You Want To Be a (Great) Manager?

“I want to be a manager.”

This is not exactly how I hear it; however, from time to time, someone asks me how they can get “into” management.

The answer is long, so I present the short and direct version.

“Why are you interested in management?”

That’s my question for a question. It is a fundamentally important question for anyone who is aspiring to move into the realm of management. Like many questions, this one leads right to another.

“Do you love people?”

When I ask a manager-wannabe this question, I often get a semi-nervous smile that is hiding the obvious thought “What in the world does that have to do with becoming a manager.”

I often wonder how many managers even correlate a love for people to management, yet, it is such an obvious (to me) prerequisite.

Bottom-line, if you honestly can’t say that you love people, I do not believe you have one of the most important, inherent capabilities that a great manager must possess.

If someone doesn’t exactly say that they love people, but rather enjoys working with them, a deeper probe is in order. Basically, I start with what I believe are the core capabilities or attributes that all good managers have. Once I get past the initial interview, assessing someone’s potential for management takes some time .

After several mentoring sessions I start to form a strong opinion on whether my mentoree has what it takes to effectively manage. I continue mentoring until

1) the mentoree has come to the conclusion (on their own) that they are not management material or 2) I am convinced that I am wasting the mentoree’s time.

My time is never wasted when I mentor someone. It is worth every second of my time to discover the next great manager. Fortunately or unfortunately, the ultimate outcome usually ends with the mentoree’s realization that they are not a manager, nor will they ever enjoy being one. Fewer people go on to be successful managers.

The reason is simple. It takes the right combination of abilities to be a great manager and most of them cannot be learned. I always stress “inherent” capabilities.

Do you want to be a manager? Drop me a line by clicking on the “ask me a question” link. Be sure you include your email address, so I can respond.