Would you describe yourself as a “new age” manager? No, I don’t mean someone who meditates and eats organic food. I’m talking about the type of manager who keeps themselves up to date, who knows what the trends are and maybe even starts a few of them.
The Australian government realised back in the 1980s that in order to keep pace with the rest of the world, Australia needed to take a long hard look at how we do business. The result of this extensive study was a report called "Enterprising Nation" or the "Karpin Report" which found that Australian managers were lagging behind their counterparts in a number of areas. The report identified the following skills as essential for the “new age” manager.
Ability to look into the future
Where is your industry, organisation or business unit heading? What are the factors that will influence how you do business in the future? Managers at all levels need to spend more time looking into the future instead of simply dealing with the day to day issues.
Acceptance of responsibility
Multi-skilling has meant that more responsibility is thrust upon more junior managers. The manager of the future is someone who can accept that responsibility.
Managerial expertise
We need managers who are qualified to manage. The Karpin report found that only 60% of Australian managers had any formal management qualifications. Surprisingly, being qualified included simply attending a one day workshop.
Entrepreneurship
An entrepreneur can be defined as a business person who takes risks and uses their initiative. Competition, globalisation and deregulation mean that everyone, regardless of their industry, needs to think differently about the way they do business.
Technical expertise
Many people arrive at management level having been promoted for their technical expertise. With the rate of change in all industries managers need to ensure they stay up to date with technical advances in their field.
Cross cultural awareness
In the past the typical manager was an Anglo Saxon male aged in his 40s. Many of his staff also fitted neatly into this mould, but not anymore. The new manager needs to be able to deal with customers, staff and suppliers who come from a wide range of cultures.
Adaptability
Merges, acquisitions, new products, new markets. A manager in the new workplace needs to have the skills to adapt quickly in any situation. There is no room for the manager who wants to maintain the status quo.
Leadership
Not just a quality required by politicians and religious figures, the ability to lead a work team is what separates the modern professional manager from managers of the past.
As this list demonstrates, being a new age manager requires a wide range of skills but they are easily acquired with some research, training and coaching. So don’t panic ... there is no need to trade in your suit for a kaftan in order to be a new age manager!
Buy Karen Schmidt's Audio Seminar CD from the Resource Centre:
What It Takes To Engage The Generations At Work