What skills should he/she acquire? What are the qualifications and how to develop them? What are the different profiles of our bosses?
The manager's role has evolved in recent years. He doesn't just give orders that his subordinates simply apply without any dispute. He must convince his colleagues of the soundness of its decisions, and to make them endorse his views. He ensures that there is overall consistency in all activities he undertakes, and aims at making acceptable a certain adaptability and flexibility necessary for the proper functioning of the company.
Therefore he must above all get the confidence of his team, to earn the support of the majority. And, in order to establish his legitimacy, esteem toward him, maturity, a calm and firm (not authoritarian) attitude will be necessary. But not only. Knowing his colleagues by being on the field to better understand their expectations and difficulties, spending time with them and checking that everyone is at full capacity: remaining pragmatic, seeming essential. Because the chief is responsible for the work done and is guarantor of cohesion in their group. This puts great pressure on him.
And without certain skills common to most leaders, he can not cope for long.
They are numerous, but there are some occuring most often. So a good manager should:
- Learn to identify priorities, focus on key issues (strategic), not to be overwhelmed by details
- Bind himself to innovate, to challenge, not to rest on his oars, take risks that are inherent to the management function
- Not overestimate his abilities (intellectual and physical), recognize his weaknesses, learn to delegate or outsource, give credit to others to avoid being overwhelmed or exceeded
- Develop communication with colleagues, know managing and avoiding conflicts, listen
- Establish a boundary between professional and personal, not be dictated too by his feelings: remain objective, think about the interests of the company (productivity, profitability)
- Set clear and precise objectives so as not to lose sight of the final purpose of work
- Vary the profiles of members of his staff to promote the diversity of knowledge and opinions
Skills of course, intelligence and talent, but that is not enough. To succeed, these individuals have something more than the others.
Indeed, to fulfill a leader must have great confidence in him, have an excellent mental constitution, and be slightly megalomaniac. It's been noticed that those who are most predisposed to develop their characteristics are those that have received as children all the love and support of their parents. However, a child shouldn't be too sheltered nor too stifled. He must be able to grow and invest in activities that enable him to assume responsibility, take initiative, to confront the others, and through this he can develop his capacity to generate membership and lead his peers towards a common goal. Thus, the given education will significantly influence the adult person's behavior, and forge the personality of our leaders.
There are different mental structures and different profiles, which identify the major mental and behavioral trends of each individual, and therefore discern the personality of our leaders.
"Classical" profiles:
A charismatic leader: This boss knows how to motivate hiss employees and has an overall vision. He is hypomanic, and behaves spirited and assured.
A leading architect: He focuses on the establishment of effective structures and procedures, showing no feeling. He is content to achieve practical and mechanical operations.
Neurotic profiles:
They belong to the so-called normal structures: hysterical and obsessional.
Hysterical structures: They concern the persons focused on others, who like to play on seduction searching for love and recognition of others. These individuals tend to defy the ban to attract attention. They smile easily, want to stand out positive and try to help others. Characteristics that meet rather women than men.
They are often found in business communications, entertainment, human resources, commercial or marketing.
Obsessional structures: In this profile, there are people who have a taste for work well done, for which spend much of their time. They are conformist, conventional, often authoritarian or even brittle. However, they are fairly shy and suffer from some difficulties when communicating.
Therefore, they particularly fond of occupations with few contacts such as plant or production managers, engineers, computerniks, jobs where they aren't really highlighted, and lonely.
However, other factors are in addition to the creation of a character, such as sex, height or family origin. According to all these characteristics a chief will have differents way to lead.
Small people are more susceptible to recognition and impression they make on the others. They are constantly looking for greater challenges ahead.
As for women, they will often adopt male behaviors (tangibility, aggressiveness) to assert their authority, and demonstrate their ability to command as well as their male counterparts.
And those from poor families will launch as a challenge to succeed socially, obtaining important positions of high responsibility or qualification.
However, whatever their reason, they look mostly to compensate their "weakness" they suffered during their childhood and are mainly attracted by money and power confered by the functions of a contractor or director. All these frustrations often give children and adults with a strong character, the most hardest are found in the "problem leaders" category.
Problem leaders profiles:
Paternalistic: It is vital for him to evolve into a group and focus on his social life. He feels responsible for his team and often has difficulty making decisions, but do not wish to highlight. He speaks much, flatters and makes a habit of interfering in private life of his partners.
A misfit: He needs security. He flees his responsibilities and confrontation. He do not really trust himself. Therefore he prefers to stay behind and not to show any of his emotions or opinions. One should therefore be cautious with him, and avoid putting him in embarrassing situations, discharge of certain responsibilities, and sometimes encourage him to reeducate or work out a training in management or communication.
Dictator: He likes the recognition and esteem of others. Rather authoritarian, he can be quite aggressive to get what he wants. He can not handle his emotions, and sorely lacks in respect towards his interlocutors. Human relationships are not strong! He wants to highlight, totally involved in his work, and assumes all duties. Thus, he claims all the prizes. And he is arriviste and choleric.
One is not born a leader, but becomes one. While some of us have the confidence and charisma that will allow them to hold or secure a leadership position, others are still fighting their shyness and improve their relationship. As the leader is not who wants, but who can! At the condition of having to find the chemistry between personality inherited from our childhood and capabilities we have developed throughout our journey.
However, the mission entrusted requests both to be authoritative but to listen, to know your employees, while keeping a distance so as not to meddle in their privacy and remain objective, to excel and accept your failures. What a paradox. Rather than a job, it should be seen as a mission or a vocation which will be confirmed in adulthood.
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