Edit Article How to Prepare Yourself for Management

culled from:wikihow.com

A manager is a person responsible for overseeing business operations for either an entire business, a business department or a specific project. In addition to managing business operations, a manager also delegates and oversees job duties of other employees. If you are interested in moving into a management position, follow these instructions for how to prepare for management.

Steps

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Get an education in business and/or management. Enroll in college classes, read books and/or attend management seminars.

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   Gain as much experience and insight as you can about a management career through your current position by approaching your job duties as a project manager would. This involves taking the following steps to accomplish your work assignments:
   • Define your task clearly.
   • Determine exactly what resources you will need in order to be able to complete the task.
   • Specify the resulting products of the task at hand, called the deliverables, and verify with management that those deliverables are acceptable.
   • Provide a timeframe for task completion.
   • Communicate the status of the task regularly with all those involved.
   • Identify any problems with completing a task as they arise. Do your best to foresee problematic issues before they come to fruition so that you can head them off.
   • Deliver as promised and ahead of time.
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   Discuss your desire to be a manager with your manager. Your manager can help you prepare for management by giving you opportunities to manage small tasks, teaching you some of the skills related to management and guiding you into open management positions within the company.
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   Accept opportunities that allow you to develop your management skills, and that will provide you the chance to prove your ability to be a manager. This may mean accepting more responsibility without receiving a pay raise or title change, but you need to keep your long-term management goal in mind when sizing up such opportunities.
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   Learn as much as you can about the company you work for. The more you know about how your company works, the more you will know about personnel needs and the easier it will be for you to spot management career opportunities as they arise.
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   Earn a reputation in the office. If you want to be the first person considered for a management position opening, you should already stand out amongst your coworkers as a natural leader. Pursue excellence in job competence, reliability and other managerial qualities and your managers will notice.
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   Adopt a positive work mentality. Your managers and coworkers should perceive you as someone who is easy to work with. Otherwise, you can expect that the next management career opportunity will go to someone who is.
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   Look the part. Prepare for management by taking pride in your appearance and dressing in a way that commands respect. Make sure your clothes are ironed, your shoes are shined and you are well-groomed.
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   Show your confidence. The way you feel about yourself and your own ability to lead will be apparent to those around you. If you feel confident, then others will feel confident in you.
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   Avoid destructive criticism of others. A good leader knows how to provide constructive criticism when the need arises. When the time comes for you to give an opinion of a coworker, handle the situation with care and always critique the job as opposed to the person.