What Skills Do Managers Need? (Manager's Skills)

Technical Skills

Technical skills involve having specialiced knowldge about procedures, processes, and equipment, and include knowing how and when to use that knowledge. Research shows that these skills are especially important early in managerial careers. When leading lower-level employees and gaining their respect is often part of a manager’s job. In addition, technicals skills seem to be particular critical in many successful entrepreneurial start-up firms, such as those involving Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at Apple Computer or Bill Gates at Microsoft. Technical skills whether in an intrepreneurial venture or in al large organization, are frequently necessary but usually are not sufficient for managing effectively. An overreliance on technical skills may actually reduce a manager’s effectiveness.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills such as sensitivity, persuasiveness, and emphaty are important at all levels of management, although particularly so at lower and middle levels. A longitudinal study of career advancement conducted at AT&T found evidence that such skills, measured early in careers, were important is predicting advancement in managerial ranks 20 years later.

Conceptual Skills

Often called cognitive ability cognitive complexity, conceptual skills such as logical reasoning, judgment, and analytical abilities are realtively strong predictor of managerial effectiveness. These skills are often a major determinant of who reaches the highest management levels in the organization. A clear example of someone who was selected for a CEO job precisely because of his conceptual skills in Jack Welch, former CEO at General Electric.