The generic skills required for a good business manager

Posted by hecto on September 21, 2011 under Business management | Be the First to Comment

What makes a business manager able to successfully manage a business is a complex thing to discern clearly as there are a number of factors. These factors range from the manager having to already acquire a generic set of skills i.e. good communication skills, motivation and integrity etc. Good communication skills are required to explain orders clearly to ensure the subordinated of the manager have adequate task comprehension and to avoid aimlessly floundering around as well as to be open to receiving potentially useful input from subordinates, motivational skills are required to persuade employees to perform effectively by instilling the idea that their efforts has an important contribution and consequence to the future of the company even though individually they may view themselves as a small and insignificant component of the company and integrity is seen as an essential part of being a manager as the manager is the authority figure whose righteous and virtuous actions and attitudes are to be emulated and scrutinized by his/ her subordinates and whose virtuous behaviour will not lead to the manager’s own happiness but the happiness of the company, parts of society as a whole to which he/ she has direct dealings with and the environment.
There are other qualities that a good business manager must have such as decisiveness, team-building skills, modesty and charisma.
Decisiveness is another quality of a good business manager i.e. to be quick and have good judgement whenever an opportunity presents itself for the company to benefit. Not only is decisiveness used for spotting opportunities but also used to sustain the company’s existence when it is entering a crisis. The test of good business management does not come only from sustaining the company’s existence but also how the manager goes about dealing with the recovery of a company and threats posed by other rival companies aware of the impaired state the company is in.
Good team-building skills are also required which require the manager to maintain the cohesion of the company in times of crisis when the company falters in the face of adversity, it is the duty of the manager to rally his/ her team and redouble their efforts. The manager must be able to use adversity as an opportunity to grow and learn from which will ultimately lead him/ her to be successful, an attitude summarized in the words of Prussian philosopher Friedrich Nietzche “what does not kill you only makes you stronger”.
Modesty is required for a good business manager as it allows the manager to accept his/ her faults by internal reflection or externally by feedback from subordinates instead of being blinded by his/ hers own inflated ego arising from his/ hers own insecurities and deficiencies. In addition to what has been said about insecurities and deficiencies, psychologist Norman Dixon makes parallels between generals who have made military blunders and bad business managers due to their inadequacies. However unlike with generals who have caused military blunders, it is also common for a new manager replacing an old manager to bring with him his own new set of emotional insecurities and problems whereas with generals, it would be a grave mistake to make mistakes.
Being able to adopt a set of emotions, thoughts and actions which give the impression that you are in control persuades your employees to view you as charismatic and able to exude a noticeable presence.
It is not only the qualities a manager must have to do good business management but the ability to have good foresight for the future of the company and to discern factors affecting that foresight to manage their business well. Good foresight because when it comes to the time that an old manager must retire when the world no longer requires his/ her service, it lies to him/ her to pick the successor who he/ she deems worthy to take his place. As one of the manager’s last acts for the company, he/ she will be remembered more at this time as the manager decides the fate of the company. Good managers know that there will be a period of time where there will be huge success/ profit and there will be times where there won’t so they have to keep that factor in mind and implement strategies to cope with it. They must also foresee that change will cause the techniques and systems which they rely so heavily upon for their success must be refined so as to consolidate their position in the market and secure their future. Once their techniques and ideas are obsolete, the good managers must be able to reinvigorate their company as with the case of Bill Gates.