In this series of articles on enhancing personal skills for success, we have already discussed:
Developing personal skills: An introduction in part 1.
Developing communication and public speaking skills: A guide in part 2.
In part 3, we will discuss management and leadership development options in Sydney:
Introduction
Leadership and management roles can lead to fast career growth and job satisfaction but it demands a new and sophisticated set of skills. Perish the thought that mere technical skills can help you progress in management. Your technical skills or knowledge about your area of work are considered a given i.e., excellence in your area of work is required anyway. What propels you ahead in the Australian job marketplace is good inter-personal skills, relating with people, and ease of communicating. You need to be a quick decision maker who considers human and behavioral aspects.
These qualities are just a few required to build a reputation as a great manager. Also, keep in mind that there is a difference between being a leader and being a manager and it’s important that you know whether you aspire to be a good leader or a good manager. A good leader sets the direction, a manager sets the systems. Understanding people, their motivations and their interests, and inspiring them to come to a common goal is the essence of leadership.
The jury is still out on whether a leader is born or made. Leadership and management skills take a long time to develop. Let’s check out the options for aspiring managers to develop themselves and be ready for the best the Australian corporate world has to offer.
An MBA can do wonders to your management career. Note that the course may cost as much as $40,000 to $50,000 and may take anywhere from one to two years of full time effort or two to four years of part-time effort. This decision needs to be taken carefully given its implications on your time, effort and finance.
Options
Some of the top options for management studies for a professional in Sydney who desires to study part-time are:
MGSM (Macquarie Graduate School of Management - Part of Macquarie University , it offers a part-time programme at North Ryde but also conducts classes for some of its most popular units in Sydney CBD. The method of study is slightly different from AGSM with cohort classes and traditional lectures but with a lot of student participation. Completion of 16 units comprise an MBA but a student may choose to only do a Masters degree with 10 subjects or a post graduate diploma with 6 subjects. A student may start with a certificate or diploma and articulate to higher diplomas and degree as they progress. Flexibility to enroll for and complete their courses in a flexible manner is a big plus for MGSM.
AGSM (Australian Graduate School of Management) - Part of University of NSW, it offers a part-time programme in several locations in Sydney and other capital cities. Students receive comprehensive study material that they discuss with the faculty and other students in their classes. The unique part of the programme is that after completing a basic programme (a post graduate diploma comprising eight subjects), students enter in an executive programme that comprises intensive residential weekend sessions in different parts of a year, that completes and rounds out their Executive MBA.
UTS GSB (UTS Graduate School of Business): University of Technology Sydney offers an Executive MBA programme comprising evening classes at their campus. It also offers a range of Masters degree courses in specific fields such as Master of Business in accounting, finance, HR management etc, and Master of Management in Arts management, Tourism Management etc.
Students are required to work in groups, participate in debates and case studies and work on group assignments that hone their teamwork, communications and leadership skills.
An Executive MBA or any management programme, though comprehensive, may not be the solution for you if you already have similar qualifications and want to hone specific skills only. Business schools often run focused short courses called executive programmes.
Private training institutes and coaching firms also provide training in one of more areas of personal performance (spanning time management, presenting, managing meetings, personality etc), team building and leading, and sales. Some of these firms are I perform (http://www.iperform.com.au/) and Brainpower Training (http://brainpowertraining.com.au).
Books
A few excellent book you may consider to read on leadership are John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do (Harvard Business Review Book)
Check out other books in my library.
We have only scratched the surface of the options available to potential managers and professional leaders. If you are a budding professional in Sydney, then the list of resources in this article may be especially of good use to you.
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