Got a question? Call 0800 835 835 | Login
If you are a manager in your business, what prepared you to take on that role? When was the last time you undertook formal training to sharpen your skills?
Many organisations recruit managers and accept their abilities based on their previous roles, unquestioned.
Contrast this with technical skills that are easier to validate. If someone holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential, you instantly have a view of their capabilities.
Management skills have been more challenging to verify --until now.
To close the management skills gap, we need to have a standardised global approach to certifying managers. This is where the AMA Certified Professional in Management course comes in. It is a globally recognised credential:
AMA is used by 92% of Fortune 1,000 companies to validate their managers' capabilities.
95% of employers indicated AMA is a qualified sponsor for a management certification.
Proven management skills make a difference
A 2024 survey by Culture Amp concluded that “good” companies and managers make a difference. The survey looked at the primary reasons people leave an organisation:
Lack of development opportunities (52%)
Poor leadership (28%)
Because of a manager (12%)
Because of the pay (11%)
Managers and pay are roughly even factors that determine whether one stays or goes. Organisational leadership is an even more significant factor. Professional development opportunities so people can grow into managers themselves dwarf the other factors
How do you prepare new managers in your business? How do you prepare employees who are moving into management roles for success?
To navigate that minefield, consider the Peter Principle. This management concept, developed by Laurence J. Peter, observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence."
Employees are often promoted based on their success in previous jobs. As they climb the office hierarchy, they will reach a level where they are no longer competent, as skills in one job only translate to another.
How do you help your potential managers avoid this? The book "The Peter Principle" presents two methods: "Push" and "Pull."
'Push' refers to the employee's own efforts. It involves working hard and taking self-improvement courses.
'Pull', on the other hand, is far more effective. It sees you placing them on accelerated promotion through mentorship programs, expanding their career network and when available, manager certification training.
What are the top manager skills required?
What does it take to be a “good” manager? On the part of a business manager certification or a mentorship program, there must be a way to vet them. Will they equip candidates with the right skills and knowledge to effectively head your teams?
And if you are identifying potential managers (internally or externally), you need to know which of manager these skills they already have and which of these they need to work on.
In different organisations, you can observe six essential manager skills. These include:
Communication - Effective verbal, written, and people-to-people communication is necessary for transferring knowledge and information and having strong relationship management skills to coordinate with staff, clients, and stakeholders.
Planning and scheduling - Managing personal tasks and resources is one thing, but managing the workload and assignments of team members adds new layers of complexity. Professional effectiveness involves planning, scheduling and investing in tools that support the work.
Building teams - Hiring the right people for the right jobs, reviewing performance, moving people to roles that expand their potential and ensuring that everyone works well together.
Leadership - It is said that management and leadership are two distinct concepts. Management focuses on getting things done. On the other hand, leadership is about motivating the team toward a common goal and helping them envision the future.
Dealing with change - While managers can control most factors within the organisation, external factors can impact how we work. These factors include the economy, national and international politics, and, as we have learned, world health. Good managers need to be able to help their staff adapt to these changes.
Domain Knowledge - Many managers we have taught at Lumify Work demonstrate excellent domain knowledge in IT service management and DevOps, cloud computing, cyber security, networking, data analytics & AI and project management. This is crucial in passing on their technical expertise to the team and ensuring they work at maximum capacity. The challenge is to round out these technical skills with the other management skills.
How to become a manager in New Zealand
Managers today require a combination of soft skills and business acumen on top of their technical skills.
Typically, aspiring managers must complete a university degree in business, commerce, economics, or a related field, which usually takes three years of full-time study. Others take office manager certification programs that take 1 to 1 and 1/2 years to complete through e-learning modules.
A Graduate Certificate in Business or Master of Business Administration (MBA). These take an additional 1-2 years of full-time or part-time. Most institutions require students to attend courses in-person on campus and online.
A mini-MBA, an advanced diploma of leadership and management, or a similar program. These require 12-18 months of full-time or part-time study, often on one's own with materials delivered online.
The alternative we present is AMA training. It allows you to equip your leaders with management skills through a fast-track cohort manager certification course. In the 4-day AMA CPM course, a cohort of your leaders can learn and practise foundational management skills. The course helps you prepare for the AMA Certified Professional in Management® (AMA-CPM®) exam.
To complement these programs that validate a manager's skills, one can also learn from supervisors, ask seniors for a chance to lead a project or initiative and volunteer to train, mentor or guide juniors and new starters.
The Value of the AMA CPM Certification
Equip your existing and emerging leaders with management skills through a fast-track cohort manager certification course like the AMA-certified professional in management.
Candidates can learn and practice foundational management skills in this business manager certification course. Participants will receive a copy of The Management Body of Knowledge publication to support their learning and ongoing adoption. The training will help them prepare for the AMA Certified Professional in Management® (AMA-CPM®) exam.
Related to the top manager skills, students can learn about the 4 Essential Competency Areas of Management in this manager certification:
Professional Effectiveness - Mastery of personal awareness and interpersonal skills, enabling individuals to manage themselves and communicate their brand and message.
Relationship Management - Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships to support strategic goals and a culture of trust and collaboration.
Business Acumen - Understanding business operations at the financial, functional and strategic levels and maintaining a customer-focused approach.
Analytical Intelligence - Application of systematic thinking, analysis, and data interpretation to support organisational objectives.
Most programs require 12-16 months of self-study. But in this 4-day course, a cohort of new and career leaders can learn and practise foundational management skills. Past students share how they were able to apply what they learned immediately:
93% said the certification will enable them to help their organisation to reach business goals
95% said earning the certification will make them a better manager
96% of participants are using what they learned
98% learned something new while pursuing AMA-CPM
Lumify Work is proud to deliver training as AMA's exclusive Authorised Training Partner in Australia and New Zealand.
The American Management Association (AMA) is an international, non-profit, membership-based association. AMA is a globally recognised authority in B2B management and leadership skills, with 100 years of history of best practices, expertise, curriculum, and solutions.
