The rise and rise of the accidental manager

Alliance Manchester Business School

Article by Jas Sandhu, HE Relationship Manager, Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Dr David Lowe, Programme Director, MSc Management Practice, Alliance Manchester Business School

The rise and rise of the accidental manager

Career paths are often unpredictable. One minute you’re cutting your teeth in your chosen industry, then before you know it, line management responsibilities and commercial pressures bear down.

If your rise to leadership has been powered more by talent, technical ability or industry know-how than it has by formal management training – you could be one of a growing number of so-called ‘accidental managers’.

Unsustainable for people, enterprise and UK Plc

Too often, effective management is presumed to be an inherent quality of bright people that excel in their fields. Needless to say, this is not necessarily the case.

Being an ‘accidental manager’ leaves us, at best, feeling like a tool that is not put to its most effective use. Most commonly, it leaves us feeling isolated. Like we’re pedalling hard but getting nowhere. At worst, a tendency to evade problems strengthens its grip, and performance slips.

Of course this isn’t what anybody intended for you. Nor is it fertile ground for commercial success. But you are not alone. Indeed nationally, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) estimates that as many as four out of five managers – or 2.4 million bosses – are without adequate training and, therefore, perhaps not performing at their best.

Fortunately, strong management and leadership skills can be learned and developed with structured professional training.

Unlock your management ability with the Apprenticeship Levy

Employees from small SMEs right through to huge corporations, could benefit from the Apprenticeship Levy.

The mechanism is much more than a training springboard for career entrants and vocational trades. It enables organisations to upskill their managers, leaders and decision makers responsible for growth and job creation.

Level 7 senior leadership degree courses can be funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, meaning ambitious managers grappling with additional responsibilities, can develop the skills needed to lead, inspire and improve business performance.

Turning accidental management into deliberate leadership

Carefully crafted leadership development programmes like the MSc and MBA level programmes offered at Alliance Manchester Business School, are CMI accredited and carefully configured to hone leadership skills.

Course participation can be funded for both large organisations and SMEs either wholly or in part through funds from the Apprenticeship Levy – so in many cases your employer will already have paid.

Talented individuals with a desire to learn will always achieve, so if you have fallen into management accidentally, now is the time to be proactive about your development.

The opportunity to set your leadership career on a clearer trajectory, is too exciting to miss. So why not find out what you could achieve.

For more information about the Apprenticeship Levy and courses for managers and leaders, please visit Alliance Manchester Business School.

 

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