Are you Management Material?

So you might consider yourself as a professional, credible and trustworthy employee who is ready to climb the corporate ladder, but for some reason your manager just doesn't see it, and that management position that you thought was almost in-the-bag, now seems to be more of a fantasy and less of a reality.

Maybe you are a hard worker who is always patient, kind and helpful to other employees. You probably get along well with everyone around you and are considered one of the most courteous of all employees. But have you asked yourself if those ordinarily quality traits are indeed considered strengths for a management position, or are they possibly looked upon by your executive team as the traits that are holding you back from your much desired promotion?

While these character traits may result in you being well liked by your colleagues and managers, and possibly even admired by everyone around you, these are the very same traits that might just be standing in your way to becoming part of the management team. The truth is that nobody ever got promoted purely because they work longer hours, or because they are socialize well with the team. Likeability is unfortunately not the only character trait required of a good manager. While being liked is a critical factor in your success, it is important to understand that there is a difference between being liked and being respected. If you are only every concerned about being liked, you might find that you have missed the opportunity to be respected. And similarly, if you are only ever concerned about being respected and not liked, you could lose the support of those colleagues you actually need on your side. A good manager is someone who is both liked and respected equally - so find a way to balance your inclination to want to serve others needs with how you serve your own needs.

Managers are expected to work smarter and not harder. Promotions are rewarded to those who get the job done, not necessarily to those who not only their work, but also the work of those around them too. If you find yourself often volunteering to do all the less significant tasks, stop. If others always seem to be volunteering your service to do those low-impact tasks, then you need to start practicing a little more assertiveness, and politely decline by explaining that although you may like to help out, you are swamped with your own tasks at the moment. Never allow your colleagues to delegate to you and always avoid the tendency to accept it even if you know that by doing it yourself it will be done faster. Start learning to delegate down where appropriate without being perceived as bossy.

Although you might pride yourself in being the ‘go-to' person in the company, be selective in the just how much advice you wish to offer. While you might have heard your manager say that he or she has an open door policy, don't misconstrue this as implying that anyone should feel comfortable walking into your office at any stage to rant and rave about other colleagues or even their personal life, or that it is an invitation for them to come and gossip about fellow employees. There should be clear boundaries in place and you should always avoid being involved in office politics. And where you are unable to avoid it, be sure that you are the one solving the problems and not the actual problem.

Avoid sharing too much personal information about yourself at work. Never reveal anything to anyone in the workplace that could potentially be used against you in the future. Try never to bring your personal problems to work. What might honestly be a very deeply emotional or tough situation for you at home, by breaking down at work your managers might deduce from your outburst that you are unable to handle stress well. While sharing personal information in itself is not going to sabotage your career, it is how much personal information you share, who you select to share it with and how you handle it that will demonstrate your emotional strength to your colleagues and managers.

Don't make the mistake of waiting to be noticed, if there is an opportunity for you to prove your strengths and suitability for a promotion then take it. Let your managers and colleagues know that you are ready for the challenge and don't shy away from high-profile assignments no matter how thought they might seem. Use these opportunities to showcase your capabilities and graciously accept the challenge. In particular, if your manager has asked you to take on a task that is slightly outside of your comfort zone, then accept the invitation without hesitation. If your manager has the confidence that you can do it, then you should. It may very well be a test to measure your willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and to see how you handle a tough or foreign situation. It is how you respond to the challenge that could either make or break your chances of promotion. Your manager might point out areas where you excelled in the task or alternatively where you could potentially have done things differently or better. Take these pointers to heart and accept the constructive criticism offered. Learn from those already in management positions by accepting any advice they might offer without becoming defensive or taking it personally.

Many people make these unconscious mistakes throughout their careers and often do not understand why everyone else around them is being promoted but them. It often requires a conscious decision on your part to recognize if you are making some of these mistakes and start focusing on how you can change your destiny by taking control of those areas that you now know could turn your career around. And if you find yourself not able to adjust your attitude, then maybe you should ask yourself whether you are indeed ready for a management position.

Once you have ticked off all of the traits below, you can confidentially say that most likely have what it takes to be a manager, and that fantasy can start to become more of a reality.

• I am liked by most of my colleagues
• I am respected by most of my colleagues
• I work smarter not harder
• I am assertive
• I am confident
• I avoid volunteering for trivial (or low-impact) tasks
• I am able to delegate tasks to others
• Colleague come to me to help solve work issues (more than personal ones)
• I am able to solve office politics without getting involved
• I am never the cause of the office politics or gossip
• I do not bring my personal issues to work
• I do not share too much personal information at work
• I often volunteer for challenging tasks outside of my normal job description
• I accept challenges (or difficult / different tasks) given by managers
• I can accept constructive criticism without taking it too personally

Author: Gillian Meier, CEO of Jobs.co.za

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