Managing the affairs of a small business is no easy task, and as such there are certain traits that a company manager should possess if they’re expected to perform well in the face of adversity. According to www.realbusinessrescue.co.uk these are just some of the main ingredients that make up a winning company manager:
Creativity Coupled with Ambition
The ability to create and innovate is a must-have attribute for anyone involved in the direction of a business. However, the determination to follow through with an ambitious plan is equally important. Anyone can sit around and come up with good ideas all day long without bringing any tangible results into fruition. A great manager will take a great idea and turn it into a great endeavor in a matter of days. Steve Jobs immediately springs to mind—a visionary who brought us some of the world’s most iconic products. It will be interesting to see if Apple CEO Tim Cook has the same levels of creativity and ambition or if he’ll merely be content settling for ‘incrementalism’ and the constant tweaking, rather than innovation, of Apple products.
Passion for Persuasion
A manager should be passionate about persuading their teammates and clients into agreeing with their direction or recommendations. They should be able to assert their will over a conversation without being rude or overbearing. They should be able to assess and analyze a tough situation and quickly propose a plan of action that clients and employees will be willing to consider. Being able to effectively help others relate to your point of view is a trait that any proficient business professional should have. As AlliedSignal’s CEO Lawrence Bossidy said recently, “Yelling at people is a thing of the past. Today you have to appeal to them by helping them see how they can get from here to there, by establishing some credibility, and by giving them some reason and help to get there. Do all those things, and they’ll knock down doors.”
Persistence Mixed With Patience
Most business tasks will require several tries before ideal results can be achieved. Unfortunately, many managers opt for short-termism and choose to only “focus on what works” instead of staying persistent when testing new outreach and management techniques that are less-than-successful on the first try. A strong manager knows that not all actions are rewarded with instant gratification. In fact, the results of some of the most profitable investments and efforts can take months or even years to realize their full potential. Sometimes you need a complete change in direction, like US entrepreneur Mark Cuban who failed over and over again at a variety of jobs before making billions selling his company to Yahoo. He says of his failures, “I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how many times you failed. You only have to be right once. I was an idiot a lot of times, and I learned from them all.”
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