Your Management Career is a Work in Progress

Whether you've just graduated with a degree that gets you a foot in the door for a management position, started your own business, or clawed your way through the ranks to where you are today, your management career is a constantly evolving skill set. From the moment you step in the door until the day you retire, your management style should evolve along with your experiences. This continual improvement will provide you with the skills you need to tackle a myriad of challenging situations as your career advances.

Management jobs require mental flexibility and skills that allow you to quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace and workforce as needed. Managers come to the job with a different set of initial skills based on their individual backgrounds and training. Those who started in the company in a non-management position and moved up the ranks have a completely different view of the business than new hires straight out of college with a briefcase full of ideas. Different companies have different management training techniques that range from traditional shadowing programs to giving an employee a copy of The West Wing. Current managers with extensive management background may have a completely different set of tools than their predecessors. Taking careful stock of your experiences and skills developed from previous work or education can help you more easily plan your future development.

While many managers turn to continuing education programs and motivational leadership training sessions, the best education for any specific field is on-the-job training. Combining the two elements and planning for courses along with your daily work is a surefire way to help advance your skill set and career as a manager. Management tasks often require delegation and reliance on your team, and developing your interpersonal skills is every bit as important as your financial acumen and business strategy. Remember to learn from others—even your fellow workers without management jobs—and see what tools those in other positions can give you for dealing with your daily tasks.

Learning from others and continually developing your skills are actions likely to open doors for you in the future. Entry-level management positions give way to mid-level and even ownership opportunities. Your career is best viewed as a continually evolving skill set that is likely to translate well to other opportunities as they arise. Avoiding the pitfalls that can leave you stuck in a rut and making the most of your chances to learn can help ensure that your career remains on the right track for success.

Success is often described as the progressive realization of a worthy goal, and few goals are as worthy as being the best you can be in your field. Whether your goal is retirement or to gain the skills needed to run a business on your own, your management career is a work in progress. Making the most of the many learning opportunities you encounter as a manager can help give you the tools you need for further success.

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