Ways To Develop Core Management Competencies

Gone are the days when a manager was considered as a person who could
always do the thing; who could always get the job done. Now the
definition has changed, although the core nature of management is
still the same. Now a manager of some department of an organization is
a person who can help prosper and develop a business by some
techniques; who can understand the present situation, analyze it and
can solve the problem by facing the challenges and taking risks if
need be. For a manager to carry out these jobs, he or she needs some
core competencies, which the person is not always born with. Now the
question is how one can develop core management competencies over
time.

What does it take?

What does it take to become a successful manager? The answer is
neither simple nor short. There are a number of skills such as
analyzing ability, leadership ability, right attitude, understanding
how a business runs, good people skill, good communication skill, time
management skills, excellent general knowledge and a thousand other
things all of which nobody can tell you and none of which anybody can
teach you, no matter what B-school you go to.

No institution or person can teach a person any of the above ones
except perhaps the business. It is always you who have to understand
and analyze and apply.

How can one develop the skills?

Although no one can teach you the above qualities, it really helps to
earn an MBA from a good B-school in order to develop core management
competencies. It is so mainly because there you will find the faculty
who are experienced and at least can show you the way and partly
because there you will find people just like you and the mere
competition can often help one to flourish and develop core management
competencies.

Becoming an MBA is either by birth or by practice. If you really want
to develop competency in management skills, you need to start putting
it to a challenge. For example only general reading can make you
generally knowledgeable and there is no other way. Some of the things
that you can start today to acquire management competency development
are mentioned below:

Start reading as much as you can. Read anything you can get your hands on
Start analyzing what you read and see around yourself; try to see
things from different perspectives.

Talk to knowledgeable people; a general discussion can really help you
sometimes.

Start asking questions (about anything constructive) and start looking
for answers.

Maintain a daily diary; write down what you have done today and the
timings. Analyze the diary at the end of the day and try to do
something more worthwhile tomorrow.

Only you can take yourself to a higher level. Be positive, try hard
and there is nothing you cannot do!

by Silas Reed