You have the potential to be a good manager. Even though your employer cannot support your professional development right now, you have developed your own management career plan and are prepared to implement it. These suggestions will help you line up the necessary resources.
Make sure that any materials and training you decide on are relevant to your goals and style and to the sector and culture of your work.
Management Association Web Sites
Start your search online by browsing websites to get an idea of where you fit into the huge area called management. Most countries have professional associations both for general management and for more technical management such as professional engineers.
The information on these websites will tell you the qualifications and training that are expected from members. They will cite conferences, training, and written material that could be useful. If there are local chapters, those meetings could be good venues for networking with professional managers.
- American Management Association.
- Canadian Management Centre.
- International Professional Managers Association.
- National Human Resources Association .
- Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations.
- Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists & Managers, Australia
Books on Management Development
Start to build a library of management books. Browse at your favorite bookseller, either in person or online. Here are a few classics.
- Peter Drucker’s Management (Revised Edition), The Essential Drucker, The Practice of Management. Find out more on the Drucker Institute website.
- Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the many variations on it.
- Ken Blanchard's The One Minute Manager.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the variety of books available. Take your time before deciding what suits your situation. Check out the credentials of the author.
Professional Management Journals
Most professions have at least one credible journal that is available by subscription, either in hard copy or online. Check out a few issues online, at the library, or at a bookstore. Here are just a few suggestions.
For more general management information, the Harvard Business Review and the online guide for journal articles from the London School of Economics are good resources.
If you are heading toward management in a technical field, such as engineering or architecture, each sector has its own journals. Association websites will provide references to them.
Training Courses for Management Development
If your employer is not able to support you in your development as a manager, you should be prepared to pay for training. Even a three-day seminar on basic management functions or a semester of evening courses will jump start your career plan.
Working on a degree in management is admirable but make sure that is what is actually needed. Executive MBA programs cater to people in the workforce already, usually requiring evening and weekend work. However, a series of training seminars plus your education and experience is often adequate for your career goal at this point.
There are also more and more online training courses available. The usual caution, of course, is to make sure they are worth your time and money. The HR department at work or someone in a professional association can advise on specific training.
Find a Management Mentor or Coach
A coach or mentor can be invaluable if you are already in a position that allows you to perform certain management functions. A coach is someone you usually pay to spend time with you over a period of even three to six months while you explore your potential and skills as a manger. A mentor is often a colleague or member of a professional association who is willing to ‘take you under his wing’ as an advisor and encourager.
A management coach will meet with you to develop your personal goals and then be available to discuss situations with you, give you advice, help you work through making decisions about a course of action, and any other issue that arises. Although you do the work, the coach is really teaching you to think and act as a manager.
A mentor plays somewhat the same role, but is not as strategic in terms of learning goals. The discussions are more informal and focused on specific situations. In some organizations, there is even an organized mentor program for people like yourself who want to move ahead in a management role. A mentor does not have to be someone in the workplace though. It might be a retired friend or colleague who has much knowledge and experience, someone from an entirely different work sector, or a volunteer from the local chapter of a professional association.
Job Shadowing as Management Development
Many organizations have job shadowing programs to give their employees an opportunity to see what a particular position or kind of work is like. Check with HR to see if this is available in your company. If not, ask if it is could be arranged.
It could be as simple as ‘shadowing’ a senior manager in another department one morning a week for six weeks. This would show you your career goal in action. The added bonus, of course, is that you are showing motivation and commitment to HR and senior management.
Volunteer Work
Even volunteer work can enhance your portfolio for a management position, especially in the non-profit sector. You might help out in a food bank or a drop-in center for high risk youth, and eventually be the volunteer team leader for weekend programming. You can volunteer on a non-profit Board and become the chair of a committee.
Although it is not the same as line management, volunteering can give you an opportunity to practice certain management skills. Also, it is a good way to lay the foundation of knowledge and experience in that field of work.
Maintain Your Commitment to Professional Development
If you can maintain your commitment to your career goal of being a professional manager, and demonstrate your resourcefulness in implementing your plan, there will be no shortage of professionals willing to help you along the way.
Constance Woloschuk - 30 years experience in management and organizational development; extensive volunteer work with faith-based organizations.
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