To advance in your career, it is often necessary to become a manager. As an expert in your field, whether finance, mechanics, sales, human resources or something else, you have demonstrated over time a great sense of autonomy, responsibility and appropriate communication skills. One day, you land the long-awaited promotion: your first managerial position.

You realize that the tasks you used to do will be executed by others under your leadership. And, if you’re like most of us, you learn and continue to learn to manage by trial and error. This was my experience, and that of the vast majority of clients whom I support in my private coaching practice. I learned to manage through improvisation, making mistakes and adjusting (hopefully for the best) – only obtaining a master’s degree in management many years later, after leaving my leadership role to become an executive coach.

We often forget that management is a science, just like accounting, medicine or marketing. It is supported by research and offers models, principles and processes to achieve success. It also evolves over time, adapting to changes in society and new technologies.

It is possible to improvise and grow as a manager by yourself, but to be successful you need to at least understand what the management function entails – something your supervisor might have forgotten to tell you (or might not have totally understood themselves).

Therefore, I suggest you take a short break from this training course to get back to basics so we remember, together, what it means to be a manager.