Being a manager is a tough yet rewarding profession. Many strive to be the best but not all succeed. Several factors influence managerial excellence. They include: an ability to discover what potential actions prove to be most valuable to the company; a guiding vision for the future of the firm; high performance standards; an ability to select top class people for positions within the company; knowledge and conviction to carry out regular assessments of the company and its performance in the market and last, but not least, leadership skills.

Personal development is the key to improving your performance within the team and consequently within the company. Most managers who are completely honest with them selves will find that they possess some particularly strong management skills and several lesser ones. By improving these lesser skills and integrating them into your management style, you are more likely to be successful as a manager. 

Develop an overview of the situation in your company. By doing so resources will be used wisely in appropriate places. To correctly evaluate the situation you must be able to ask the right questions: what effects will a particular change have on the company? On the customers? What can be done to serve the needs of your department and the customer?

High performance standards are paramount to the success of the company. As a manager it is your responsibility to see that each member of staff is doing the best he/she can. To achieve a high standard of performance your staff must know what is expected of them. You must also assess whether or not they require training. People will endeavour to do better if they are motivated. It is up to you to motivate your staff, and monitor their performance. 

Communication is the key to good management. If you do not tell your staff what you and the company want, then how do you expect them to fulfill your requirements. The simple fact is that information can only be passed from one person to another by communicating. If information is not sent then how can a message be received? 

The beauty of each of these skills lies in their simplicity. If you truly wish to master each of the skills then you should devise a plan of action. Your first task is to assess your performance honestly. By progressing in stages you will gradually acquire all those skills required of a top-class manager, while simultaneously learning how to delegate, motivate and set priorities. Attending a management training course can help you to develop these important managerial skills.

This exercise in personal development will not just be of benefit to you. It will also be beneficial to everyone involved either directly or indirectly. Can you or your company afford not to be the best?