Before you ask your boss for a managerial level promotion, it’s a good idea to spend some time thinking about whether or not you are management material. The fact that you are an outstanding employee does not mean that you will like being a manager, or that you have the skills necessary to become a manager.
It’s a fact that management is a great career option for many people, and is definitely not right for others. Many people choose to pursue management careers because they think that moving into a supervisory position is simply a natural progression in their career path. Unfortunately, many people ask for and get promotions into management-level positions without really considering how much their day-to-day professional lives are going to change once they become supervisors.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when thinking about a move into management from your friends at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey:
Mindset Shift — No matter what profession you are in, moving from a line level position into a supervisory capacity requires a complete change in mindset. When you become a manager, the focus of your job will change. Good employees concentrate on performing the tasks associated with their jobs to the best of their abilities. Managers have to focus on making this happen, rather than doing things themselves.
People Skills — Directing the work of a team, department, or organization involves much more than knowledge about how to perform the tasks of the job. Managers have to know how to motivate people, monitor workflow, allocate resources, manage a budget, and much more. Effective managers actually spend the majority of their time communicating with other people. Managers have to have outstanding communication skills. Listening is a big part of any management level job.
Keep Professional Distance — It’s also important to keep in mind that once you become a manager, you stop being a peer. When you are promoted to a managerial position, you have to maintain an appropriate professional distance between yourself and the people you supervise. If not, your judgment may be questioned when it’s time to discipline employees or make decisions about promotions among your staff.
The Next Step — If you feel that you understand what it means to become a manager, and you feel that a management career is the best choice for you, then speak to your supervisor and let him or her know of your interest in moving up. If you’re uncertain about whether or not management is a good option for you, you may want to speak with someone in your company’s human resources department about taking some management training seminars. The more you learn about the profession, the better equipped you will be to make a good decision about your future.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebookand Twitter @CarnegieJersey.
Photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net/imagerymajestic