Three Ways to Develop Into a Manager

In order to further advance one’s career, many strive to enter into the managerial ranks. While on the surface this sounds simple, many quickly find themselves within the managerial paradox: These positions typically require managerial experience, but how can one gain such experience without first being hired?

The fact of the matter is that having hopes for landing an external managerial position without any experience will be quite tough. However, there are options for acquiring such experience and foundational knowledge internally within your own organization. As such, we would like to share three ways to get yourself onto the managerial track.

Let your intentions be known

This may sound like a no-brainer, but if your leadership is unaware of your desire to enter into management, you are likely to encounter a more challenging process. Why is this? Well, you may not only miss out on both formal assignments or informal opportunities, but also coaching opportunities from your manager. So, simply increasing awareness of your career aspirations will give you a leg-up on your competition. 

Request developmental assignments

The workplace is full of changes—promotions, lateral movements, retirements, and resignations—to name a few. When these changes occur, opportunities arise—some of which may be managerial in nature. For example, a common scenario is management wishing to temporarily fill a role to maintain operations while Human Resources proceeds forth with the sourcing and screening process. Such scenarios could be your opportunity to get some practical experience that you could reference on your resume as managerial experience.

Learn the foundations of leadership 

While hands-on experiential learning is an incredibly powerful methodology for developing into a great manager, you can pave your way to success by learning the foundations of leadership. The most practical way of doing so is through a leadership development program where you can learn research-backed and leader-approved strategies for transforming into an effective leader. CMA offers both standard and customizable leadership development programs, from our comprehensive Leadership Advantage program (enrollment ending soon) to The Campfire—our leadership development experience focused on women leaders. As such, you could not only show that you have leadership experience, but that you have been trained by some of the experts in the field.