“I’m not cut out for it.” This is one of the most common excuses used by people who give up on a managerial career before they even try it. What they should realize, however, is that a person can learn almost anything if they have enough determination, time, and willingness to learn.
Managers are not some special evolutionary species. They were not born with the ability to lead other people. They may even have made mistakes. All the skills that now prepare them to perform a managerial role were learned gradually over time. And you can learn them too!
Appreciate the qualities you already have
There are certain traits that are innate. These typically include intelligence and temperament, which determine whether you are more cheerful, indifferent, easily irritated, and so on. There is not much you can do about these in life – you have very little chance to change them. However, a high IQ alone has never guaranteed anyone a good position, managerial or otherwise. What matters far more is your diligence and your effort to improve. Work with what you have and don’t be disappointed that you were given so little to start with. Even little can be worked with.
Leadership skills are developed from an early age
Then there are traits that cannot be considered innate but are built from early childhood. These typically include the need to lead others, to organize, and similar tendencies. Everyone has them within themselves, but while they are more pronounced in some people, in others they remain in the background. This depends on the environment in which a child grows up. From an early age, we learn from our parents, later from friends and peers, and eventually from colleagues. We learn throughout our entire lives, even in adulthood and therefore it is never too late to improve managerial skills.
Social skills, sound judgment, communication abilities, creativity – these can all be trained. Those who have good principles instilled in them from childhood may have an easier path, but in the end they will meet at the same destination as those who began learning proper habits later in life.
So how can you develop innate qualities?
Most of them are, in a way, quite abstract. To find out whether you are good at mathematics, it is enough to solve ten problems, check the correct answers, and you immediately know where you stand. But assessing the level of creativity or communication skills is much harder. Still, you will most likely notice changes in yourself over time.
It would be a mistake to try to develop all skills at once. Choose one or two instead and focus on them for a while until you see clear improvement. Then you can move on to others.
Creativity: Start creating – anything at all. Buy stress-relief coloring books, which are so popular today, and color. Get excited about woodworking. Make a floral wreath for your door. Bake and decorate a cake. Ideally, however, find a regular activity so you can observe your progress. You’ll see how ideas will start coming to your mind naturally, and over time it will become easier for you to turn your thoughts into reality.
Communication: Proper communication principles can be built even during conversations with family members. Make sure you truly listen attentively to the people you talk to. Try to perceive the meaning of the message, not just individual words. Also focus on what you say yourself. Express yourself clearly, concisely, and precisely. Think before you speak.
Social skills: These primarily include empathy. Practice putting yourself in other people’s shoes. This works well during communication, when you can also observe facial expressions. Often you can read something from them that a person does not express verbally. Learn to perceive the importance of people in society. Because in a managerial position, all subordinates should be important to you – even the most ordinary cleaning staff. Some people are raised this way and consider it natural; for others, it may not be.
Diligence will always be the most important factor
The boundary between what can be considered innate traits is very thin. In fact, only IQ and temperament are truly unchangeable. Everything else a person has “innate” is shaped by the environment into which they are born. And that can be worked on – either independently or under the guidance of professionals, for example through MBA studies.
Experts will instill proper principles of managerial behavior in you, and they will also teach you economic contexts, business and socio-psychological knowledge, and communication skills. The rest will be up to you – you will learn a great deal in practice as well. Because even innate qualities can be improved and changed throughout our entire lives.
