When you’re aspiring to climb the corporate ladder into upper or senior management, there are certain skills you’ll need to cultivate! Of course, some skills can be taught. To learn these, there are higher education qualifications you can complete. However, other skills – also known as ‘soft’ skills – are ones you’ll need to develop personally. Further, in addition to developing these attributes, you’ll also need to dedicate yourself to your career progression by taking active measures to move up. Our guide to these steps is outlined below. If you follow this guide, you are highly likely to succeed, and a coveted role in management can be yours.
Pathways To Management: Tertiary Education
To get serious about securing a leadership or management role, you have to show your employers that you mean business! One surefire way to get noticed, stand out from the crowd, and nail that promotion to your dream role, is to complete a higher education qualification. For example, you could complete one of the many available online project management courses in Australia. The best thing about this particular type of degree is that you can undertake it on a part-time basis, which means you can continue to work full-time. Better yet, you can also study online, for even more flexibility!
Crucially, flexible learning methods – such as online and part-time courses – are making it increasingly attainable to complete a tertiary degree while still working at the same time. This means that you don’t need to give up your day job to complete your qualification. Admittedly, you may need to give up some weekends – or even work either late at night or early in the morning – to fit your study commitment around your job. However, if you do commit to it, the career progression possibilities will be worth it!
Professional Development: Personal Attributes to Cultivate
In addition to the skills you’ll no doubt learn and develop during your tertiary studies, there are also personal attributes that we highly recommended you cultivate. Often known as ‘soft’ skills, some of these attributes include:
#1. Drive, Dedication, and Ambition
Committed to securing a role in upper management? Likely, you are already highly ambitious. You are also likely to be very driven in terms of your desire to succeed. One element that you may need to work on, however, is your dedication. It’s all very well to have lofty ambitions. But making it happen is another story! Along the way, there may be roadblocks, obstacles, and other challenges. There may even be other employees vying for the same position! As such, you need to develop both dedication and resilience to succeed.
#2. Passion, Enthusiasm, and a Strong Worth Ethic
Having a strong work ethic says a lot about your character. As does passion, and enthusiasm for the task at hand – no matter how menial! Importantly, employers appreciate a worker who says ‘yes’ to everything. Despite this, it is also very important to be able to set boundaries, and not become a doormat. You can be enthusiastic, but make sure that you are not being overstretched in your work. This is a surefire way to burn out and is unlikely to help you progress in your career.
Career Prospects For Leaders: Job Outcomes and Salary Expectations
Careers in management are in high demand. Of course, being a manager or team leader also comes with a pay rise! If you are in upper or senior management, you can expect to earn a relatively lucrative annual salary. This is especially true when compared to some of your more entry-level colleagues, or employees who are on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder.
Of course, your workload will be significantly heavier as a manager. You will also have more responsibility, and more will be expected of you. You may also be asked to act as somewhat of a role model to your lower-ranked peers. As such, it makes sense that you would be paid a higher wage! In Australia, for instance, an individual in a corporate upper management role can expect to earn up to AUD 130,000 per year. Certainly, nothing to sneeze at! Although, admittedly, you may also pay for this in increased stress levels at times.
Becoming a manager is a career pathway many ambitious individuals aspire to. If this is the case for you, there are certain measures you can take to secure a role in management. One of these, of course, is higher education. Completing a tertiary qualification can help you stand out, and secure you a promotion ahead of your colleagues. Further, the development of soft skills and personal attributes consistent with being a leader will also take you far. If you take these steps, then, you can effectively work your way into management. And with that, you can expect to earn more, achieve more, and become well-respected by your peers.
