Management and leadership positions are distinct from other types of jobs you might have held. They differ not only in detail (such as dress code or job title) but in the very nature of the daily job description. Simply put, more is expected of a manager than a rank and file employee. It takes a certain kind of person to thrive in a management or leadership role, a fact of which companies are fully aware. Consequently, most companies restrict their searches for these positions to those with the requisite traits or background.
Results-Orientation
Think back to the earliest jobs you worked as a teenager. While they might have initially seemed demanding, you most likely remember them as being rather easy. Relatively little is expected, for instance, of a deli clerk at the local grocery store. An individual in this position is considered exemplary if he shows up on time, follows simple instructions, respects the customers and puts in an honest effort. He need concern himself only with performing adequately in these areas. Think a step higher, however, to the job description of the deli manager. Unlike the clerk, it is not sufficient for the manager to merely put in a day’s work and go home. The manager is actually responsible for the performance of the entire department - weekly and monthly sales targets, the results of customer satisfaction surveys, minimal safety issues, etc. Their job description is anything and everything that accomplishes these goals.
If ever the department falls short in these areas, the manager is held responsible. It matters not what brilliant excuses, circumstances or rationalizations the manager trots out in defense of their shortcomings. For this reason, companies are looking for a results-oriented attitude in their prospective leaders. John T. Reed, a Harvard MBA, wrote an article on the differences between results-oriented and process-oriented people. While a process-oriented person “focuses on the literal instructions they have been given”, a results-oriented leader goes above and beyond, doing whatever is needed to accomplish the goal in timely fashion. If you are applying for a management or leadership position, you must demonstrate that you are such a person.
Interpersonal Skills
(ghindo)
That being said, it’s not enough to simply be a stern taskmaster. A manager or leader, by definition, manages or leads others. Nor do most effective managers succeed by coldly issuing orders from behind a desk. Instead, effective leaders are tend to possess interpersonal skills and a true human touch. The reason is that merely knowing what to do (having the right strategy, plan, etc.) is worthless if you cannot persuade others to participate. Plenty of managers possess unquestioned intelligence, drive and industry-specific knowledge, but are utterly lacking in people skills. Such people tend to have great ideas, but fail at securing the “buy-in” that creates real, company-wide support.
As a result of hard-fought experience with this problem, companies have learned to prioritize people skills in their management interviews. Coming across as someone who is impatient, easily angered or annoyed, and quick to argue, therefore, are not interpreted as evidence of passion or conviction. Instead, the person interviewing you is likely imagining what kind of arguments or conflicts you might cause with subordinates. So while it’s great to stand your ground, you also need to display a genuine ability to work with and respect others.
Vision
(Richard0)
In most cases, the ideal manager or leader is also a visionary. As explained earlier, leadership positions entail responsibility for entire departments or divisions of a company. Accordingly, leaders are given full reign to run things as they see fit in order to accomplish corporate goals. Companies know, of course, that profitable, well-run departments do not spontaneously arise out of nothing. It is for this reason that they prefer candidates who possess a strong vision, or plan, for how they will succeed on the job. A prospective sales manager, for instance, might be eager to implement a tracking system that automatically computes important sales metrics. A project manager might have a unique methodology that he believes will result in faster completion and lower costs.
The details of the vision itself are less important (at least early on) than whether you have one. Never forget that there are managers above you with their own priorities and obstacles. Just as it comforts you to know that subordinates are on task, it comforts your boss to know that the manager he hired is confidently implementing an strategically formulated vision each day.
Dedication
Finally, every organization wants a leader that is dedicated. The last person a company wants to install in a leadership role is someone for whom the job is just a way to passively make money. It’s easy to accept praise and cash the paychecks when all is going well. Indeed, some managers imagine that their job is to simply preside over a smooth-functioning team. But experienced companies know better. What they are really looking for is not a “fair-weather” manager, but someone who can weather the storms of project delays, call-outs, budget over-runs, lawsuits, shrinking sales and innumerable other corporate disasters. After all - if most people were naturally disciplined, honest, prudent and ever-committed to corporate goals, there wouldn’t be much need for managers in the first place.
Dedication, therefore, is of monumental importance in selecting a manager. If you hope to be hired, you must fit the profile of someone who will go above and beyond when it matters most. It should be clear to the interviewer that you take the position dead seriously and are committed to high performance at all times.
About the Author: Chris Bennett is a marketing director for Creditloan.com. Established in 1998, Creditloan.com has been providing insight, advice and news on a range of financial topics, such as debt consolidation loans and cash advances. In addition to the thousands of articles, you will also find reputable service providers and tools that will help you with all of your budgeting needs.
