One of the most common barriers that managers face as they advance within their organizations is the constantly changing mix of skills and competencies needed to be successful at different levels of management.  For example, the set of skills that a supervisor relies on day-to-day are very different from the set of skills that he or she would need to possess as an effective mid-level manager.

For leaders to  be successful as they “climb the ranks,” they need to be especially aware of not only the skills that got them to where they are, but also the new skills that they will need to develop as they move into positions of higher responsibility.  To help get an idea of which types of skills are needed at each level of management, take a look at the table below.  It outlines the most common, research-based competencies that high performing managers depend on at each level.  Also, ambitious employees or managers that are about to get promoted can use this table to get a sense of how their job (and its demands) may evolve.  To develop these skills, managers can take on developmental assignments, choose an executive coach, or partake in formal leadership training.



–Robert Bullock