9 answers
Daniel
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
1
Question
Updated
1945 views
What kind of management is the most beneficial and easy to do?
Just wanted to know if I want to go into management what kind of management would I want to do? I like people and managing people but I know there are so many types or industries of management.
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9 answers
Catherine Bovino
Performance Assurance Manager
4
Answers
Wantagh, New York
Updated
Catherine’s Answer
I would suggest being a manager in an industry that interests you. Management courses will show you how to lead a staff, handle deadlines, own a specific project from start to finish, for example. You can now take that knowledge to any company that you want to be a part of. If you are not interested in it or have no knowledge of what the company does, then being a manager there will not be beneficial to you or them. Management is a good foundation to have that you can take to any company. And if you like the work, you will be great at it.
Thank you so much, Catherine!
Daniel
Chirayu Rupani
Data Analyst
295
Answers
Frisco, Texas
Updated
Chirayu’s Answer
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question as the most beneficial and easiest type of management to do will depend on your skills, interests, and experience. However, here are a few considerations that may help you decide: What are you good at? Do you enjoy working with people, analyzing data, or developing strategies? Depending on your strengths, you may find certain types of management more beneficial and easier to do. What types of businesses or industries interest you the most? Do you have a passion for technology, healthcare, or finance? Pursuing a management role in a field that you are interested in can make the job more rewarding and fulfilling. Which types of management roles are in high demand in the job market? Doing some research on job boards and industry reports can give you an idea of which types of management positions are growing and which ones are in decline. Some types of management roles can be more complex and challenging than others. For example, investment management may require a deep understanding of financial markets and complex financial instruments, while business management may require a broader set of skills and knowledge. Ultimately, the most beneficial and easy-to-do type of management will depend on your individual circumstances and goals. It's important to do your research and carefully consider your options before deciding which path to pursue.
Thank you for the advice, Chirayu.
Daniel
Ryan Curry
Techreative | Vetrepreneur | Culturategist
84
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi Daniel,
It's great that you're interested in pursuing a career in management! The most beneficial and easy type of management really depends on your personal interests, skills, and strengths (I will list a few types of management below).
I would also suggest that management, especially people management is not easy, and it takes a significant amount of experience and expertise.
First, every person is different, with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and communication styles. This means that a manager must be able to adapt their management style to each individual employee in order to effectively lead and motivate them.
Secondly, conflicts and disagreements can arise among team members, and a manager must be able to handle these situations with tact and diplomacy. It's essential for a manager to have good communication skills to be able to mediate and resolve conflicts effectively.
Thirdly, managing people requires a lot of emotional intelligence and empathy. A good manager must be able to understand the needs and motivations of their employees, and create a work environment that fosters productivity, collaboration, and job satisfaction.
Finally, managing people involves making difficult decisions such as hiring, firing, promoting, and giving performance evaluations. These decisions can have a significant impact on an employee's life and career, and a manager must be able to make them with fairness, impartiality, and good judgement.
There are several ways to learn how to overcome difficulties in people management:
1. Seek mentorship: Finding a mentor who has experience in people management can be a great way to learn from someone who has already navigated through similar challenges. A mentor can provide guidance, support, and advice on how to handle difficult situations.
2. Invest in training and development: Many organizations offer training programs and courses on people management. These programs can provide valuable insights and practical tools for managing people effectively.
3. Practice empathy: Empathy is an important skill in people management. By putting yourself in the shoes of your team members, you can better understand their perspectives, motivations, and needs. This can help you to build better relationships, communicate more effectively, and create a more positive work environment.
4. Build strong communication skills: Communication is essential in people management. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively can help you to set expectations, provide feedback, and build trust with your team members. Improving your communication skills through practice, training, and feedback can help you to overcome many of the challenges of people management.
5. Learn from experience: Experience is often the best teacher. By reflecting on past experiences and learning from successes and failures, you can develop your skills and become a better people manager over time.
Here are some types of management:
1. General Management: This involves overseeing the operations of an entire company or organization. It requires a broad range of skills, including leadership, communication, and problem-solving.
2. Human Resource Management: This involves managing the recruitment, training, and development of employees. It requires strong interpersonal skills, as well as knowledge of labor laws and regulations.
3. Project Management: This involves leading and coordinating teams to achieve specific project goals. It requires strong organizational and planning skills, as well as the ability to manage budgets and timelines.
4. Marketing Management: This involves managing the promotion and sales of a company's products or services. It requires creativity, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills.
5. Financial Management: This involves managing a company's finances, including budgeting, forecasting, and investment decisions. It requires strong analytical skills and knowledge of accounting principles.
Project management is a great start into management because it allows you to develop many of the key skills required to succeed in any management role. Project management requires you to plan, organize, lead, and control resources to achieve specific goals and objectives within a defined timeline and budget. These skills are essential for any manager, regardless of the industry or organization.
In addition to developing these core skills, project management also allows you to gain experience in working with diverse teams, managing conflicts, and communicating effectively with stakeholders. These are all critical skills that are highly valued in any management role.
It's great that you're interested in pursuing a career in management! The most beneficial and easy type of management really depends on your personal interests, skills, and strengths (I will list a few types of management below).
I would also suggest that management, especially people management is not easy, and it takes a significant amount of experience and expertise.
First, every person is different, with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and communication styles. This means that a manager must be able to adapt their management style to each individual employee in order to effectively lead and motivate them.
Secondly, conflicts and disagreements can arise among team members, and a manager must be able to handle these situations with tact and diplomacy. It's essential for a manager to have good communication skills to be able to mediate and resolve conflicts effectively.
Thirdly, managing people requires a lot of emotional intelligence and empathy. A good manager must be able to understand the needs and motivations of their employees, and create a work environment that fosters productivity, collaboration, and job satisfaction.
Finally, managing people involves making difficult decisions such as hiring, firing, promoting, and giving performance evaluations. These decisions can have a significant impact on an employee's life and career, and a manager must be able to make them with fairness, impartiality, and good judgement.
There are several ways to learn how to overcome difficulties in people management:
1. Seek mentorship: Finding a mentor who has experience in people management can be a great way to learn from someone who has already navigated through similar challenges. A mentor can provide guidance, support, and advice on how to handle difficult situations.
2. Invest in training and development: Many organizations offer training programs and courses on people management. These programs can provide valuable insights and practical tools for managing people effectively.
3. Practice empathy: Empathy is an important skill in people management. By putting yourself in the shoes of your team members, you can better understand their perspectives, motivations, and needs. This can help you to build better relationships, communicate more effectively, and create a more positive work environment.
4. Build strong communication skills: Communication is essential in people management. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively can help you to set expectations, provide feedback, and build trust with your team members. Improving your communication skills through practice, training, and feedback can help you to overcome many of the challenges of people management.
5. Learn from experience: Experience is often the best teacher. By reflecting on past experiences and learning from successes and failures, you can develop your skills and become a better people manager over time.
Here are some types of management:
1. General Management: This involves overseeing the operations of an entire company or organization. It requires a broad range of skills, including leadership, communication, and problem-solving.
2. Human Resource Management: This involves managing the recruitment, training, and development of employees. It requires strong interpersonal skills, as well as knowledge of labor laws and regulations.
3. Project Management: This involves leading and coordinating teams to achieve specific project goals. It requires strong organizational and planning skills, as well as the ability to manage budgets and timelines.
4. Marketing Management: This involves managing the promotion and sales of a company's products or services. It requires creativity, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills.
5. Financial Management: This involves managing a company's finances, including budgeting, forecasting, and investment decisions. It requires strong analytical skills and knowledge of accounting principles.
Project management is a great start into management because it allows you to develop many of the key skills required to succeed in any management role. Project management requires you to plan, organize, lead, and control resources to achieve specific goals and objectives within a defined timeline and budget. These skills are essential for any manager, regardless of the industry or organization.
In addition to developing these core skills, project management also allows you to gain experience in working with diverse teams, managing conflicts, and communicating effectively with stakeholders. These are all critical skills that are highly valued in any management role.
Kenneth Romanowski
CFP Board Emeritus (R), CTFA (Ret.), Instructor and Researcher of Financial History
29
Answers
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Updated
Kenneth’s Answer
Hello, Daniel! You will find plenty of fine answers to your question in this group. As David pointed out, management is never easy. You are given authority typically over people, things, or both. You are judged by those above you based on how well the people and things below you perform. I also suggest you think about the things you like to do and think about how good management can make things better. Don't just try to manage the easiest things. Manage the things you like, and if they are difficult, and you succeed, your services will be in great demand.
Good luck!
Ken
Study the field of management and learn what makes a successful manager.
Think about what you like and don't like in a career, and learn more about what you like.
Look for firms hiring managers who do what you would like to do and see what background they need...and then pursue a similar background.
Good luck!
Ken
Kenneth recommends the following next steps:
david kirk
Retired Computing Manager
478
Answers
Syracuse, New York
Updated
david’s Answer
Hi, Daniel,
First, management is never easy. For one thing, you, and you alone, are being held accountable by senior management for results. That includes defining and monitoring controls, and also motivating and inspiring subordinates to achieve objectives. Different careers require different controls and different organizational structures require different motivational strategies. In management, you have to focus on the business itself. That may require laying off valued employees, outsourcing some processes as needed, or steps that are unpopular to subordinates. Management also requires taking risks to improve performance or to reduce costs. Management can also be stressful, as in many corporations, you are perpetually in competition with peers not only for promotions, but to remain in your position. HOWEVER, having written all of this, management can be tremendously rewarding in managing a staff and in improving the performance of a work unit. There are infinite opportunities to work with peers and subordinates, to inspire and help others, and to have the opportunity to use your own ideas to improve the environment. If you enjoy having that challenge, you will enjoy management. BUT, know the work. For example, it is not reasonable to manage a department of computer programmers if you know nothing about their work. By being the manager, you have the authority to build the work environment that works best. All the best to you.
First, management is never easy. For one thing, you, and you alone, are being held accountable by senior management for results. That includes defining and monitoring controls, and also motivating and inspiring subordinates to achieve objectives. Different careers require different controls and different organizational structures require different motivational strategies. In management, you have to focus on the business itself. That may require laying off valued employees, outsourcing some processes as needed, or steps that are unpopular to subordinates. Management also requires taking risks to improve performance or to reduce costs. Management can also be stressful, as in many corporations, you are perpetually in competition with peers not only for promotions, but to remain in your position. HOWEVER, having written all of this, management can be tremendously rewarding in managing a staff and in improving the performance of a work unit. There are infinite opportunities to work with peers and subordinates, to inspire and help others, and to have the opportunity to use your own ideas to improve the environment. If you enjoy having that challenge, you will enjoy management. BUT, know the work. For example, it is not reasonable to manage a department of computer programmers if you know nothing about their work. By being the manager, you have the authority to build the work environment that works best. All the best to you.
Alexandra Loiodice
Resource Managemer
4
Answers
Millville, Delaware
Updated
Alexandra’s Answer
Hey Daniel, that is a great question! There are so many different types of "management" but if you find an area you truly enjoy, management in that area will be a lot more rewarding. For example, if you like managing projects, engineering work, or analytic work. These are all different types of areas where you can be managing a group of people and projects simultaneously. It is great to explore the different options and truly get an idea of what interests you vs not.
Anthony Ngo
40
Answers
Kirkland, Washington
Updated
Anthony’s Answer
Hello Daniel,
The word "management" is very generic and refers to an art and science of managing something. So, when you say you 'want to go into management what kind of management' there are two parts to your question:
Management: Do you mean you want to get into upper positions (jobs) within a company? If this is the case, there are a lot of way to get there. Each person advances in their career paths are different from each other. I will oversimplify this by saying the following generally will get you advance to a higher position: advance education, work experience, networking (connections) and/or any combination of these: Most managers/executives have some higher level of education beyond high school in the area they are managing. They can get the training before or after they get into their positions. They also have some work experience in that area (getting promoted into the position after a number of years working.) They may get the job because someone 'knows' that they are capable and offer them the position. So if you 'want to go into management and you do not have a wide network of people you know who can put you there and you do not have the work experiences yet, the option you have now is going to school (university/college) to study the subject/major interested you. And that is the second part of you question: "what kind of management?" Here, you are managing a 'subject/area'. For example, a project manager may not be a higher position in the company hierarchy. And there may be another manager who oversee these project managers (i.e. director of project managing.) What type of work/career you want to pursuit is not very easy to answer, since you have to decide for yourself: And there are a lot of ways help you decide. For me, I started from high school by taking advantage of the counseling center, taking career assessment test. This gave me some idea what I want to do in college. And again, taking more career assessment while in college (both undergraduate and graduate school) knowing that my interests will change over time. When deciding a career path, I set the following parameters and find a career that best fits (keep in mind there will not be a perfect fit and you need weight the trade-off when making decision.) In no particular order or exhausted list (you must come up with your own parameters.)
1 - Compensation: Who does not want to make money right?
2 - Time: We only have 24 hrs in a day/7 days in a week... how much time do I want to spend working (I do not want to work all the time.) The concept of work-life balance did not exist when I first entered the workforce. I do not want to get burnout.
3 - Interest: (no, not the one you get from the bank) What do I like to do? Some time it is easier to do the opposite so you can screen out what you do NOT want to do. (To quote Sherlock " When you have eliminated all which is impossible then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.") So you eliminate all the thing you hate to do, then whatever remains is tolerable: I do not want to sit starring at the computer screen all day long. I do not like to read technical document all day long. I do not like working in noisy environment. I do not like to travel more than 3 days per months. I do not like seeing blood. I do not like seeing people in pain. etc...
4 - Family: What I am going to do impact my family? By going to this career, can I have the lifestyle that fit in with my family. For example, can I eat dinner with the family every evening. Can I have a weekend outing (especially in the beautiful Pacific Northwest?)
And there is more. Again, you must set your own parameters. The whole process is not easy since there will not be a perfect fit and there will be trade off. Once, you make your decision and sure you put all your effort into it.
This is the same process I used and advised my children to do: 1 is a dentist, 1 gets a master in MSIS, 1 get a double major in mathematics and electrical engineer, 1 will soon graduate with a computer engineering degree and 1 will soon go into civil engineer.
Good luck.
Anthony
The word "management" is very generic and refers to an art and science of managing something. So, when you say you 'want to go into management what kind of management' there are two parts to your question:
Management: Do you mean you want to get into upper positions (jobs) within a company? If this is the case, there are a lot of way to get there. Each person advances in their career paths are different from each other. I will oversimplify this by saying the following generally will get you advance to a higher position: advance education, work experience, networking (connections) and/or any combination of these: Most managers/executives have some higher level of education beyond high school in the area they are managing. They can get the training before or after they get into their positions. They also have some work experience in that area (getting promoted into the position after a number of years working.) They may get the job because someone 'knows' that they are capable and offer them the position. So if you 'want to go into management and you do not have a wide network of people you know who can put you there and you do not have the work experiences yet, the option you have now is going to school (university/college) to study the subject/major interested you. And that is the second part of you question: "what kind of management?" Here, you are managing a 'subject/area'. For example, a project manager may not be a higher position in the company hierarchy. And there may be another manager who oversee these project managers (i.e. director of project managing.) What type of work/career you want to pursuit is not very easy to answer, since you have to decide for yourself: And there are a lot of ways help you decide. For me, I started from high school by taking advantage of the counseling center, taking career assessment test. This gave me some idea what I want to do in college. And again, taking more career assessment while in college (both undergraduate and graduate school) knowing that my interests will change over time. When deciding a career path, I set the following parameters and find a career that best fits (keep in mind there will not be a perfect fit and you need weight the trade-off when making decision.) In no particular order or exhausted list (you must come up with your own parameters.)
1 - Compensation: Who does not want to make money right?
2 - Time: We only have 24 hrs in a day/7 days in a week... how much time do I want to spend working (I do not want to work all the time.) The concept of work-life balance did not exist when I first entered the workforce. I do not want to get burnout.
3 - Interest: (no, not the one you get from the bank) What do I like to do? Some time it is easier to do the opposite so you can screen out what you do NOT want to do. (To quote Sherlock " When you have eliminated all which is impossible then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.") So you eliminate all the thing you hate to do, then whatever remains is tolerable: I do not want to sit starring at the computer screen all day long. I do not like to read technical document all day long. I do not like working in noisy environment. I do not like to travel more than 3 days per months. I do not like seeing blood. I do not like seeing people in pain. etc...
4 - Family: What I am going to do impact my family? By going to this career, can I have the lifestyle that fit in with my family. For example, can I eat dinner with the family every evening. Can I have a weekend outing (especially in the beautiful Pacific Northwest?)
And there is more. Again, you must set your own parameters. The whole process is not easy since there will not be a perfect fit and there will be trade off. Once, you make your decision and sure you put all your effort into it.
This is the same process I used and advised my children to do: 1 is a dentist, 1 gets a master in MSIS, 1 get a double major in mathematics and electrical engineer, 1 will soon graduate with a computer engineering degree and 1 will soon go into civil engineer.
Good luck.
Anthony
This was super helpful, thank you!
Daniel
Ken Monblatt
Project Delivery and Operation
4
Answers
Morrison, Colorado
Updated
Ken’s Answer
Project management is this most straight forward and practical. There are many certification and short term programs that help guide project management work. This would not necessarily take a college diploma. Something you could even get started in quickly and grow.
Thank you for the advice.
Daniel
Mark Howard
Billing-related Contract Management
24
Answers
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Updated
Mark’s Answer
Let's start off with defining what "management" actually means. Most people, including myself at one point, think that 'managers' deal exclusively with people. Not quite correct. They certainly can, and often do, but there is a key distinction that is best explained this way: Managers manage processes, Leaders lead people. What's the difference if Managers have people who work under them?
Managers focus on the method in which things are done. Restaurant managers ensure orders are taken as precisely and efficiently as possible and that the food is prepared as closely to the recipe and as efficiently as possible. Unless they are working with robotic assembly lines, they are dealing with human beings. They train these humans to perform a task or series of tasks to a certain specification and look for ways to improve on the output by modifying the process the workers use to make the product. It can be changing placement of items, the overall set-up to match the worker's ability or the steps in which things are done. The basic concept, though, is the PROCESS being followed. Some workers will be more proficient because of how their mind works or how their body functions, but the process can be molded to meet their capabilities or they can be taught a different way to get the same result, but with improvements. The higher in the chain the manager goes, the more they focus more on the macro-level of the processes (i.e., a line cook supervisor is focused on how and when a patty is placed on the grill or when a fried product is dropped in the oil and which set of fry pots are used; a shift manager is covering more of their assigned area as a whole, spot checking areas that tend to need help, etc; the general manager is checking supply ordering, expenses recording/inventory counting and cash handling to ensure it aligns with targets and variances).
Leaders focus on what their people can do to achieve a desired result. Similar to a manager, leaders have goals to meet but the process is less defined already and they are focused on ensuring their people have the tools they need to get the goal(s) met. Leaders look for ways to improve from their people who are trying to attain the goal, no matter what it is. This requires the leader to be focused on the WHY and the HOW. If a goal is in jeopardy of not being met, WHY is it in jeopardy and HOW can things be changed to correct the issue(s)? If one person is assigned to a task that they are struggling with, is it because they do not have the tools to be successful or do they not have the aptitude or is there a different. external circumstance that is affecting things? After discussing the issues, does it make sense to leave that person on the task (there are lots of valid reasons that may be temporary - like school or home/outside life issues) or will they perform better in another task/area (it may be something that will never change - not in their wheelhouse or an aptitude they just don't possess) which means a swap in assignments is needed. Yes, there may be a drop in the quality of the one output because of the change, but the overall will be better for it.
Now, what is great is that the restaurant management example can also be performed by leaders as well. The process is the process, but noting where your people's strengths are can improve not only the output but also the satisfaction level of the staff because when things are clicking just right, the mood often improves a lot. Example is Employee A is a fry cook and works very efficiently at the timing of food drops and knowing when to swap out pots to get the most out of each oil batch. Employee B may be a grill cook who knows when to drop food onto the grill but has a difficult time with cooking to requested temperature. After discussing things, the leader decides to swap stations on them. Employee A picks up on the grill and Employee B soon has the drop timing right but because there is a buzzer to indicate when to pick things up, the output is overall a lot better.
This is just one example of how each can work. Another is sometimes, people work better when they are in very small groups that doesn't require much constant interaction (they are given a task and get right to it). This is where a manager is the best fit (someone who likes to focus on process improvement but isn't extremely outgoing). You wouldn't put that person in charge of a Sales team; salespeople, by definition, are highly interactive, so require a leader to get the most out of both the individual AND the team.
Managers always look to optimize the process(es) they are responsible for. Leaders work on developing their people to make the most of their strengths and minimize weaknesses. Both focus on getting the best results for the bottom line - just with different methodologies..
First, figure out do you like working where you have to interact all the time or do you prefer working on how things get done.
If college is a path for you, read up on which colleges are known for their management programs; then visit and apply to your favorites.
If in high school, a quick service job can lead to a management position sometimes very quickly and is a good stepping off point.
Never stop finding ways to learn about whatever field you are in; there is ALWAYS something to learn about processes and people development.
Review the skills you pick up along the way and look for new ways to apply them, whether with your current employer or with someone new.
Managers focus on the method in which things are done. Restaurant managers ensure orders are taken as precisely and efficiently as possible and that the food is prepared as closely to the recipe and as efficiently as possible. Unless they are working with robotic assembly lines, they are dealing with human beings. They train these humans to perform a task or series of tasks to a certain specification and look for ways to improve on the output by modifying the process the workers use to make the product. It can be changing placement of items, the overall set-up to match the worker's ability or the steps in which things are done. The basic concept, though, is the PROCESS being followed. Some workers will be more proficient because of how their mind works or how their body functions, but the process can be molded to meet their capabilities or they can be taught a different way to get the same result, but with improvements. The higher in the chain the manager goes, the more they focus more on the macro-level of the processes (i.e., a line cook supervisor is focused on how and when a patty is placed on the grill or when a fried product is dropped in the oil and which set of fry pots are used; a shift manager is covering more of their assigned area as a whole, spot checking areas that tend to need help, etc; the general manager is checking supply ordering, expenses recording/inventory counting and cash handling to ensure it aligns with targets and variances).
Leaders focus on what their people can do to achieve a desired result. Similar to a manager, leaders have goals to meet but the process is less defined already and they are focused on ensuring their people have the tools they need to get the goal(s) met. Leaders look for ways to improve from their people who are trying to attain the goal, no matter what it is. This requires the leader to be focused on the WHY and the HOW. If a goal is in jeopardy of not being met, WHY is it in jeopardy and HOW can things be changed to correct the issue(s)? If one person is assigned to a task that they are struggling with, is it because they do not have the tools to be successful or do they not have the aptitude or is there a different. external circumstance that is affecting things? After discussing the issues, does it make sense to leave that person on the task (there are lots of valid reasons that may be temporary - like school or home/outside life issues) or will they perform better in another task/area (it may be something that will never change - not in their wheelhouse or an aptitude they just don't possess) which means a swap in assignments is needed. Yes, there may be a drop in the quality of the one output because of the change, but the overall will be better for it.
Now, what is great is that the restaurant management example can also be performed by leaders as well. The process is the process, but noting where your people's strengths are can improve not only the output but also the satisfaction level of the staff because when things are clicking just right, the mood often improves a lot. Example is Employee A is a fry cook and works very efficiently at the timing of food drops and knowing when to swap out pots to get the most out of each oil batch. Employee B may be a grill cook who knows when to drop food onto the grill but has a difficult time with cooking to requested temperature. After discussing things, the leader decides to swap stations on them. Employee A picks up on the grill and Employee B soon has the drop timing right but because there is a buzzer to indicate when to pick things up, the output is overall a lot better.
This is just one example of how each can work. Another is sometimes, people work better when they are in very small groups that doesn't require much constant interaction (they are given a task and get right to it). This is where a manager is the best fit (someone who likes to focus on process improvement but isn't extremely outgoing). You wouldn't put that person in charge of a Sales team; salespeople, by definition, are highly interactive, so require a leader to get the most out of both the individual AND the team.
Managers always look to optimize the process(es) they are responsible for. Leaders work on developing their people to make the most of their strengths and minimize weaknesses. Both focus on getting the best results for the bottom line - just with different methodologies..
Mark recommends the following next steps: