BASIC MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR BUSINESS

Now to the basic management skills that you will need to start your business.

Are there any essential skills, apart from persistence and common sense that anyone needs to go into business? Well yes, and maybe no, all depending on what business you are going into!

Right, enough of the mystery talk, lets take a look at those basic management skills that will undoubtedly help in business. The first thing to remember is that you don’t need to be super intelligent, but being smart is good, if you are to really succeed in business.

What you need in skills

Millions of people each year start their own businesses, many without giving any thought as to their ability to run that business. A great number of them succeed, but many also fail, in no small part by not knowing what they are doing. It always helps to know something about the basic management skills needed to run any business.

Here are some suggestions for you to explore:-

• Ask yourself “have I got the visionary and entrepreneurial skills to meet the needs of the business?” Some people are great visionaries and can see into the future. They see what they want and know how to get there, but in many cases can’t, because they don’t have the skills.

  On the other hand, the entrepreneur will have the determination to make the vision come true.

  Seldom do you get both vision and entrepreneurial skills in one individual. So a problem here? No, not at all, simply be honest with yourself and decide what you are.

  If you are a visionary, full of good ideas, but find it difficult to put them into practice, you probably need an entrepreneurial partner or at least hire a manager with good basic management skills to help put them into practice.

  On the other hand, if you are full of energy and love a challenge, full of enthusiasm and get on well with all and sundry, but find it difficult to formulate good business ideas, team up with the visionary.

• Often during the beginning phase of any business, the owners technical skills are important but become less so as the business grows and more people are employed who can provide the skills.

  Some technical skills are generally available to all people who go into business for themselves, if only because, what they know is what they want to do for themselves.

  However, in my opinion, the technical skills of a business are not the most important. These skills can always be learned, picked up on the Internet or hired. Some of the other basic management skills needed are more important. A business owner who runs the business solely on technical skill ability will never grow the business, simply because of lack of time. Time management skills can be learnt however.

• One of the most important skills to acquire however is the skill of being able to put in place your business systems.

  Good business systems that accomplish the necessary tasks in your business are essential if you are to grow the business into profitability.

  How you do things and how well you do them will lead to fast and efficient work output?

  Look at the way everything is done or needs to be done in your business and make it efficient. Don’t neglect your systems, watch them and modify them to suit any changes in throughput or output.

• People skills are the skills needed to be able to communicate productively with employees, suppliers and customers. Most businesses rely on having good communications with all three groups and so should you!

  You must be able to show your employees that they count, by talking with them, asking them what they think is good or bad about your business, listening to them and in general treating them well!

  If you can easily do the same with customers and suppliers, you will be pretty much known as a person able to keep your employees, customers and suppliers happy. A good reputation to have.

  If you can’t stand interpersonal communications then maybe you should look to a business that does not need these basic management skills.

• As soon as you employ people, you will need supervisor skills. Efficiency in any business depends on your ability to supervise your employees.

  You supervise your people by treating them well, having the patience to teach and coach them so that they can and will do what you want. If done well many of your present jobs can be delegated so leaving you time to build your business.

  You supervise your people by observation, coaching, allowing them to fail, allowing them to think through their failures and to improve. You supervise by rewarding those that deserve to be recognized.

  Supervision is often the most difficult of jobs for the manager so you need to practice. You cannot have good employees who are supervised poorly, so get this skill right. Finally remember that you can manage things but to succeed with people you must coach them!

• All basic management skills are vital to a greater or lesser extent, but one of the business management skills is really vital and that is the skill needed to administer the business.

  Many businesses have failed, not because they lack customers or business, but because of poor office skills leading to poor financial management.

  Your paperwork, and quick access to it, can make the difference between retaining a customer and losing one.

  Poor written and spoken communication, bookkeeping, filing and the other hundreds jobs or systems necessary to run an efficient business can sink a business just as surely as poor product or late delivery.

  Someone, you probably, must understand and know how to use a computer. If you cannot keep information on your business at your fingertips, you cannot expect to make meaningful decisions.

  Don’t neglect to put in place a good administration system. It need not be complicated but it must be relevant to your business and it must be efficient.

Some other things

If you can manage to acquire a few other skills, as well as those basic management skills we have gone through, it will also be of help. Here are some things to think about.

1. Business is about doing, so not too much thinking, if it stops you doing.
2. Plan your business from the start and put your plans together in your business plan.
3. Don’t ignore the basics; it is the basics of business, in place, that will lead to success.
4. If you are both a visionary and entrepreneurial, so much the better, but if not then remember that you need both in a business that is to be great so partner or hire the missing link.
5. Don’t give up on your ideas too soon, perseverance and not perfection is what drives business.
6. When you need time to look ahead at the big picture, hand over some of your work load to others who you have coached. The sooner you do this the better.
7. Always have the skill to know their needs and take care of your customers.
8. You don’t have to have had any formal education to be successful in business, but you do need persistence, energy, common sense, patience, be willing to learn the basic management skills and have the courage to see it through.

Finally with hard work, the use of your instincts and a bit of luck, you can and will learn all the basic management skills that you need to become a successful business owner.

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