Why should I become a leader? Material on the topic: Essay “I want to be a leader!”

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If you remember, in the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”, there is a fragment when a girl asks Gosha – why aren’t you studying? You could be a leader. To which he answers her - do you think that everyone wants to be a leader? She, of course, answers: yes, of course.

The problem is that many people, no matter what they do or get involved in, first of all think about the opportunities opening up to them, but rarely think about responsibility. It's even worse in leadership positions. After all, what does the average employee think? When I become a boss, I’ll start coming later, leaving earlier, of course the pay is higher, there are more opportunities, new acquaintances, new connections... and off we go. But no one thinks that something else inevitably follows from this: sleepless nights, nervous clients, always missed deadlines, a regular lack of resources and much more.

In this article I will try to consider the main aspects that a manager REGULARLY faces.

So, what problems befall you as soon as you move from an ordinary employee to a rank of managers (it doesn’t matter what level, the problems are approximately the same, except that the scale changes).

The leader is always right.

Many people perceive this thesis as a joke. Not the leaders. The point is that being always right does not mean showing others that they are fools, but on the contrary, proving again and again that you are indeed right. Not on paper, but in reality. Having made any decision, you must strictly follow it, showing everyone else that you sincerely believe that you are right and are going towards it, and not just said and forgotten. To be right is to believe in success and be able to convey this belief to others.

Be able to make decisions quickly.

Quite often it happens that ANYTHING quickly decision much better and more effective than a deliberate, informed decision made later. And unfortunately, this happens much more often than you might think. Of course, this does not mean that you should always carry the first thing that comes to mind. Many decisions really need to be seriously thought through and calculated. possible options, explore alternatives. But there are situations when the answer must be given here and now. And here only your experience and speed of thinking can help you. And the responsibility is entirely yours

See distant goals.

A lot has been written about strategic planning and vision, including by me. But it’s still worth paying attention to this, because sometimes the temptation is extremely great. Sometimes you really want it here and now, and not in a year and who knows whether it will be. A sort of voice of a seducer who whispers to you that you don’t know what will happen next... You must fight it mercilessly, otherwise the goal will turn into ghostly smoke in the distance. And without a goal you cannot move.

In addition, not only you but also your employees need a distant goal. But unlike you, they don’t think about it all the time, but quite the opposite - they always forget, and don’t understand why you act this way and not otherwise. This is where you remind that you are not interested in 100 rubles now, but in a million in a year.

Ability to seek compromises and agree to them.

Everyone knows about the options for cooperation (win-lose, lose-win, win-win and lose-lose). And of course, you should always strive for a win-win situation. But, alas, there are stalemate situations when this is impossible to achieve. Well, for example, an employee wants a double increase in pay. You can give him a raise (you lose), fire him (both lose), or put him in his place with some kind of reprimand (he lost, but rest assured, he will take revenge).

Therefore, the ability to find a compromise is simply a necessary skill. But there is also the other side of the coin, when you yourself have to give in and settle for something less than you want or, as you think, deserve. This increases dissatisfaction and psychological stress. And this is not so easy to deal with.

The ability to get over yourself.

Continuing the theme of compromises, sometimes a manager has to sacrifice something, much more than an ordinary employee. This can manifest itself in various ways, such as working overtime instead of going to the movies, or refusing a bonus when the company is in financial trouble (even if you really counted on the money). There may be more difficult moments, for example, if the entire team does not agree with you on some issue, you can change the decision, although in your heart you are sure that you are right. Of course, this does not apply to important work issues. And from here comes the next skill.

Insist on.

Let me remind you that a leader always has a distant goal before his eyes. In addition, he has much more information about the company and the market as a whole. Therefore, many things seem simple and obvious to him, while to other employees they seem unnatural. In such situations there are conflicts, because employees think that you are wrong and do not know what you are doing. Of course, first you must try to convince them, explain why this is so and not otherwise. But if this doesn’t help, just use your formal power and set a task, even if no one but you likes it. In general, in practice we have to make unpopular decisions more often than we would like. But there is no other way. It's quite difficult to go against everyone. But sometimes you have to.

Presence of internal battery.

A good leader is, first of all, a leader. He must not only tell whom to do what, but also lead. People themselves must want to work, understand why, and why it is so important. But first of all, they should be turned on by the leader’s energy, his confidence in tomorrow and in general, in a bright future. And even if you haven’t gotten enough sleep for two days, you have problems at home, a cold, a headache and a client is threatening to sue you, you shouldn’t come to the office upset and start pissing everyone off and saying that we’ll close soon and you’ll end up on street. Quite the contrary, it is at such moments that the presence of internal energy is extremely important. You must show your employees that everything is going as it should, everything will be fine, there is no reason to worry and, most importantly, they are still confidently moving towards a distant but important goal.

Relax when you have time, not when you want.

Another myth that looks completely different in practice. People think that all managers have completely free schedules and can come and go as they please. On the one hand, indeed, there are such periods. But it also happens that you have to be in several places at the same time, a certain amount of work must be completed tomorrow by lunch, and the completed order must be delivered to the client by Friday. And if we take into account globalization and the Internet, where people work in different time zones, then the concept of time is completely different. For example, holidays in Russia and Ukraine are different and celebrated differently. Working with clients here and there, you have to somehow get out of it in order to communicate with both. And when to sleep and go for a walk - in general, no one cares.

Ability to support a colleague.

There are people who think that all a manager does is command, shout, and bully employees. In fact, employees should be treated like children. Well, or for younger brothers and sisters - not to spoil them too much, otherwise they will dissolve, but also to be able to support them in difficult times. It happens that you need to meet halfway, for example, let him go earlier, or give an advance. Sometimes it’s just to support or advise something. It also happens that an employee did something wrong or made a mistake somewhere. And your task in such a situation is not to make him a laughing stock in front of others or smear him on the wall, but, on the contrary, to help find out what the reason is and support him. Unless, of course, the mistake is critical and the customer base is not being sold to competitors.

Bad mood and depressed spirit of employees directly affects the quality of work.

No friends at work.

AND last moment, to which I would like to draw your attention: a leader cannot be good friend subordinates. However, just like with your boss or partners. Of course, it is desirable that you have friendly relations, but nothing more. Otherwise, at some point, if you tell an employee to do something, but he doesn’t do it. When you call him “on the carpet”, he will tell you – oh well, what are you doing, I’ll do it later…. This is in best case scenario. Or he'll just send it. Therefore, you need to be friendly, but still abstract yourself. People should feel a barrier between you. Because the boss is still endowed with power and a “touch from above,” so to speak. You simply must stand higher, otherwise there will be no progress in the company.

If you immediately join a campaign with a new team and become the boss, everything is simple. It is much more difficult if you worked together, and then you were promoted, and your colleagues are now your subordinates. This is where we need to be tough and stop the “familiarity.” Unfortunately, you will face enormous resentment from your colleagues. After all, just yesterday you were on equal terms, and now you are ordering them. This must be overcome, endured... There is no other way.

I hope this small list did not cast too much of a shadow on the work of the manager. But you must understand that he is constantly under various “psychological pressures.” And remember, if you are the boss, then the responsibility is on you! And if someone doesn’t do something, the demand is still on you!

Greetings, dear friend!

Questions can be open or closed. What should a manager be an open-ended interview question? That is, it does not imply a specific answer. It is usually set in the following cases:

  • When your interlocutor doesn’t know what else to ask. Perhaps he ran out of stock or simply forgot their sequence. Or something else...
  • The interlocutor wants to understand how your reasoning coincides with his, perhaps - this is important for him. And how do your views correlate with the requirements of the position?
  • The interlocutor wants to understand how clearly and convincingly you express your thoughts. Are you a manager or where?)

Since the question is open, they may sound different.

Let me make a reservation right away that I will be expressing my personal point of view. Your humble servant was the leader for 25 years. My view may differ from yours and I invite you to a discussion. The "comments" section is at your service.

The first thing that comes to mind is that leader comes from “to lead with your hands”). Something like a conductor. And the subordinates are the orchestra.

I like this analogy. Look at a good conductor. He knows the subject, in this case the sheet music, although he looks at it from time to time.

He knows who should play what game. He gives a signal to whom and when to start it.

A good conductor creates an energy field, an aura, which is transmitted to the listeners and energizes the orchestra members.

Remains behind the scenes, how the conductor works with the team outside concert hall. But, in this case, we are spectators and we don’t need to know this.

That is, we are customers and want to get quality today. But it would be a good idea for the conductor himself to think about what quality he and his team can provide tomorrow, in a month, in a year. How effective is it? More on this below.

This is a good analogy and can be used to answer this question.

For example, give this answer: A good leader achieves the desired result by skillfully directing the efforts of other people.. And not only subordinates.

If we switch to professional language, I would recommend identifying the following aspects in your answer:

a) What is required from a leader?

Someone will immediately say - productive work.

This is a correct, but, in my opinion, incomplete answer.

Quicker- effective work.

Efficiency is the balance of results obtained and resources used. Agree, if you killed the goose that laid the golden eggs, you got the result. A kilogram of chicken. But is it worth it if you've ruined the potential for much greater benefits?

If a company is counting on long-term prospects in the market, it is not rash to think about creating potential.

A close-knit team of like-minded people, streamlined business processes, and infrastructure are the basis for obtaining stable results.



That is performance should be assessed taking into account the time scale.

So, a leader must be effective - show stable results and build the potential of the team and the business. Or, at least, maintain it at a level that allows you to count on the desired results.

b) Leadership skills

Surely you are a leader and have your own opinion on this topic.

Let's do this: I'll just list what a successful leader should have, and you can express your point of view through the comments to the article.

10 leadership skills:

  1. Management: Planning, motivation, organization, control, delegation. Well-known control functions.
  2. Self-motivation
  3. Leadership
  4. Communication. Influence, negotiations, relationship and conflict management
  5. Health
  6. Managing emotions. Confidence, calm
  7. Spirituality. Attitude to life, to people
  8. Intuition
  9. Creativity
  10. Entrepreneurship

This is what I mean the question is asked by a specific person working in a specific company. And your reasoning will be passed through the prism of assessment: do your views, and you yourself, correspond to the requirements that are presented to a person applying for this position.



Therefore, carefully look at the vacancy and study the company.

What is their corporate culture? What profile, in terms of requirements for a manager, is read in the job description? How do you fit this profile? Who is sitting opposite you, a female recruiter or a hardened business shark?

Answer these questions for yourself before the interview. These answers, plus intuition and today’s article will help you choose the optimal answer to the question “What should a leader be like?”

Thank you for your interest in the article. I would appreciate your comment (at the bottom of the page).

Subscribe to blog updates (form under social media buttons) and receive articleson the topics you choose to your email.

Have a nice day and good mood!

How to become a leader? Surely this question was and is of interest to the majority of employees who are subordinate to someone. It is quite natural, since “the bad soldier is the one who does not dream of becoming a general.” Today on the shelves of bookstores you can find a lot of literature devoted to how to “become a boss.”

At the same time, it is paradoxical that universal recipe on the topic of how to become a leader does not exist. The question is different: whether you will be a boss or not depends only on you...

Today you can often hear: “I can’t become a boss because I don’t have the necessary connections.” Are “business acquaintances and connections” real? keywords? Not at all. Even if some rich scion is put in the boss’s chair, he can bankrupt the company in a matter of days. Why? Yes, simply because he had never done this before. Certain skills, abilities, experience, qualities and psychological attitude are also important here. And it is important not only to learn how to manage, but also to do it well. Before answering the question of how to become a leader, let’s define what the concept “manage” actually means.

What is "manage"

To lead means to be able to organize, plan, control and motivate people. This also includes the ability to competently set tasks and manage subordinates.


The ability to select personnel and make decisions in difficult moments is also one of the facets of proper leadership.

A leader who enjoys authority among his subordinates: who is he?

How to become a good leader? It should be noted that a successful leader almost always knows how to achieve his goal. It is noteworthy that for employees and bosses it is often the opposite. For example, the boss wants the employee to work more efficiently even with a small salary, and the latter dreams of being promoted wages, and he does not want to show increased activity in work. If you want to learn how to become a good leader, then you must understand one simple truth for yourself: “A kind boss (what is called “an insider”), who is doted on by his employees, is a bad manager.”


Is it possible to love a person if he forces you to work? Unlikely. A good manager is a person of strong convictions who will stick to his line in any circumstances. Of course, such a boss may become objectionable to some employees, but the interests of the company should always come first.

Ideal boss

When considering the question of how to become a leader, it should be noted that the latter must be able to establish contact with his subordinates. Employees should treat their boss with respect. In the process of management work, both negative and positive aspects will arise, and in order to maintain a favorable climate in the work team, it is important to use not only the carrot, but also the stick. Do not skimp on praise for your employees and reward them for their work if they deserve it. Errors and flaws in work should be punished, but first you need to talk with the offender and convey to him the idea that in the future there should not be such excesses in work.

Inspire your team

Don't have any idea how to become a successful leader? You must understand that management is driving force labor collective, and the success of the enterprise depends on how well he is motivated.


For example, an important project needs to be implemented in the near future. Invite your subordinates into the office and explain to them how important it is for the company. Be sure to listen to employees' perspectives on how they see it being implemented. Again, psychologically prepare your subordinates for this work and promise to reward those who distinguished themselves with cash bonuses based on its results.

Personal example

There is another key point in the question of how to become effective leader. You must become a role model. First of all, this concerns appearance. A business suit, luxury perfume, shoes polished to a shine, a leather briefcase - this is the image of a modern businessman. Arrive at work on time. Be the master of your word: if you promise something, do it. Please note that your subordinates pay attention to this, and your authority in the workforce will depend on it.

Support employees in difficult times

Remember that your subordinates are, first of all, people, and each of them may experience difficult periods in life. Support them psychologically, give them a certain amount of money, give them a few days of rest. But do this for those who are really in a difficult situation, and not trying to manipulate you.

Can a woman be a competent manager?

Many representatives of the fairer sex are concerned with the question of how a woman can become a leader. Is this real? It is generally accepted that leadership functions can only be performed by men, and the role of women is to support and protect the family hearth.


One way or another, the ideas of feminism are quite popular in society today, and ladies have proven that they can be successful businesswomen. But how to become one? Again, there is no universal answer to this question, but businesswoman must have certain qualities, skills and experience. Determination, desire to work 24 hours a day, high level professionalism, responsibility, ability to build relationships with subordinates, support labor discipline, charisma, faith in victory - these are the main components of the success of an enterprising woman. And, of course, every businesswoman should be able to dress appropriately and choose the right accessories for a business suit. However, we should not forget that office attire should not only be formal, but also beautiful.

A female leader should not start office romances with subordinates. In a number of cases, male favorites become “gray eminences” in the company, who gradually begin to manage affairs behind the scenes. Naturally, such bosses can subsequently greatly harm the interests of the company, and it is possible that everything will have to start from scratch. It is necessary to separate work and personal relationships.

What is important to remember when there is a high chance of becoming the head of a department

A huge number of managers are puzzling over how to become a department head. Naturally, proving to higher management that you are worthy of this position is not an easy task. As a rule, proactive, responsible, executive and communicative employees who can quickly find mutual language with your colleagues. But even after you have been entrusted with heading an entire department, you must work well with your subordinates, otherwise you can again revert to the status of an ordinary employee.


Firstly, you should always find time for your students and talk to each of them personally, discussing this or that problem. Secondly, you should not point out to them in an offensive manner the mistakes and flaws they have made in their work. Be sure to consult with your subordinates about what they think should be done in a particular situation. Only in this way will you gain authority with them.

Qualities of a leader

How to become a first-class leader? Of course, in addition to all of the above, you should cultivate leadership qualities. Who is a leader?

In a broad sense, this is a person who knows how to lead crowds of people. Well, the bosses among them are the best, because they know how to organize work in such a way that their subordinates’ eyes “light up” from what they do professionally. How to become a leader? You need to learn to set goals and achieve them, be self-confident, be able to adapt to the situation, and be an intellectual. Such a person never loses heart or loses heart; he endures all troubles and failures with steadfastness. A leader is such an energetic person that he infects those around him with his passion.

A leader-manager not only helps his employees achieve a certain goal, but also cares about ensuring that each employee can reveal their potential to achieve a common result.

If you are already a boss, but at the same time want to become a leader, although you do not consider yourself one, then the recommendations below will be useful to you.


First, take a detailed look at your management style. You must determine what strengths your management, and which of them need adjustment. There are even special tests that help you find out how good a boss you are. Secondly, think about what qualities inherent in you are used for management, and how appropriate they are in general. Everything is very simple. If something interferes or is ineffective, then it must be excluded. Thirdly, the leader must regularly set new tasks for his wards, because this is the only way to assess the scale creative potential. Fourth, you must be a role model for your employees. They should have a burning desire to be like you - this is an indicator that you are a true leader-manager.

Conclusion

One way or another, most people want to manage, not obey someone. Anyone can lead, but to lead competently is a whole science that you sometimes comprehend long years. As already emphasized, for effective management It’s not enough to be a professional in your field; you also need certain qualities. Remember that it is in the boss’s chair that it will be most difficult for you to prove that you are the best, since so many are aiming for your place.


Power is only needed when you want to do something bad. In all other cases, love is enough.
Charlie Chaplin

I am often asked the question - how to become a leader? I will try to answer it based on my experience. I would be glad to hear other opinions and questions in the comments.

Why become a leader?

Most often you hear this question in this form:
  - I want to become a leader!  - says a young and ambitious employee. Or not necessarily young. And not even necessarily ambitious.

If I hear such a statement, then for me this is the first signal that the person is not yet ready to lead. Why? Because wanting to lead is at least a strange, and at most a very dangerous desire.

It’s strange — because wanting to lead — to me is the same as wanting to type on a keyboard, or wanting to go to meetings, or wanting to talk to people. Leading people is not a goal, but a means. Just like typing on a keyboard cannot be a goal. The goal may be to write a book, but not to press keys.

And this desire becomes dangerous if a person develops a desire for power, a desire to dominate others. That is, a desire for violence. I always say that if someone needs formal power to implement their plans, the ability to order people what to do against their will and not enough authority, the power of persuasion and ideas, then this is a bad leader. A good leader never has to resort to the use of formal authority, except in very rare cases.

I was lucky to meet and talk with a psychotherapist (by the way, it was he who told me the parable), who once worked as a psychologist for the German youth tennis team. He told how young tennis players were asked the question:
  - Why do you play tennis?

And according to their answers, the young athletes were divided into two clearly defined groups. Some said:
  - We play tennis because we want to win, we want to win Wimbledon, we want to become Boris Becker and we want our faces to be on the covers of magazines!

The second answered differently:
  - We play tennis because we really like playing tennis! No, of course we like to win. But! Even if we lose, we will still play tennis.

Needless to say that it was mainly athletes from the second group who achieved success in tennis? It’s the same with leading people. This is never the goal of a good leader. Only a means.

Therefore, it is important to understand what is behind this desire to “become a leader.” More often the real reason is the desire to realize oneself, to receive more powers, a larger area of ​​responsibility, and, well, a larger salary. There is nothing wrong with these desires; any positive motivation is useful! Just becoming a leader — is far from the only one, far from the easiest and far from the most effective method achieve these goals. And the task of a good leader is to show his employees other ways and help them implement them. And there are a lot of such methods, which are worth discussing separately.

Total: if the question arises “how to become a leader”, this is a good reason to ask the question:
  - Why do you want to become a leader?

And then ask the question “and also” several times (see).

How to be?

I once came to my manager with the question “how to become a leader.” Yes, I made the same mistake that many people make. And I’m not ashamed of it. In general, I strongly disagree with the statement that “only fools learn from their mistakes.” I guess I am a fool, but I learn solely from my mistakes. And in general, I don’t really understand how you can learn from the mistakes of others. Here, of course, I am again deliberately sharpening the statement to attract attention, for which I have already been rightly criticized in the comments several times. But let's forgive me and chalk it up to the inept style of a novice writer.

So, my manager answered my question “how to become a manager” with a very, very wise phrase
  -You first become a leader, and then we will appoint you. First you need to become a de facto leader, gain authority, gain the respect of your colleagues, and then you can become a manager de jure.

I am very grateful to him for this. There is no worse situation for a leader than the absence of informal authority. In order to learn how to be a leader without formally becoming one, leading virtual teams works very well. When the team leader has no formal power — this The best way check whether this person is good or bad as a leader. And a bad leader is one who needs formal authority to fulfill his duties.

Therefore, the “correct” answer to the question “do you want to become a manager” is:
  - I have a dream. I want to do a big thing. This task cannot be done alone. I want to assemble and lead a team that will achieve results. A team in which every person can improve and become successful.

Naturally, this answer must be sincere. Anyone who has played “Mafia” knows that you can deceive people, but only a few and not for long. Sincerity and transparency are definitely one of the important qualities of a leader. Let's talk about the most important of them?

Leadership Qualities

I sincerely believe: for good employee becoming a leader is an inevitable fate. Even if he really doesn't want it. Because the basic qualities of a good leader and a good employee coincide. What are these qualities? For me it:
Kindness
Proactivity
Energy
The ability to enjoy the success of others as if it were your own

Energy. I once heard a very good definition that all leaders are divided into two types:
Those who give energy
Those who take energy

I thought a lot about this, applied this definition to all the leaders I knew, and became more and more convinced of its validity. Indeed, in my experience, everyone is divided into these two types very clearly. I don’t know people in the middle, I don’t know those who manifest themselves in both ways in different situations. Indeed, everyone I saw either gave away energy ( different ways and in different forms), or the energy was taken away. There is no third.

In fact, this definition can be applied to all people in general, not only to leaders. But for a manager this is especially critical.

Do you know the feeling when, after communicating with someone, you leave inspired, knowing where to go and what to do, with great goals and the strength to achieve them?

And are you familiar with the opposite, when you try to avoid meeting someone as much as possible and after meeting someone you need time to recover?

A leader of the second type can very quickly destroy and demotivate an organization. “Manage by fear” is the simplest and worst way of management possible.

Jealousy of others' success. The ability to rejoice in the success of others is another very important quality. Which is sometimes very difficult for even very experienced managers. A good leader sincerely rejoices in the success of his employees, just as a parent rejoices in the success of his children. Important point: sincerely. And it’s difficult to instill this quality in yourself. But without him nothing will work.

Just now I thought about a funny linguistic incident. The word parent is an anagram of the word leader: r(ukov)oditel. “This is not without reason!” (Winnie the Pooh).

A bad leader always tries to be part of the success. He tries to show that he came up with the right idea. That he advised the right solution. That he supported the project.

A good leader is always in the shadow at the moment of success and ahead — in the moments of defeat. Behind such a leader, people go into battle and accomplish feats. Any victory is the credit of the team. Failure is the responsibility of the leader. Ask yourself, one on one, without sharing with others — are you ready to play by these rules? No? Then it’s better not to become a leader. This will not bring you happiness.

Conclusion

Becoming a leader should not and cannot be a goal. If it becomes an end in itself — it’s a failure. In order to get the position of a leader, you must first become one, become a person capable of leading people without having formal power. And this is one of several very important characteristics of a good leader, along with kindness, proactivity, energy and the ability to take a back seat.

In the next post I will write about typical mistakes novice managers. From my personal experience, I have made a lot of mistakes.

Why do I want to achieve a management position? This is the most important question, which you should ask yourself at the very beginning.

Why do I want to achieve a management position? This is the most important question you should ask yourself at the very beginning. For a big salary? High position or connections? Or to achieve greater freedom? To stop obeying management? In order to become a top manager and head a key department, first of all, learn to manage yourself. Building your own career is your first project.

Project "I am the top"

The development and implementation of your own promotion should be carefully thought out:

  • Assess available resources - knowledge and skills.
  • Analyze your own strengths and weaknesses.
  • Set goals and objectives.
  • Think over tactics and strategy, determine implementation deadlines.

Many companies train their employees to become middle and middle managers. senior management. This is always better than inviting specialists from other companies to leadership positions. But the demand for highly qualified managers in many industries today significantly exceeds supply. And they are needed here and now!

That is why young ambitious managers can reach the top of their careers much faster in such conditions. Sometimes it is enough to complete the first project, and recruiters will begin hunting for your knowledge and skills.

A top manager becomes one who once received a challenge and accepted it. This is a person who knows how to take risks. Of course, there is also luck here. But it also depends on the person’s personality. Every company employs many talented middle managers, but not all become bosses.

What do successful managers have that those who remain in middle positions do not?

Dream big and take action

Set big plans for yourself from the very beginning of your career. Actively implement them. See challenges as opportunities. They are a chance for further development and growth. Then you will achieve what you want. This is exactly what successful people do in life and at work.

When career things are not happening in the company as quickly as we would like, after changing employers. The secret of success is quite simple: have a strong motivation to achieve a goal, putting maximum effort into it.

Learn to communicate

A higher education diploma is not enough to occupy a top manager position. A sociable person will rise faster career ladder. Even has the ability to build relationships with management, employees, clients, and partners higher value than others professional quality. It is communications and relationship building that occupy up to 90% of a top manager’s working time.

Build character

For a top manager, it is necessary to develop some character qualities:

  • Assertiveness, the ability to break through in any situation and insist on one’s own.
  • Independence is the ability to make and implement independent decisions without prompting.
  • Reliability. Ask yourself, would you trust yourself to run a company or a large department? The ability to keep your word and do everything efficiently and on time is what distinguishes outstanding managers.
  • Resistance to stress, and there will be a lot of it, is necessary to maintain composure and clarity of thinking. Don't be afraid of stress.
  • And, of course, optimism! Think about pleasant things, look for the good always and in everything. Do you have a lot of problems? Decide how they can help you or how to successfully overcome them. Think about overcoming problems, not about them.

All these character traits are the most important properties of a good leader. They will give you a career, and without them you are unlikely to become a good leader, because the work of a leader consists almost entirely of communication.

Learn and develop

Constantly grow and develop. For example, get the second one higher education. To successfully move up the career ladder, you may not have enough knowledge. Therefore, it is quite possible that you will have to go to a higher educational institution for them again.

Improve your professional skills and abilities. If a manager wants to take the position of director, he must go from bottom to top throughout the entire department that he plans to head.

One or more degrees will, of course, shorten the path to the top of the organization. But there are many companies where top managers have a technical education, but more than compensate for this with practical experience and self-education.

If you want to get into a Western company, then an MBA degree will serve as your additional competitive advantage. In companies of this type they look up to this diploma.

Be active

A rolling stone gathers no moss. If you want to become a top manager, act actively in this direction. Meet with recruiters, go through interviews, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of potential employers' proposals.

Management experience

Where is the best place to build a career?

Depends on what you want. It is easier to build a successful career in a small and medium-sized company than in a large one. There are fewer employees and internal competition.

It is better to be first in a small company than second in a large one. And let the scale of its activities be small for you. Management experience and new entries in your resume will help you later rise to the very top level in a large corporation.

Try to look for a project where it will be comfortable and pleasant to work. Individual results are more visible than team results, and therefore you will have more opportunities to open up to management. Even from the position of a manager, you can declare yourself as a highly qualified specialist.

Learn to be an independent and organized person. And also take initiative in the affairs of the company and achieve your and its goals.

Are you ready to become a top manager if:

  • you are attracted by the opportunity to work exclusively for yourself;
  • you strive to control all processes in the company and make fateful decisions regarding its development strategy;
  • you are ready to take responsibility for your own enterprise.

Having these qualities, it is worth thinking about your own business. Many people do this. If independent business you are not attracted, and you prefer the option of a highly paid employee, then build your career vertically.

By occupying increasingly senior positions within one company or by moving from one company to another, you have a chance to reach the position of top manager.

A successful career begins within a person and depends entirely on working on oneself and constant professional growth.