continuous improvement
• They consistently acknowledge good performance in others, both publicly and privately
• While retaining responsibility for standards and outputs, they delegate interesting as well as routine assignments as much as possible

Interpersonal skills:

• They can be assertive in one-to-one situations, yet always respect the other person’s position. They are active listeners and follow up on agreements
• They are confident in groups, good at expressing their ideas and establishing rapport
• They enjoy the trust of superiors, peers and subordinates. They generally have warm and open relationships, with a good balance between working relationships and friendships, and are widely regarded as being loyal and supportive to management and colleagues
• They do not shy away from difficult situations, but seek to diffuse them by looking for win-win positions and long-term solutions
• They develop and maintain wide networks of contacts, both within and outside their organizations, to which they can turn for information, advice or support in various situations

It’s most unlikely that any individual fits this profile to perfection, but here are some of the features which are frequently found in really exceptional managers.

They are excellent at prioritizing and switching quickly between tasks - they are simply better than others at keeping a lot of balls in the air.

They seldom lose sight of the bigger picture, the overall objectives, but at the same time they constantly home in on crucial components, no matter how small.

Their ability to focus on minutiae in a timely way can appear uncannily intuitive and is usually associated with strong analytical skills. But research indicates it is typically supported by thorough preparation.

Exceptional managers do not procrastinate. Unlike most of us, they are probably more diligent about doing their less enjoyable tasks than the pleasant ones.

They are skilled at assessing and managing risk and therefore avoid wasting time and effort on “hopeless” causes. For the same reason, they are good judges of how far they can stretch their teams - building confidence, morale and expertise in the process.

Successful delegation of authority and responsibility is probably the single most challenging skill which sets excellent managers apart from good ones. Good managers recognize that delegation is crucial to giving themselves the time needed to be truly creative.

Excellent managers have a similar outlook - but they also believe delegation is crucial to the stimulation and development of team members so that they can be truly creative.