How to Become a Manager – There are many different ways to become a manager. Some take years of experience, some require an advanced degree and others are just plain luck. But regardless of how you’re able to make the leap from employee to boss, there are a few things that can help you along the way. Keep these tips in mind before taking charge of your career!
Managers are the backbone of organizations. They oversee the work of others and have the power to make or break someone’s career. What qualities do you need to become a manager? It might seem like it would be easy, but there is a lot more than meets the eye. You need to be flexible, open-minded, and able to handle stress. These are just some of the qualities that will help you achieve your managerial dreams.
What is a manager?
A manager is a person who manages other people. They are in charge of a group of employees, with the power to hire, fire, and tell them what to do. A manager will have training and will be able to delegate tasks so that the company can run smoothly.
Why you should want to become a manager
The first reason why you should want to become a manager is because it will help you develop your leadership skills. Becoming a manager will help you learn how to lead, manage, and organize people. This in turn will make you an effective leader for your team.
The second reason why becoming a manager is important is because it can help you grow professionally. When you become the boss of your own project or department, the responsibilities of running the project or department will be placed on you. You’ll need to focus more on your work, which means that your work won’t suffer as much as other members’ work would if they were doing their projects and managing people at the same time.
Related: 18 Highest Paying Manager Jobs
The third reason why becoming a manager might be beneficial is because managers have more opportunities than those who are not managers. As a manager, you’ll be able to do things like attend conferences and spend more time with clients outside of work hours. This way, when employees ask for days off or vacation time from work, they can get it without worrying about their boss complaining about them taking too much time away from work.
The fourth reason why becoming a manager might be beneficial is because managers have better perceptions of their job than those who are not managers do. People who have just started out in management tend to think that being on top of everything all the time is what makes them successful in their jobs. However, this isn’t true; mastering one’s job takes time and experience working as a boss does
5 steps to become a manager
Have a clear vision for your career. You need to be realistic about what you want out of this role, and how much time you’ll have to dedicate to it. It’s crucial that you decide what you want from this position early on, because management will take up a significant amount of your time.
Find an opportunity that will shape the future of your career. When I first started in the field, I didn’t know where my career was heading. After taking an internship, I knew I wanted to continue my work in marketing because it would help me progress towards my ultimate goal–a job in the media industry.
Take advantage of any training opportunities offered by your company. If your company has certification programs or workshops, take advantage of them! Start small and build up as you go along. This type of training helps prepare you for the future and can give you valuable skills that are relevant to your role as a manager
Becoming a manager can be an exciting development point in your professional career. In addition to higher compensation, being a manager usually offers opportunities to develop new skills, mentor other professionals and explore leading projects. Here are five steps you can take to become a manager:
-
Research manager responsibilities.
-
Assess your manager qualifications.
-
Set goals for improving skills.
-
Share your aspirations with your manager.
-
Show your worth.
1. Research manager responsibilities
Before applying for a manager position, spend time researching what to expect in a managerial role to determine if it’s right for you. This involves learning key information such as common job functions, essential skills and typical salary ranges. Your research ensures you approach the process of becoming a manager informed about what to expect and what employers look for in a manager.
Researching manager positions can include both formal and informal methods. To formally research, you can read professional articles, review job descriptions, browse career guides or even schedule a call with a career adviser. Informally, you can observe the managers around you, ask questions about their experience or request to shadow them.
2. Assess your manager qualifications
Next, you can perform a self-assessment to determine your strengths and areas for growth relative to the expected skills of a manager. This helps you set realistic expectations about your timeline for pursuing a managerial position and a baseline to start your preparation.
To complete a self-assessment, you can review past performance evaluations or ask a trusted colleague for honest, constructive feedback. A leadership mentality is critical to your success as a manager, so make sure to include this in your self-assessment. Managers must be able to work well under pressure and give clear feedback to their subordinates. Some other common manager qualifications to evaluate are:
-
Relationship-building skills
-
Problem-solving skills
-
Decision-making skills
-
Time-management skills
-
Coaching and mentoring skills
-
Communication skills
-
Strategic planning skills
3. Set goals for improving skills
Using the information from your self-assessment, set a goal to strengthen one or more of your growth areas before applying for a manager position. Then, self-assess periodically or ask for feedback from your own manager to determine if you’re making progress. This will help gauge your readiness and help you support future employees with their own growth and development.
In some cases, you can begin setting skills-improvement goals via your company’s framework for goal setting to follow a commonly referenced structure and support. For instance, your organization might use a tiered goals framework that organizes objectives by week, month and year.
If your company doesn’t have a framework, use goal-setting resources online with individual feedback or performance evaluations to assess your progress. If a colleague helped you during this phase, they also could support your progress by sharing their observations.
4. Share your aspirations with your manager
Expressing your managerial aspirations to your own supervisor can be valuable, depending on their leadership style. This person may be able to provide honest feedback about your readiness and suggest ways to develop your skills before applying. They might even assign you new projects or offer insight into their own experience as a manager.
5. Show your worth
A critical step on your way to becoming a manager is to demonstrate to your supervisor and colleagues that you have the skills to succeed as one. Remember that initiative is an essential leadership trait employers look for when hiring a manager.
To show your worth, you can do so directly and indirectly. For example, adding specific, measurable accomplishments and outcomes to your resume is a direct way to prove you’re ready for a manager role. Indirectly, you can model excellent communication and problem-solving skills managers need by speaking up more in meetings, sending clear notes for follow-up after team meetings or offering creative solutions to challenges.
Tips for being a successful manager
Once you become a manager, your success will likely be defined by your contribution to the goals of the organization. In the business world, for example, a successful manager benefits the company by increasing profits and meeting company goals.
1. Make sure you’re a good leader
2. Focus on the problem, not the person
3. Be firm but fair
4. Listen to feedback and give guidance
5. Keep your team’s morale high
Regardless of industry, these strategies are essential for succeeding as a manager:
Delegate
Successful managers build team capacity and strengthen performance through assigning duties appropriately. Use these tips to delegate effectively:
-
Determine which tasks you must complete and which can be delegated to others.
-
Assess the strengths of your team members and delegate tasks accordingly.
-
Set goals and corresponding deadlines to ensure employees deliver on their assigned tasks.
Invest in relationships
Being a manager requires a lot of interpersonal skills. Investing in relationships with the people you manage can serve as a key asset in the success of your role and team overall. Use these strategies to build strong relationships with colleagues:
-
Create team-building opportunities to get to know your employees.
-
Share parts of yourself with team members so they feel connected to you in return.
-
Model a sense of humor, humility and vulnerability.
Work strategically
Being a successful manager requires making effective decisions about your organization’s time and staffing resources. It requires a clear focus on company goals and the ability to effectively align resources to the pursuit of those goals. Use these steps to ensure your team works strategically:
-
Create a plan with clear goals, strategies and timelines to help your team stay organized. To the greatest degree possible, stick to that plan. You can incorporate new and creative ideas, provided they support the existing work.
-
Communicate early and often so team members maintain clarity about their purpose and expected outcomes.
-
Set high standards while also being realistic about capacity and timelines. Identify priority tasks and allocate time for them accordingly.
Be prepared
Part of being a successful manager is staying calm under pressure and using problem-solving skills to overcome challenges. Use these strategies to address unexpected situations:
-
Accept that even with your best preparation, surprises may occur.
-
Stay calm and communicate confidence in your team.
-
Develop a plan and take action.
