Management Potential

I came across an interesting view on the (test) management discipline, during a course I attended this week. The discussion was on what it takes to be a manager, and this was quantified in the following formula:

Management Potential = P * E * L * M

P: Personality

E: Experience

L: Leadership

M: Management

The points that I find interesting about this way of perceiving the manager’s potential is:

Four key elements define the cornerstones of skills that are needed. They are all essential, so having no skill / ability to operate equals a management potential of zero. Good managers need not be masters of all, but can compensate for lack in one area by being skilled in another.

So what is the reasoning behind this discussion? Think about your own management potential, maybe you want to cultivate one area that you are weak in, or maybe you would like to strengthen a skillset to compensate for another? In my opinion, especially inexperienced managers can benefit from putting some thought into how they compensate for lack of experience (while building it).

Food for thought – Have a nice weekend & Happy testing!

/Nicolai