Professors can teach you a lot of relevant information for running your business but there are some things you just have to learn on the job. Listed below are some of the six things I believe are relevant to our topic.
Emotional intelligence
The one management technique you can’t learn in school is emotional intelligence. Only experience will teach you to understand that all people are different, how to discern their values, and how to give them what they value instead of taking a blanket approach.
Instinct
No one can teach you how to listen to your gut, but I’ve found that it’s a critical component in management. Every time I look back at turning points where things went wrong, I recognize that those were moments when I didn’t trust my instincts.
Persistence
Employees look up to leaders who persevere in the face of major setbacks and challenges. The school doesn’t teach you to sustain a positive attitude when things don’t go your way, but an ability to do this as a leader will motivate your staff to adopt the same outlook. And, when you have an entire team that can get back up after a fall, the organization will eventually realize the toughest of goals.
Collaboration
My management technique is all about coupling bonus, which means even if two people had a conflict of interest based on their position, they will get an extra bonus if they both choose to let it go and collaborate
Empowerment
They say we learn everything in school, but empowering/appreciating employees is something we tend to forget. Because employees work for us, we tend to get the “copyright” of whatever they do. Empowering, encouraging and appreciating them is the least we can do aside from paying them well. Let’s take care of our people by rewarding and appreciating them.
Negotiation
Whether I’m negotiating salary, management fees, or any real-life business scenario, these techniques are hard to learn in school. Many colleges have debate clubs. However, when I’m dealing with real companies and my own money, I approach things more strategically. Simply put, negotiation is vital for success and can make or break a company’s future.