Essential Managerial Skills for Career Advancement

Last couple of weeks, I have been with a lot of people who are already accomplished leaders. Over achievers are largely wired to be ambitious - and that ambition translates into drive and success. Perhaps the question I got the most in the last ten days was about how they progress further in their careers. I figured it's worth putting together my thoughts on this topic here, and invite your own additions and changes. 1. Luck There are fewer positions at the top of the pyramid by design and everyone who wants those are very good. So you should not under estimate the role of luck in getting to your next level. What is in our control is practice - the universe controls opportunity :) 2. Resilience Stakes are higher and so are the chances of disappointment. You need to learn quickly to roll with it and try again relentlessly. Your best clients will surprise you, you will get passed over for promotions for unfair reasons and so on - you need to be able to deal with it without affecting your performance. 3. Operational excellence Your basics should be rock solid and shouldn't take a lot of your time. If you don't have it - you will waste all the good work you put into growing your business 4. Ability to see around corners Great planning - and perhaps more importantly the ability to replan when things change - is key to great execution. You can't plan well unless you can spot trends and detect patterns. Such intuition takes experience and curiosity in equal measures. 5. Ability to attract, retain and manage the performance of your team You will only have hard problems to solve as you grow into more senior roles - and the day still has only 24 hours. You won't get anything done unless you have an exceptional team around you who you can delegate to. A great team is one that follows you because they want to, and not because they are forced to because of your rank and title 6. Ownership and courage This gets harder as you move up the pecking order. Every problem is your problem to solve even when you may not have the authority to solve it. You can't be a GM if you think HR or Finance will solve it - it's your job to work with them and get things done. Courage comes from having optionality, which in turn needs all the other things above. A client CEO who used to mentor me used to tell me "The worst thing that can happen is that you get fired - and if you have options to continue with your life after that, then courage will come naturally. So spend your time sharpening your skills, staying curios, investing in your personal finances well and so on - so that you will never have to worry about it when you have to make hard decisions that are risky". It's stellar advice - but not easy to follow.

In my previous post, I introduced the first "G" of the 4G manager framework - helping your people ✨ Glow ✨. While this requires skill-building and intention, helping your team Glow is both gratifying and feels good. Many managers are inherently driven to excel in this area. 🚀 However, the second "G" - guiding people to 'Grow' through constructive feedback, productive stretch, and career conversations - can feel disconcerting and uncomfortable to most managers. And yet, avoiding it has real costs to employee development 🌟 Here are some tips to make this G - Grow - feel more approachable and effective: 1️⃣ Constructive Feedback: Focus on pinpointing specific, observable behaviors and their impact on the business or the team. Steer clear of speculating about motives and instead, concentrate on the tangible. Real-time, concrete feedback builds trust far better than waiting for bi-annual reviews to discuss developmental opportunities. 💡 📣 Pro tip: Remember, you're responsible for delivering feedback constructively and objectively, not for how someone chooses to respond. Keep your focus on their growth 🌱, not on expressing yourself. 2️⃣ Productive Stretch: Empower your team to step outside their comfort zones into the realm of "productive discomfort." 🔥 This is where they flex new muscles, learn fresh skills, and ascend the steep slope of their learning journey. 🌈 📣 Pro tip: While it may be challenging to watch someone grapple with challenges before mastering a skill, allow them the space to figure it out independently before stepping in. The steep climb is a vital part of the growth process and isn't meant to be a cozy journey. ⛰️ 3️⃣ Regular Career Conversations: Engage in open, supportive dialogues about your team members' aspirations, focusing on values and desired skills. By doing this, you empower them to embark on new S-curves. 🛤️ 📣 Pro tip: For newcomers to your team, career conversations can center on thriving in their current role, without an immediate focus on their next move. Remember, not all career discussions are about the next step. 🌟 Do you have additional insights on helping your people 'Grow' as we head into review season? Do share!🌱✨ #Management #Leadership #EmployeeDevelopment #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth

Employees don't quit their companies. They quit bad managers. And we're all bad at first. Here are the 7 skills every new manager must master: 1️⃣ Active Listening Two ears, one mouth. Keep that ratio. 💡Tip: Summarize their point. It forces you to listen rather than plan your response, and it makes them feel heard. 2️⃣ Clear Communication Deeply consider your audience. Thoughtfully select your medium. 💡Tip: Record video updates. They're more personal and require less perfection. Let them see and hear you. 3️⃣ Explicit Expectations They'll never meet your secret expectations. Agree on the What and the How. 💡Tip: Co-author the plan together. Your team is much more likely to stick to the script they wrote. 4️⃣ Productive Feedback Send signals early and often. Small bites are easier to digest. 💡Tip: Start by asking, "Did that meet your expectations?" People are often their own worst critic. This lets you step in as a coach. 5️⃣ Compelling Selling We're all in sales. Always. Be. Closing. 💡Tip: Don't sell people--your existing team or new hires--on the What. Sell them on the Why. We buy based on emotion, not logic. 6️⃣ Continuous Improvement If you're standing still, you're falling behind. Every problem is a puzzle towards progress. 💡Tip: Take one day each month to prune. Waste adds up. Every useless step you eliminate or delegate gives your team valuable time back. 7️⃣ Confident Vulnerability Lead with your faults to personally connect. Own your mistakes to command respect. 💡Tip: Show and tell. It's critical to name the behaviors that lead to success. But it's even more essential that you live them. Master these skills, and you won't just be managing. You'll be leading. What essential management skills did I miss? Please share in the comments. P.S. Repost to help your network too ♻️. And follow Dave Kline for more content like this. 📌 Want more practical insights like this infographic? Join my free newsletter: https://mgmt.beehiiv.com You'll get 60+ of my best playbooks and templates for free.