“A SMALL CRACK IN YOUR SELF-AWARENESS NOW CAN
LATER BECOME A FATAL FLAW WITH THE INCREASING
SCALE AND COMPLEXITY OF A HIGHER MANAGEMENT
ROLE.”
1. TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
These are the most important skills at
the Individual Contributor level. Most of
us are hired because of these skills. We
get ahead by performing them well, plus
showing some other skills that indicate
a drive for results, customer focus, and
personal integrity.
2. INTRAPERSONAL SKILLS
These skills become more important as
we move up through the skill hierarchy.
While you may not have had to develop
skills like self-awareness at level one,
you will certainly come under pressure
to do so now. This is a direct result of
the increasing scale and complexity of
the higher management role. With your
performance being assessed by your
ability to direct and influence others,
you may have to learn to express your
feelings more openly and understand
what “triggers” your emotional reactions.
A small crack in your self-awareness
now can later become a fatal flaw with
the increasing scale and complexity of
a higher management role.
3. COURAGE & INTEGRITY SKILLS
These skills are very important at all
stages of the skill hierarchy. They are
often the “price of admission” from
one stage of management to the next.
Skills which demonstrate courage
would include conflict management
and addressing poor performance
while those for integrity would include
meeting commitments and working for
the common good. Your ability to act
as a role model for corporate values will
also figure prominently in your senior
management performance.
4. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
“Getting work done through others” is
going to be a key skill set as you move
into the higher management roles. These
skills range from your approachability
to your active listening skills to your
ability to develop teams. Managing
diverse relationships—whether they are
c ustomers, bosses, direct reports, or
colleagues—will also be an important
part of your role. Identifying and
resolving conflicts between these
parties will be increasingly important.
5. OPERATIONAL
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
The management skills of planning,
leading, organising, and controlling
are in this domain. They are the
skills which primarily deliver results
in terms of customer satisfaction,
employee commitment, and business
profitability. Four skills are common to
all management levels in this domain:
setting challenging objectives, making
timely decisions, setting clear priorities,
and providing coaching support. There
will also be an increasing emphasis
on your tactical skills for implementing
change.
6. INFLUENCING SKILLS
These skills are a higher order than
the Interpersonal Skills domain. They
have been singled out because they
are more important as you become
a Senior Manager. Influencing skills
are particularly valuable in those
situations where you have some power
but no authority. This would include
relationships with bosses or colleagues
in other businesses or corporate
headquarters where you are building a
consensus to move forward together.
Some of the skills also stress political
savvy and the degree of comfort you feel
in the presence of your top executives.
Your ability to present proposals which
not only deliver bottom-line results but
are consistent with business values will
be critical.
7. BUSINESS SKILLS
These skills appear to be the rarest
and the most difficult to develop which
perhaps explains why they are the most
valuable. While moving through the
management hierarchy can enhance
your understanding of the business, it
may not necessarily test that you have
the intellectual horsepower or learning
agility required for making complex
decisions. Creating a strategy for gaining
and sustaining a competitive advantage
will call for skills like detachment,
creativity, vision, and tactical execution.
Getting the right people into managerial
roles, building high performance teams,
and focusing on the bottom line are the
key skills at this level.
In conclusion, using a 360-degree
assessment of skills in the above
hierarchy model is useful for developing
leadership in a variety of situations:
1. For Managers - it helps them make
a successful transition into a higher
management role.
2. For current Executives - it helps
them assess the effectiveness of
their higher management skills
and identify skill development
priorities to help them improve their
performance.
3. For aspiring Top Executives - it
identifies the “watch out” areas and
the skills they’ll need to develop
to prepare them for senior level
appointments.
4. For current CEOs - it offers the
candid feedback they need to
improve their own skills. u
Credit: Yao Xiao
SPRING 2018 | 13