To become a manager, you definitely need management skills, but those are not enough to make you a
successful manager. Many people/students enroll for a Management programme to learn management
skills so that they can start their career as a Manager right from the moment they are out of the
institute. It can be any manager such as a Content Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, Ad Agency
Manager and Branding Manager, etc, in any field. They struggle to get admission in the top management
colleges so that they can get the tag of a Manager along with a big fat remuneration. Arguably,
Management programmes do teach you management, but managerial skills are something that cannot
be taught within four walls of a classroom. They have to be learnt and mostly in-built within you.
Academic knowledge is quite distinct from pragmatic knowledge. Pragmatic knowledge gives you the
taste of the actual scenario and the skills you need to handle or overcome these scenarios. It also gives
you an edge when you are being considered for a Top Management position.
Following are a few aspects of managerial skills that a Management programme cannot teach you.
Manage yourself first: The first and foremost thing in life that no school or college can teach you is
“managing your own self”. You cannot manage/direct your team members if you do not know how to
manage yourself. So, learn to do so. Managing yourself refers to managing your time, your work and
your life effectively and efficiently. A Management programme does not teach you these skills; you have
to master them on your own. Management teaches only various aspects of managing work, and self-
management is your own Master’s degree.
Treating everyone fairly: Every person is different, and you need to handle everyone according to their
potential. In a Management programme, we usually are surrounded by folks with more or less the same
age. But, when you are onboard in an organization, this is not the case. You might have to deal with a
team that may have some members who are younger to you or a few members who are experienced
and older to you. Yes, there are chances that you may also have members of your age group as well but
not all. When you have a diverse team, you need in-built skills to manage each individual tactfully
without belittling anyone. This is a tough job but needs to be handled with fragility. After all, it’s a
matter of human emotions as well.
Mentoring: Mentoring, as we all know, is something no one can teach us. As a manager, you also have
to play the role of a mentor if you want to get the best out of your team. This is an important trait we
need to inherit within us as today organizations look for Managers who can do managing and mentoring
both. We are all mentored during the Management programme by our seniors or by our professors, but
when you become a Manager, you have to play a similar role for your team. You have to guide them and
show them a way to get things done. You have to become a person whom they seek for advice
whenever they face any issue. As a manager, you should guide your team and not order them as this will
gain respect for you.
Maintaining relationships: This is another important trait you need to become a manager. I am sure this
is never taught in Management schools. You should know how to maintain an effective relationship with
your team members. Maintain a cordial relation with all your team members and be considerate
towards all. Effective relationships will help you in achieving the team goals and the organization goals
as well. It helps in improving the team performance as well as also gives a sense of job satisfaction to the
team members.
Decision making: This is arguably one of the most important traits of a Manager. Decision making ability
cannot be taught; it is a thought process. You will have to take decisions of behalf of your team, and it all