In elementary school we all had that kid in class who appointed themselves as the leader of the pack. Whatever that kid did, said, or encouraged would be followed loyally and without much question. If Jimmy stood atop the playground slide and ordered someone else to go down headfirst, it happened. If ever-popular Maggie wore a dress that other girls coveted, a homeroom-wide shift in fashion would commence. The fact is that some people like to lead, and others need to be led regardless of age. The challenge is to know how to lead in the proper manner, as opposed to simply looking like a schoolyard bully'especially in the business world.
For decades, ascending to a management role was more about having a wealth of industry experience rather than taking a management training course. Recently, however, such courses have been making resurgence in educational venues.
Training at school
Currently, Ryerson University offers a substantial variety of management-focused courses at both the Ted Rogers School of Management and their continuing education facility, The Chang School. The University of Alberta is also in the game, as is Saint Mary's University in Halifax. This is perfect timing on the part of the schools as many baby boomers are nearing retirement age, thus leaving lots of senior and managerial positions up for grabs.
Management training is growing in importance, says Bernadette Smith, vice president of Learning Solutions for the Canadian Management Centre. Organizations face not only tough market and economic challenges, but a looming leadership shortage and war for talent as baby boomers continue to retire in the next five to 10 years.
There is a shortage of qualified managers, adds George Baranyai, management instructor and course developer at the Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University. There are not enough young people to replace the aging baby-boomers. There is an unwillingness to step into the role of manager.
Research indicates that the single characteristic that distinguishes a successful organization, large or small, from others is the calibre of the management team, he continues. Developing managers is among the most important, complex, and difficult of the challenges that companies face.
Calling all managers!
According to Baranyai, one of the primary reasons that young professionals are failing to succeed in, or simply not pursuing, managerial positions is because they haven't been prepared for the emotional side of business. Attributes like honesty and integrity, communication and people skills, and ability to handle stress are what Baranyai refers to as soft skills. In his management courses, he teaches students that while having technical proficiency in your field is important, the emotional and social aspects are sometimes paramount.
As an instructor of Organizational Behaviour and Interpersonal Skills, Baranyai teaches students the importance of understanding numerous facets of human behaviour in today's business world, while his Training and Development course helps groom young professionals to become better on-the-job trainers. What do these two courses have in common? They promote the notion that if a company is going to be well-run, the people in charge of it need to understand how people work, both literally and emotionally.
In contrast, the University of Alberta's management development program offers students a nicely meshed package of courses that focus on both practical training (computers, accounting, marketing), as well as emotional training (organizational behaviour, interpersonal communications). If you desire to become a well-rounded manager, this is another option worth pursuing.
Let's not forget about the importance of developing leadership skills. The business world is the biggest playground of all, but with far more challenging responsibilities. While improving the aforementioned skills is of great importance to one's managerial development, being able to use them in a way as a positive and influential leader is entirely different.
With emotional intelligence, a manager can restrain anger, self-doubt and other negative feelings and focus on positive emotions such as confidence and congeniality, explains Baranyai.
Developing strong management and leadership skills requires a balance between self-awareness, theory and practice, offers Smith. Self-awareness provides insight on how to get the best out of the people they lead. Theory learned from training provides foundational knowledge on ÔÇÿbest practices' used by great leaders in specific situations. Practice involves providing on-the-job opportunities to demonstrate and develop the skills in the workplace. A good leader has strong self-awareness of the impact that they are having on the group that they are leading.
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