Be a better manager

THERE is a lot of pressure on managers to be exceptional in their day-to-day jobs and in the way they manage the people who report to them.

Elmarie Strydom, academic head of undergraduate programmes at Regenesys Business School, says: “Managers form a critical link in the value chain of any business — in service, sales or distribution. They increase competitiveness and drive teams and business units to meet business goals. They are the pivot around which both the planning and execution of business strategy revolves.”

So what do these “pivots” need to do their jobs well and ensure the smooth running of the business? Strydom has the following advice:

There was a time when managers were managers because they had years of experience and that was enough. But this is no longer the case. Today, managers need to have a tertiary qualification and experience;

The reason academic or tertiary qualifications are important is that they cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving as you apply different theories to workplace-related challenges;

Having a qualification will give you the skills you need to compete in any environment or sector. “Welleducated managers are needed to create competent businesses that can compete locally and on an international level,” says Strydom; and

If you do not have formal qualifications, all your skills are experience-based, so your thinking is confined to what you have learnt on the job. This makes for limited problem-solving and critical thinking. — Margaret Harris