The Strategies Center at Youth for Change

Mastering Management

In today’s fast-paced professional environment, managers sometimes acquire the responsibility for managing others without the benefit of formal training, a mentorship program or the opportunity to learn essential skills of successful management.

Have you witnessed or experienced this scenario: A staff person excels in direct interaction with clients and capably manages and submits paperwork—he or she is a star performer, confident and productive. The individual is rewarded for excellent work with a promotion to team leader or program manager. Suddenly the finance office is asking about budget projections and program cost analysis; human resources is asking about staff performance reviews, staff schedules and allocation plans; and, administrators are asking for progress reports, program data analysis, and recommendations for future program directions. The confident and productive employee now exhibits confidence issues, perhaps questionable decision-making. Administrators begin to ask, “Maybe we were wrong about this person—we missed something. Maybe he isn’t cut out for management.” The simple fact may be that the individual has had not had the opportunity to learn the foundations that support a successful transition to management. Becoming a skilled manager does not always naturally emerge from previous professional experience. The Strategies Center’s Mastering Management series is designed to give frontline staff, aspiring managers or current managers wanting new inspiration practical information about fundamental management skills.