Six Important Managerial Skills For Successful Leadership

A mark of a good leader is to be able to provide consistent motivation to his team encouraging them to attain excellence and quality in their performance. A good leader is always looking for ways to improve production and standards. Here are six management skills you can develop as a leader in working to create a quality effective team.

1. Observation
This is an important aspect that often gets neglected due the demands on a leader's time and schedule. Observation and regular visits to the work environment are a priority and should be scheduled into the calendar. Observing employees at work, the procedures, interaction and work flow is foundational to implementing adjustments to improve results. To have credibility, a leader needs to be seen and be known to be up to date with what is happening in the work place.

2. Monitor Employee Performance
Employee performance needs to be monitored in mutually accepted ways. Policies and procedures need to be clear. Conferencing should be on a regular basis and not just when there is a problem. Assessments and evaluations should not be merely all formality or viewed a necessary paperwork to be done and filed away. Individual and group conferencing should be undertaken not only to monitor performance, but with the expectation of on going professional development and support. There should be frequent encouragement and clear criteria for on going goals both for the group and individual.

3. Implementation of Professional Development Programs
A good leader evaluates weaknesses and provides training and development strategies to strengthen the weaker skills in the team.

4. Demonstrates Working Knowledge and Expertise
Good leadership comes from a place of strong knowledge and experience of the production and process leading to results. If a leader does not possess all the expertise and knowledge personally, then regular consultations with experts involved in the departments should be held. This is important in order to maintain an accurate and informed overall picture.

5. Good Decision Making
Good leadership is characterized by the ability to make good decisions. A leader considers all the different factors before making a decision. Clear firm decisions, combined with the willingness and flexibility to adapt and adjust decisions when necessary, create confidence in the leadership.

6. Ability to Conduct and Evaluate Research
On going review and research is vital in order to keep on the cutting edge in business. While managing the present to ensure on going excellence in product and performance, a good leader is also able to look towards the future. Conducting and evaluating research is an important way of planning and being prepared for the future.

Excellent leadership is always pro active rather than reactive. By developing these six managerial skills builds a solid foundation for success.

By Barbara White

More M.B.A. Graduates Will Get Jobs in 2010 - The hiring climate for MBAs has improved

Before M.B.A. student Ryan Utsumi received his diploma from the University of California—San Diego this month, he already had a job offer in hand. He was relaxed when he graduated, but the process of landing that job had tested his nerves. Utsumi spent the better part of 2010 searching for work at finance firms and startups. He had little luck, sending numerous applications and getting just a smattering of interviews. He'd heard the job search horror stories from 2009 M.B.A. graduates, Utsumi says, and, like many of his classmates, began to sweat when the calendar turned to March and he was still jobless.

Fortunately, Utsumi got a call from Charles Schwab the firm he'd interned with during the previous summer and stayed in touch with intermittently through the academic year and was offered a management position in the firm's strategy group. He starts at the end of the month, and he says that he's glad that, though they had to sweat, he and his classmates had better luck finding a job in the ravaged economy than their predecessors. "The job market is a little bit better [for me] than my classmates who graduated in 2009, but it still seemed to be very competitive and it was very difficult to get my foot in the door," he says. "Ideally, I would've had something wrapped up earlier on."

While Utsumi's job search was anything but brief, his reward was a full-time position. That, experts say, is something 2010 M.B.A. graduates should expect as they wade into the employment pool. While graduates may not find their ideal job or find a position as quickly as they'd hoped, there are more jobs to be had than in 2009, which was a dismal year for M.B.A. hiring. "This time last year, I had to check to see if my phone was still plugged into the wall," says Lynne Sarikas, director of the M.B.A. career center at Northeastern University. "It didn't ring. People weren't looking to hire. This year, my phone is ringing."

The phones are ringing in career centers nationwide and new M.B.A. graduates still looking for work should take advantage of such a valuable resource. University officials report that while the hiring outlook is rosier for M.B.A. student this year, it still requires a great deal more effort to land a position than in flush times. That's why some schools are giving personalized career advice to their students, even in the months beyond graduation. Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, for instance, assigns career advisers to each student, which helped 95 percent of the 2009 M.B.A. class get hired by year's end. The school plans to do the same this year, but in a quicker time frame, thanks to the improving market. "Everything is trending up, but we still have work to do," says Joe Thomas, dean of the Johnson School. "We're going to do it this year, but I just don't think it will take as long."

The most accurate insights into the current hiring market are likely anecdotal. While the Graduate Management Admission Council’s 2010 Global Management Hiring Survey indicates that hiring of full-time M.B.A.s is down 10 percent from last year, GMAC chief executive Dave Wilson notes that the 2009 data was based on hiring decisions made in 2008, before the economy reached bottom. Despite the survey results, he expects 2010 to be better than 2009. Career center officials agree.

As Wall Street deals with its self-inflicted tumult, hiring of finance students at investment firms continues to lag while other sectors slowly improve, M.B.A career center officials say. Experts note that finance students should turn to corporate finance positions, which are more readily available in this climate. Marketing, consulting, and supply chain management are other fields where students will have more luck finding a job this year, according to business school experts. Wilson notes that one of the most promising indicators of a recovery in the M.B.A. job market is that 60 percent of firms surveyed by GMAC claim they plan to offer signing bonuses to new hires. "[Companies] are signaling already that they're ready to hire," he says. "If I were coming out right now, I'd be optimistic."
Comments on general postings:

 

Fellow potential MBA candidates:
 

Over the past several months, I have considered pursuing my MBA. Part of my research has included reviewing many online postings such as this.

Based on my reviews, I have seen a wide gap in stories: Some people have indicated an MBA has made a significant change in their employment status while others have had a much different experience.

Although my education at this time, does not include an MBA, many of my subordinates have a post-graduate education. So, why are some able to succeed while others do not? While one individual was a bit blunt by stating that puncuation had a significant impact on an applicant's success, this is, unfortunately, a common reason that many graduates are not able to find a job in today's marketplace.

As a hiring manager for a national organization, I see hundereds of resumes each day. There is certainly competition in today's job market. While education is always a plus, the first thing I look at is grammar. If an applicant claims to have completed any post-high school progam, proper grammar is an expectation. Yes, 2 spaces follow a period. Spell check is also a helpful tool.

As I have read many on-line postings, I have been amazed at the use of improper grammar by people claiming to have post-graduate degrees. Much of what I have read would not have been accepted in high school.

In conclusion, a word of advice: In the business world, the written word is a powerful force. It can either be your greatest advocate or your worst enemy. The choice is yours.

Best of luck to all.

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By Brian Burnsed

5 Tricks to Manage Your Manager

When the job market falters, many employees try to stay below the boss's radar for fear they might be next on the chopping block. However, it's far wiser to take the opposite approach. Now more than ever, it's important to be noticed (though for the right reasons, of course), explains Tina Chen, a director of permanent and temporary staffing firm Carlisle Staffing in Illinois.

"When companies trim staff, they will save the people who stand out because they manage their managers well," says Chen. "There are also more temporary workers now who could manage upward to get hired."

So instead of being the good-enough team member the boss has trouble remembering, use these tricks to become noticed and indispensable.

1. Understand your boss
"Managing upward requires empathy," says Aaron Nurick, professor of management and psychology at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Nurick believes that the key to success is being able to see the world from your manager's perspective.

Instead of becoming frustrated by the boss, observe her work style and communication preferences, and then adapt. You may be flooding the boss with emails while she finds it easier to speak via phone. Subtle adjustments on your part will make her job easier--which makes you look better.

You should also read your manager's reactions to the way you present information, says Nurick. For example, you may work for someone who loves numbers and has little patience for more abstract thinking. In that case, try presenting your boss with a quantitative analysis first, and then succinctly explain its impact. Notice, too, if your boss prefers being asked questions or given answers. Decide if you should cut to the chase or soften your opinion by adding, "Would you agree?"

2. Stay three steps ahead
Staffing expert Chen says that dealing with a boss can be like a game of chess. "Always stay three steps ahead of your opponent, and take the lead," she advises. Employees who anticipate their boss's needs before they arise will be seen as leaders and problem solvers.

Once you understand and start to think like your boss, you'll be in a better position to take initiative. Let's say, says Chen, you're asked to find a person's contact information because your boss is working on an insurance policy renewal. Respond by saying, "Yes I have his information, and would you like me to follow up with him regarding the renewal?"

"For every action there's a reaction and then another action to follow," Chen explains. In other words, anticipate additional questions or requests and handle them before you're asked.

3. Be the better half
Become indispensable by learning your manager's weaknesses and complimenting them with your strengths. Perhaps your boss is a brilliant visionary but impossibly disorganized. Rather than griping about how difficult she is to work with, make up for what she lacks by taking on the role of organizer. Suggest deadlines, remind her of appointments, and follow up on items she's forgotten. Not only will you have gained your boss's trust, you'll become the most valued member of her team.

4. Don't be afraid to speak up
Career expert and coauthor of Crucial Conversations Kerry Patterson says most employees are afraid to approach their managers about issues with their work style. In a survey he conducted, 50 percent of employees said they'd left a company because of a disagreeable boss, but only one in five had spoken with the boss about their concerns.

Patterson says the most common frustrations that employees face are micromanaging bosses and absentee bosses. Yet they rarely speak up. "People think it's risky to address these problems, but if it's handled professionally, it increases your boss's opinion of you," he says.

When initiating a tough conversation, Patterson suggests that you offer an example of a specific behavior, explain how it made you feel, and then ask for the manager's perspective.

Here's an example of what you might say: "Last week you checked in three times on a routine project. It made me feel as if you didn't trust my ability to handle it. Is that the case?" This formula opens the door to an honest conversation without the manager feeling attacked. Patterson emphasizes that it's important to point out specific behaviors and not characteristics of your manager, so that he doesn't take offense.

5. Ask for more responsibility
If you want to ensure a path to the top, Chen says you should make an impression with the even higher-ups--your manager's managers. Allow yourself to shine but don't overstep your boundaries, she warns. Your immediate boss controls your projects and promotions, so you need to maintain his trust.

A great way to gain an audience with company leaders is to ask for more responsibility. Identify a big project that you're confident you can handle, and then pour yourself into it to show what you can do. Another handy trick: Offer to head up an initiative. Maybe you become the resident expert on new software or organize a company event. Suddenly, people come to you with questions and view you as a leader.

Ultimately, make yourself valuable. Not only will you receive respect, but you may be in line for a raise.

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By Jenna Goudreau