Have you been working for quite some time at present company and looking forward to lead or supervise a team? You might have many years of experience together with hard work and there are chances that you could move up to management role.
But you must also be aware that just by performance you would be considered as suitable candidate for management. Take a closer look at your everyday work job environment.
Are you working closer with your team members or co-ordinating with your manager time to time? Then try to prove to your immediate boss, who is charge for promotion that you are capable to handle people with right attitude and willing to perform more than what is required for the job.
If you have this question ‘am i ready for management?’ in your mind, then you need to ask yourself these questions first before going further to decide to become a manager.
‘Am i ready for Management’ – Questions to ask yourself:
- Am i a good communicator and teacher
- Am i celebrating my teams success always
- Am i ready to lead by example?
- Am i willing to be accountable for my team’s performance?
- Can i let go off my to do list
- Can i set a great example for my team?
- Can i take the tough calls?
- Do i like meetings?
- How am i taking feedback now a days?
- How good am i at handling conflicts in a team?
- How good am i at listening to people’s problems?
16 Signs You Won’t Succeed as a Manager:
- You are not flexible.
- You are not helpful with employees career development.
- You are not into team-building activities.
- You aren’t building diverse and inclusive teams.
- You don’t like your job
- You don’t respect your employees’ personal time
- You don’t take feedback from employees.
- You give negative feedback always.
- You hate dealing with people
- You hate to talk about anything other than work.
- You lack a vision
- You lack growth mindset
- You prefer individual contributor work always
- You work for the money, not for actual job responsibilities
- You’re a micromanager
- You’re inconsistent.
Now go ahead and review some of the facts that are necessary to make an impression on your boss and prove that you are ready to go up the corporate ladder.
12 Signs You are Ready to Become a Manager:
1) A 360 degree view of company:
As an effective manager, you need to make right decision keeping in view the company’s vision and goal. For carrying this out, you need to be better equipped with all information.
Information about the company’s business and whole process can be learned by reading through the newsletters, recent annual reports, press release, websites gathering knowledge on company’s operations, strategies, challenges they have been through.
Besides, you could review the functioning of other departments by looking or walking through the process through short meets during breaks.
As most of the work flow is carried out with the help of all departments, by having a look through the process cycle you would easily understand where every section has their inputs.
2) Showing professionalism:
Professionalism does not come in one day. It has to be shown from the day you have joined your work.
Your boss would be impressed only when you abide by time, complete the task assigned, being polite and courteous, show patience, willing to take extra assignment, go that extra mile.
Getting the job done before deadline, show promptness on answering query, giving a helping hand with colleagues, work along with team, have positive attitude are some of the characteristic features that may help you get to that position.
These are signs of showing professionalism in work.
3) Taking up small projects:
If you find small projects that you can handle, involve yourself. Get to know if there are small assignments and request your boss to hand over to you.
It could be in the form of training new hires, training interns, overseeing dealing customer complaint, leading meetings, requesting your boss to delegate while he is off for vacation, help planning company picnic, volunteering for community events, organizing seminar, involved in organizing exhibition, etc.
Proving taking up leadership roles will show that you are committed to your team as you would take all steps to get those required done.
4) Know to solve problems:
Work places do come up with problems sometimes. In case you have been confronted with one don’t take it up with boss, instead try to get a solution and discuss with him/her before implementing the solution.
Many a times problems might not arise in your work but within department or in the next process loop.
Get to know the problem and find out the best way or solution for it. Discuss it with the related people and help them out to implement it.
This way you are working as team and also leading the team. You carry leadership and delegating functions through this action.
5) Handle conflict:
Situations do arise where there is conflict within the team members or within broader groups. If you are involved, then analyze the situation well enough by getting in to the details in such a way that does not hamper your work.
You must refrain from showing anger or bad language usage. There are also certain characteristics attributes that are necessary like being calm even under pressure, being ethical, being able to mediate, knowing to treat with respect, maintain integrity, being fair and not biased, able to tolerate ambiguity, must be approachable and know to give credit when required.
Managing conflict shows that you are level headed and have the ability to handle conflict by analyzing all aspects before reacting to it.
6) Maintain relationships:
Being a manager requires one to maintain good relations with all in the department and cross departments as well. Learn to cultivate cordial relations with other members of departments.
By moving across all departments and meeting people regularly during work time is not bad. Consider sparing a few minutes to share a thought with co-workers, helps one to develop good relations.
It’s unprofessional to seek out with only those who are in authority. Having a few words with the janitors or cleaning section will only elevate your level.
7) Gain respect:
If you are a person who can be approached easily, it indicates that you are most wanted person. There is a difference from a person being ‘liked’ and a person being ‘respected’.
People like you for doing something they prefer or something of their interest. But being respected is something that is earned through your deeds.
Respect is only achieved when people recognize your expertise, knowledge, attitude, character and integrity. Hence, be true to yourself and gain respect.
8) Being good mentor:
Managers are known to be good mentors or good teachers. If you have ability or demonstrated ability to coach your co-workers then it is good sign.
You have to develop the ability to communicate well enough and also listen to your peers.
Besides this being a teacher or mentor requires to motivate others, know to value diversity, and be confident Training your peers or co-workers or sub-ordinates is to be done to improve the performance of the department and bring overall success to growth of the company.
You need to help others by giving guidance or support to bring about more development in the team you are working with. It is one way of motivating them. Such attitude brings self-confidence within the team.
9) Good planning skills:
Managers must have skill to lead team to implementing projects along with identifying key steps to make it happen. You must know how to create a defined plan to keep team on track by defining their roles, goals and target.
Planning skills are not easily attained. It comes only when you are working with deadlines as it pushes you to create timelines and keep track of all steps completed.
If you are utilizing this skill on day to day basis then you are inevitably on track to pursue your goal.
10) Make quick and correct decisions:
You might be encountered with situations where you may be required to make decision, what would you do? Will you take it up to the boss or make decision to solve the issue?
Operational issues or purchase related issues or departmental issues arise every day and as a team leader if you tend to sit on the issue analyzing the pros and cons for menial matters delaying the decision allowing someone else to decide then you would be considered as a follower and not as leader.
Good managers need to take decision quickly and correctly.
11) Good communication:
Communication is the essential for getting into the management cadre. Developing listening, writing, verbal skills helps you to get recognised. You might be good at communicating but you need to develop this skill by attending communication sessions.
As being able to speak is not the only attribute but the way to speak is also important. Using proper language and style of writing without grammatical error is crucial. Having an ear to listen others views and being patient helps to get others respect.
The ability to instill confidence in others is the most important characteristics of good manager.
12) Knowing to motivate:
Motivation is the key ingredient in all work environment that keeps the show running. There are many ways for one to show motivation which can be in terms of awards, certificates, memo, party, etc.
If you have the habit of showing appreciation for tasks that are accomplished shows that you do recognize the work that was done and efforts that has gone in the making of it.
You could send thank you note or mail to all concerned indicating the effort of the members who were involved. Even a pat on the back makes one to have a smile on the face.
Conclusion:
Being captain in working environment needs to have certain attributes that cannot be developed instantly.
To come into manager position you would need to prove to your boss that you are fit and interested in the role through indicators given above.
In short it is said that to become a manager the personnel must have a minimum of the indicated characters. So, if you have them then prove it.
