Want a Management Position? How to Get Your Career on the Right Path

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With several years’ experience behind you and positive performance reviews at every turn, you may be thinking that it’s time to take the next step: into a management position.  You may even feel as if you have more than earned this promotion and wonder why your boss doesn’t seem to see things the same way you do.

In fact, the best employees don’t always make good managers.  Knowing the job is crucial, but so are leadership skills.  To demonstrate that you have what it takes to lead, keep these tips in mind:

Have a plan to fix the problem before you bring it to your boss.

Leaders don’t just give orders.  They identify problems, think through them, and then decide how their teams can best tackle the problem.  You can start demonstrating these skills by bringing problems to your boss’s attention with solutions in hand.  Before you mention a potential problem, think about how you might be able to fix it – and then suggest the solution to your boss.  If you identify a way to make your job more efficient, suggest this to your supervisor as well.  You’ll make your current work easier and demonstrate that you’re ready to think strategically about bigger issues.

Find ways to practice managing people and projects.

Start building your management skills and establishing yourself as a team leader by asking your boss if there are any leadership or managerial tasks you can take on.  Perhaps you can help train a new hire, direct the work of an intern, lead a meeting, or oversee a small project team.  Or consider helping to plan a company picnic or volunteer event – you’ll demonstrate that you can lead and that you’re dedicated to building community within your organization.

As you take on more responsibility, you’ll also develop your own leadership skills.  Just remember to coordinate these projects with your boss or other team leaders, so you have the support you need.

Learn more about the “big picture.”

Managers don’t simply focus on their own jobs or teams.  They understand how each person’s work contributes to the organization as a whole, and they make decisions with the “big picture” in mind.  Sharpen your management decision-making abilities by learning everything you can about the organization, its structure, and its current goals and visions. 

Then, learn more about areas you may not have considered before, like finance, human resources, or supply chain management.  Introduce yourself to people in these departments and ask if you can shadow them for an afternoon to learn more about what they do each day.  You’ll demonstrate a desire to go “above and beyond” while also educating yourself about the company’s overall health.

At Burnett’s Staffing, our Texas-based recruiters have helped place the right people in the right jobs throughout the Dallas – Fort Worth area.  Contact us today to learn more.

With several years’ experience behind you and positive performance reviews at every turn, you may be thinking that it’s time to take the next step: into a management position.  You may even feel as if you have more than earned this promotion and wonder why your boss doesn’t seem to see things the same way you do.

In fact, the best employees don’t always make good managers.  Knowing the job is crucial, but so are leadership skills.  To demonstrate that you have what it takes to lead, keep these tips in mind:

1.       Have a plan to fix the problem before you bring it to your boss.

Leaders don’t just give orders.  They identify problems, think through them, and then decide how their teams can best tackle the problem.  You can start demonstrating these skills by bringing problems to your boss’s attention with solutions in hand.  Before you mention a potential problem, think about how you might be able to fix it – and then suggest the solution to your boss.  If you identify a way to make your job more efficient, suggest this to your supervisor as well.  You’ll make your current work easier and demonstrate that you’re ready to think strategically about bigger issues.

2.       Find ways to practice managing people and projects.

Start building your management skills and establishing yourself as a team leader by asking your boss if there are any leadership or managerial tasks you can take on.  Perhaps you can help train a new hire, direct the work of an intern, lead a meeting, or oversee a small project team.  Or consider helping to plan a company picnic or volunteer event – you’ll demonstrate that you can lead and that you’re dedicated to building community within your organization.

As you take on more responsibility, you’ll also develop your own leadership skills.  Just remember to coordinate these projects with your boss or other team leaders, so you have the support you need.

3.       Learn more about the “big picture.”

Managers don’t simply focus on their own jobs or teams.  They understand how each person’s work contributes to the organization as a whole, and they make decisions with the “big picture” in mind.  Sharpen your management decision-making abilities by learning everything you can about the organization, its structure, and its current goals and visions. 

Then, learn more about areas you may not have considered before, like finance, human resources, or supply chain management.  Introduce yourself to people in these departments and ask if you can shadow them for an afternoon to learn more about what they do each day.  You’ll demonstrate a desire to go “above and beyond” while also educating yourself about the company’s overall health.

At Burnett’s Staffing, our Texas-based recruiters have helped place the right people in the right jobs throughout the Dallas – Fort Worth area.  Contact us today to learn more.

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