Manager? Me?
Managers come in all shapes and sizes! The manager’s role is complex.
Managers are often required to perform a number of functions simultaneously, drawing on a wide repertoire of skills and a broad suite of technical and specialist knowledge as well as common sense. They are required to respond to fast-changing circumstances and work at many different levels.
Lots of people running businesses don’t think of themselves as managers. Lots of people who should be devoting their time, skills and energy to managing their business are working on the shop floor, "on the tools".
Not surprising then, that the skills of management are under-developed in the UK as a whole. The knock-on effect of under-developed management skills is seen in our competitiveness in relation to other countries. That translates down to our individual companies too.
When you were training for your apprenticeship or studying for your degree, nobody expected you to know it all without having to learn – why do so many managers feel they can’t admit to having things to learn about management?
Help is at hand – there are entry-level supervisory courses and programmes and there are nationally-recognised standards for management performance which can lead to a degree-level qualification, with many specialist options in between such as Project Management.
Help is at hand, as well, from HIE Caithness and Sutherland by way of funding support for managers undertaking training on behalf of their companies via Workforce Development grants. HIE Caithness and Sutherland also organises Management training courses each year, based on needs identified by local companies. Take a look at the details of the Management training courses and see if a light goes on!
If you don't find the aspect of management you are looking for, please contact Anne Sutherland on 01408 635106 and we will see what we can do.
Investing in improving management skills can show benefits in areas such as:
- Bottom line profits
- Staff performance
- Resource management
- Communication
- Business planning
- Negotiation
- Checking the viability of proposals
- Service quality
Have you worked out the cost of NOT developing your management skills?
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