Management
The Goal: Management is one of those skills that is very difficult to improve without practice. What you might find surprising is that you might already be “managing” more people that you realize. For example, if you hire someone to fix something for you or clean your apartment, you are in essence “managing” them. You might also be part of a volunteer or sports team where you have taken on a management role, without the formal title. Here are some ideas for practicing management right now.
Skills
Step 1: Practice Delegation
You cannot manage anyone without giving up control of something in your work or life. Can you think of some things you are currently doing that you might possibly delegate to someone else? Maybe part of a group project? Maybe a project around your home or dorm? Do you have a mentor or mentee you can delegate something to? Maybe even delegating making dinner one night to a friend?
Consciously delegate a task to someone and reflect on how you did “managing” toward completing the task to your standards.
| Task to Delegate | Reflection on how your delegation process worked |
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Step 2: Understand Your Management Style
All managers have different styles and finding a style that is authentic to you is important. The Indigo report and the self-awareness you’ve gained is the perfect first step to articulating your management style.
Consider your DISC scores and write about how you see yourself acting as a manager. For example, someone who is High D and Low SC might write “I’m a manager who has a direct style that will tend to miss communicating important details. I will make sure that the person I’m managing has all the information necessary to succeed and slow down enough to ask questions and provide a warm work environment.”