Top 10 Skills for a Successful Management Career

Top 10 Skills for a Successful Management Career

Ongoing Event

CAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 20 Sep' 25

SundararajanUpdated on 20 Jul 2021, 04:13 PM IST

Skills for a Management Career: From the workplace to course activities, there are some skills that are not only useful in life but also highly desired by employers. In this article, we would like to introduce you to the top 10 management skills you need to enhance your career and personal growth. You do not need management skills? Think again. Contrary to popular belief, management skills are beyond organizations and companies; they help improve your professional path, your personal skills, and your relationships. If you want to advance in a management role, you need the best set of skills. If you were invited for an interview, use your past experience to illustrate how you acquired and developed the following skills just like yourself.

Top 10 Skills for a Successful Management Career
Top 10 management skills

What is management? Why is it useful?

Traditionally, the term “Management” refers to four common functions (and often a group of people) involved: planning, organizing, leading, and coordinating resources. Note that the four functions are repeated throughout the system and are highly integrated. This topic helps the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of the areas of knowledge and skills required to perform the key functions of management.

According to (Management Innovation, 2008), "Management is the process of achieving organizational goals by working with people and other organizational resources."

Management has the following 3 characteristics:

  • It is a process or series of continuing and related activities.

  • It involves and concentrates on reaching organizational goals.

  • It reaches these goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources.

Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026

Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025

IBSAT 2025-ICFAI Business School MBA/PGPM 2026

IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR

In addition, management combines all six Ms., namely men and women, money, methods, machinery, materials, and markets. They use these resources to achieve the goals of the organization, such as high sales, maximum profit, and business expansion.

Also Read: BBA or Integrated MBA - Which Course to Choose after Class 12?

Top Management Skills you need for Success

Management skills are highly transformative, profitable, and beneficial. They can be useful beyond employer-employee relationships.

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Teamwork

  • Leadership

  • Strategic thinking

  • Project management

  • Conflict management

  • Negotiation

  • Communication

  • Time management

  • Adaptability

CAT 2025: VARC, DILR, and Quant MCQs & Weightages
Comprehensive CAT prep guide with focused practice on Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.
Download Now

1626777175388

Top 10 Skills for a Successful Management Career

Check out below the top 10 managerial skills that every MBA aspirant needs.

1. Teamwork

The ability to work in a team provides new and different perspectives, helps with motivation, and reduces stress. Ultimately, a team is a great learning opportunity and may open doors that you may not even know exist. In the work world, teams are increasingly trusted as a tool to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Wondering how to improve your teamwork skills? Be comfortable with highly effective team management ideas such as team performance and team mentality models. Both concepts have a strong track record when it comes to improving team performance and can be easily used in everyday business.

2. Leadership Skills

Investing in leadership is about investing in your ability to help express the best from yourself and others. Good leaders can act not only as forerunners of ideas but also as persuasive motivating guides to help others go beyond their expectations. How to become a leader? There are plenty of different leadership approaches. Consider transforming leadership as a starting point.

3. Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial skills are tools that help make a vision a reality. Consider startups and their founders: Often, entrepreneurs are practical and confident, beautiful communicators who are not afraid to think outside the box and put something new in the world. As the late Steve Jobs famously said: "stay hungry, stay foolish".

4. Conflict Management

It’s natural that people disagree on all sorts of systems—they will. Disagreement is normal and healthy, but only when properly managed. Learning some expansion strategies and taking the time to understand different perspectives can go a long way regardless of your position.

5. Negotiation

An old adage goes that “nothing in life comes for free”, which means we have to work for the things we want to achieve. A talent that is useful not only in politics but in all spheres of life—a big part, being able to say what you want in a harmonious, respectful way. Negotiation skills will last as long as asking to find a compromise in a fair and professional way.

6. Strategic Thinking

You do not need a complete fleshy strategy to be strategic - on the contrary, strategic thinking is a continuous process of "strategy". Think about chess: When playing, you can plan ahead, be brave, be intentional, and constantly improve your tactics depending on what you learn. To win the game, you need to prioritize, consider some possible scenarios and make decisions based on the best resources available.

7. Project Management

Any endeavor that is limited at any time and has a specific goal can be considered a project (learning new skills, getting promoted, building a house, etc.). Project management skills help you define, plan, organize, guide and control. With a plan away from confusion, you can achieve things like being strategic with your resources and learning from failure while monitoring progress.

8. Time Management

Time management is not just about being on time (it’s a great skill that leaves a lasting good idea!). Learning to use your time more without procrastination (surprisingly) gives you more time, avoids frustration, and can be accomplished. Bonus: You can re-invest your time in things you really care about.

9. Adaptability

No one knows everything, and being aware of it is often helpful, especially in a fast-changing world. If you want to take a new path and try something completely different without abandoning your principles, you will always be in a state of renewal and will never stop learning. This is a good starting point for innovation.

10. Communication

Effective communication skills can be considered basic life skills. It is not possible to perfect the ability to communicate information, but working on it can help personal relationships, improve your confidence, and really elevate your life.

B-Schools Accepting Scores - Location Wise

How can you improve your management skills?

There are many different ways to improve your management skills. One of the easiest ways is self-examination. You can read business books and intellectual articles about your most important management skills.

Articles
|
Certifications By Top Providers
Online MBA Business Analytics
Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Anna University, Chennai
Corporate Law
Via National Law University, New Delhi
The Science and Business of Biotechnology
Via Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Online MBA
Via Centre for Distance and Online Education, Anna University, Chennai
Management of Commercial Banking
Via Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Strategic Management
Via Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Udemy
 703 courses
Edx
 467 courses
Swayam
 236 courses
Emeritus
 231 courses
Explore Top Universities Across Globe
University of Essex, Colchester
Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford
Headington Campus Oxford OX3 0BP UK
Northumbria University, Newcastle City Campus
Sutherland Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST
Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff
Llandaff Campus, Western Avenue, Cardiff, CF5 2YB
University of Reading, Reading
Whiteknights PO Box 217 Reading Berkshire RG6 6AH
Bristol Baptist College, Bristol
The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3NJ

Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello Aspirant,

Since your payment status shows "S" , it means your payment is successful. The "payment unsuccessful" message on the form is likely a temporary system error or a delay in updating.

Do not make another payment.

Making a second payment could cause a double debit, which is difficult to get a refund for. You should:

  1. Wait 24-48 hours for the status to update automatically.

  2. Download and save a copy of your form and a screenshot of the "S" payment status as proof.

  3. Check your bank statement to confirm the money has been debited.

  4. If the issue is not fixed after 48 hours, contact the official CAT helpdesk immediately with your transaction details.

Hello

The CAT 2025 exam is a national-level MBA entrance test for IIMs and top B-schools in India. It will be held on 30th November 2025 in computer-based mode across ~170 cities.
The registration is open from 1st August to 13th September 2025 on iimcat.ac.in .
Admit cards will be available from 5th November 2025 onward.
Graduates with at least 50 marks (45 for SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply.
The exam tests English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude in three timed sections.

Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.

  • Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.

Admission Process:

  1. Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.

  2. Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.

  3. Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.

  4. Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.

  5. Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.

Course Details:

  • Duration: 2 years (full-time).

  • Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.

Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.

For more details and to apply, visit the  official BBAU MBA admission page

Hello Amgothu

With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects