Before continuing to talk about my steps towards management activities in eSports, I want to touch on one of the main problems of the entire industry in our country - the quality of personnel.
If you don’t understand who I am to touch on this topic, then read the first post about me.
After I decided to raise this topic, two interesting publications came out. One in the Telegram channel “Esports | Industry", another. They confirm my thoughts about the qualities of a manager, and in general about the leadership team in an esports organization. There are two of them: experience in eSports and management skills. They shouldn't exist separately, but interact with each other. As the author of the channel “Esports | Industry”, it is easier for a good professional to immerse himself in the specifics of eSports than vice versa.
Experience in eSports
Everything I write in this paragraph is my opinion. Maybe it will be correct - or vice versa, but definitely not complete, because I don’t have much experience in e-sports, although I’m starting to accumulate it. If you have this quality, you can safely skip this point: everything that is written here will turn out to be banal and simple for you.
Search for players. Esports experience is essential to perform core responsibilities. You need to know how and where to look for players, of the proper level and with good human qualities (I’ve already encountered this, and yes, it’s damn hard). The more experienced the manager, the easier it is, because acquaintances help in the search.
Tournaments. Experience helps you quickly find the right tournament. For example, I, as a new person in this field, have not yet figured them out. There are so many tournaments that it’s not clear which ones are worth entering as a team and which ones it’s better not to waste too much time on. You need to know the system of the tournament in which you are participating, and be aware of all the organizational aspects that are useful for the squad.
Specifics of the psychology of an esports athlete. This is definitely not something you can read in a book or hear in a lecture. You need to understand that an e-sports athlete is psychologically different from an athlete in traditional sports. It is a great success if the players have experience playing in any other team sports: then they will have experience interacting in a team, which will make the work easier.
A game. Yes, you need to understand the discipline of the game and understand what is happening at one point or another in the match. It is not necessary to know everything 100% and have a skill equal to the team members. Certain situations in a match will help to form a small picture about a player: how he reacts to an unsuccessful move, his own mistake or a teammate’s mistake.
Management skills
I was a little amazed when I read an interview with the manager of one of the tier-1 Dota 2 teams. The fact that he cleaned up after the players at the bootcamp is an indicator of weak management skills. Develop discipline among the players - or hire a cleaner. This situation led me to the idea that a good manager must have certain qualities and experience working in a company as a manager.
Management skills are a hierarchical pyramid of core competencies that are divided into four levels. I took this model from the Smartsourcing community article. She describes this topic clearly and clearly.
Level 1. At the lowest level are basic management skills
Planning. Here we need to distinguish two types: strategic and operational. The task of strategic planning is to form long-term goals and draw prospects for which the team should strive. There is no need to describe everything in detailed detail, just outline the path to the desired result in general terms. Operational planning, on the contrary, solves everyday problems in detail, based on specifics: actions, their volume, timing, costs, etc.
Organization or organizational skill. If planning answers the question “What needs to be done?”, then organization answers the question “How to do it better?”. It is necessary to build a system that will answer this question and find tools to make it work. Also, don’t forget about self-organization.
Management. The manager must direct the team's efforts in the right direction. Set goals correctly and communicate them to everyone so that they understand their tasks. It is important to take into account the behavior of the players. It is also best to immediately ensure that they have the necessary resources to complete the goals.
Control. When a plan and organization of activities have appeared, you need to monitor the current work, comparing it with this plan. It is important not only to control the process, but also the players.
Level 2. The next level of skills is aimed at developing team effectiveness
Motivation. A manager needs to be able to motivate the team and its individual members. Each player is unique and has his own needs that must be taken into account when setting goals. All team members should be as motivated as possible to achieve them. It is important that everyone feels valued and can reveal their talent.
Education. Everyone is interested in development, especially eSports players. There is a competitive spirit in the disciplines themselves that fuels this desire. It is important to use it wisely. It is necessary to teach not only game skills, but also other related topics, for example: the development of memory, logic, attention, etc. An athlete, like any person, must develop his horizons, because this will help him look at certain situations from different angles and make certain decisions.
Involvement. Motivation and training should lead to increased player engagement. The manager must pay attention to the performance and satisfaction level of team members. You need to set clear goals and use positive feedback and criticism evenly (and most importantly carefully).
Level 3. The third level is aimed at developing the effectiveness of the manager himself
Self-management. A manager must manage not only the team, but also himself. He must find his own management concept and adapt to the field of activity, focus on important tasks, but not forget about the relevant and urgent ones.
Time management. There are a huge number of time management techniques from which you can choose the right one. The manager must organize his daily routine according to the list of tasks, of course, taking into account his personal life. The efficiency of its work depends on this.
Level 4. Top skill - leadership
Leadership. A manager is a job, a leader is a calling. Being a leader is a huge responsibility and a difficult task. He must have clear convictions and a strong character, to lead, not to manage. They listen to him and trust him, ask for advice and support.
For me, such an example is Sir Alex Ferguson. He was not just the coach of a football team, but the leader of a large organization. I will definitely share with you interesting excerpts from his book “Lessons in Leadership”. She made a huge impression on me. I think it will be interesting how his style can fit into eSports.
Conclusion
In fact, it turned out short and dry. I didn't want to write a huge canvas because each of these points will appear in future publications. You will see how I plan and organize, manage and control the team's activities.
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10. The tenth function of management is to ensure the competence and discipline of all personnel, all officials of a given organization in their daily work activities.
11. The eleventh function of management activities is to exercise control over all divisions of a given organization, ensuring the orderly and effective interaction of its elements with the help of normative (including legal) regulation.
12. The twelfth function of management activities is the creation of a favorable climate for the successful work of all employees of the organization, contributing to the achievement of high results in the activities of this organization.
What personal qualities should a manager have?
Personal qualities that contribute to high efficiency of professional management activities are as follows:
1. Activity.
2. Initiative.
3. The pursuit of knowledge and a high level of intellectual development.
4. The ability to listen to others and use their opinions to correctly determine how to solve a problem.
5. The ability to establish business contacts with employees, regardless of their position.
6. High level of self-confidence.
7. Innovative approach in making management decisions.
8. Ability to work quickly and hard, adapt to a changing situation.
9. The ability to manage yourself and others.
What professional qualities does a manager need?
For successful management activities, along with personal qualities, professional qualities are important. In different areas (business, marketing, sales of goods, work with personnel, etc.) they may differ from each other, but the most significant of them, necessary for any area of management work, come down to the following:
1. Having the required level of education and qualifications.
2. Constant improvement and updating of your professional knowledge, skills and abilities.
3. The ability to organize an effective solution to the intended tasks with the involvement of a minimum number of performers.
4. The ability to choose the main, priority areas in the activities of an organization (company, bank, etc.)
5. The desire to support and develop creative creative work in the team of employees.
6. The ability to clearly formulate the tasks and goals of the organization, and speak convincingly in front of an audience.
8. High degree of identification with the organization’s team.
9. The ability to purposefully influence the improvement of professional activities of employees.
9. What performance qualities should a manager have?
The presence of these personal and professional qualities, the ability to actively and purposefully apply them in professional management activities allows the manager to significantly improve the quality of performance of everyday work. These qualities are:
1. Strict and impeccable performance of official duties.
2. The ability to distinguish the main thing in your work from the secondary.
3. The ability to take risks and identify risk areas in the process of accepting and implementing business projects and plans.
4. Ability to cope with intense work rhythm.
5. The ability to show objectivity and integrity in any situation.
6. The ability and ability to formulate clear goals and objectives of the organization.
7. Ability to form and develop effective working groups.
8. Knowledge of modern management approaches and the ability to apply them in practice.
The ability to mobilize people and rally them around oneself to achieve a set goal.
What skills should a manager develop?
One of the first requirements for a modern manager is to develop the ability to manage himself. Whatever field of activity a manager works in - business, banking, marketing, education or culture - his work is complex, multifaceted, difficult, full of excitement and sometimes stress. Therefore, every manager must develop the skills to treat himself as a unique management resource, i.e. so as to constantly maintain a high level of productivity and efficiency of your professional work. This presupposes not only a high level of professionalism, the ability to use modern information technologies and other qualities that we have just described, but also self-confidence and self-control in any, even the most critical situation, the ability to always concentrate, mobilize one’s knowledge, competence, will and energy to solve the problem that arises.
The second most important skill that an effective manager must master is the ability to always be a proactive leader in everything. A person always makes a certain choice in his activity, but a leader differs from a non-leader in that the former always makes his choice: 1) consciously; 2) active; 3) purposefully; 4) is able to convince others of the correctness of the choice made; 5) knows how to mobilize the efforts of other people to achieve the chosen goal. A non-leader most often seeks to postpone the choice until “later”, if the choice is difficult, to evade it or shift it to others. He reasons something like this: maybe circumstances will change and you won’t have to choose, and if you do make a choice, then it’s better to do as others do, like everyone else. Keep your head down, let someone else choose, and we will join them. The ability to make the right choice of goal and means of achieving it, and then purposefully act in the chosen direction is called projectivity. Proactivity is the ability to actively choose a goal, the means to achieve it, adequate goals, to subordinate one’s aspirations, thoughts, feelings, actions to the chosen goal, to show initiative and activity and to be responsible for oneself, for the actions of one’s followers, for the implementation of the set goal and tasks to be solved.
The third skill every successful manager must master is: “Begin with the end in mind.” This means that a manager in his aspirations and actions should not be guided by momentary considerations and successes, but be guided by a long-term goal setting, take as a starting point not today’s achievement, but that goal, albeit distant, for the sake of which a group of followers or an organization is created, a direction is chosen actions. Based on this approach, you should make plans for your life.
The fourth skill that a manager must master can be formulated as follows: “Keep your priorities straight.” This skill is a natural consequence of the first and second skills, based on initiative and imagination, and means the application of independent will and effective self-organization in practical activities. A person who is guided by this skill actively acts to achieve a set goal, and does not serve as an object of action, knows how to correctly plan his time and all his life activities.
4life Transfer factor classicToday the word “manager” is used very often, but not everyone knows its true meaning. Many managers interpret it in their own way and apply it where it is not entirely appropriate. So who is a manager and what qualities should he have?
A manager who has certain powers and can independently make decisions regarding the activities of the company is usually called a manager. This person must have many qualities, but the essential ones are independence and the ability to bear responsibility. They help optimize workflow and effectively use people management techniques.
Who are the managers?
You need to understand the basic subtleties in order to figure out who can be called a “manager”. This profession is quite multifaceted. Managers also include:
- Organizer of the labor process in a separate unit.
- Administrator of any level.
- Head.
Hierarchy of management
A company may face tasks of different levels, therefore the managers who solve them must have certain skills. Every company needs several managers. The organizational structure consists of several management levels. They are usually divided into high, middle and low. Depending on the level at which the manager occupies his position, his responsibilities are determined.
First line managers
This is the largest group in any company. Here, a manager is a person who is directly responsible for the use of resources and the implementation of assigned tasks. This group may include site foremen, chiefs and heads of departments, as well as other employees whose responsibilities include solving operational and tactical problems.
Middle group managers
What is a middle manager? Its representatives are the connecting element between immediate and senior management. They supervise the work of lower management and convey all information to senior management. This group includes: heads of departments, directors of branches and managers of individual projects.
The nature of their work depends on the field in which they work. This can be a solution to both strategic and tactical problems. But in general, the responsibilities involve collaboration with lower and senior management.
Senior representatives
What is a senior manager? It depends on what the company does. But in any case, this category is the most influential in any organization. This includes directors and their deputies. They are the ones who determine the main direction for the development of the organization and make the final decisions.
Management roles
The position of a manager depends on what place he occupies in the organization and what power he has over other employees. Relationships between units can be represented as roles and behaviors.
- Interpersonal roles. What does a manager do? He can act as an intermediary at various presentations and events. Employees in this category are empowered to train people, hire them, and direct them to achieve goals. Activities can be both within the organization and outside it.
- Information roles. The main function is data collection. Based on the information received, it is necessary to clearly understand the current state of affairs.
- The role of the distributor. Managers have a responsibility to communicate information to employees and senior management. Data transfer outside the company is also possible.
- Making decisions. In this role, managers coordinate and control the activities of employees, solve emerging problems, and find ways to overcome obstacles.
What skills should managers have?
A manager is a person who is required to possess three types of skills that are considered basic: analytical, communication and technical. The latter are needed at the lowest level; they determine a person’s ability to perform a certain job. The remaining skill groups are necessary for all units.
Additional qualities
When thinking about who a manager is, you need to understand that his activities are more likely to be of a complex creative nature than of a narrow focus. In the process of work, he has to make decisions based not only on his knowledge or skills, but also learn to listen to his own intuition. Sometimes it is she who helps find a way out of the current situation.
What is a good manager? This profession is quite difficult. Working with people is always difficult, because a lot depends on mutual understanding. A manager must be able to clearly formulate his thoughts and be able to communicate with others. For collaboration to be effective, it is necessary to apply not only traditional methods, but also creativity and artistry.
How to become a specialist?
What should a manager know? The profession requires you to master the basics of management, be able to structure the process, keep in touch with other employees and be able to interact with people.
The manager must clearly understand the main goals of the organization and report on their achievement. Therefore, good managers have a wealth of knowledge in various fields.
To achieve heights in your career, you must not only understand what a manager does, but also constantly improve. A good manager:
Manager's responsibilities
The main functions of a manager may differ slightly depending on the area in which the activity is carried out, but the main responsibilities are the same:
- Organization of work within certain boundaries.
- Management of people and departments.
- Administrative activities.
In order to assess the importance of personal qualities in activity, it is necessary to analyze the very concept of personality. Personality is understood as a system of interconnected, stable socially significant qualities of a person that allow him to actively cognize and transform the world. Some of them are congenital (natural), some are acquired (social). Personality qualities:
- - General qualities. These include intelligence, observation, attention, ability to work, organization, sociability, etc. Each of these qualities is inherent to a greater or lesser extent in any person.
- - Abilities for one or another type of activity. An example is managing subordinates, designing machines, teaching children, etc.
- - Preparedness. It presupposes having the knowledge, skills and habits necessary to participate in the activity.
- - The direction of a person's actions. Arises under the influence of interests, ideals and beliefs.
- - Personality(the set of the most important psychological properties of a given person): biological characteristics - (temperament, reaction speed, endurance, strength, etc.); psychological characteristics (ability to perform, work style, etc.); gender of the personality carrier.
Personal and professional qualities along with the skills and abilities of a manager are factors that influence their performance. The personal and business qualities of a manager are the tools that he uses every day in the process of analysis and making management decisions. Each manager has his own character, welded together from a set of behavioral traits and personal qualities. The personal characteristics of a manager are varied. First of all, the following qualities should be noted:
- - energy;
- - cheerfulness;
- - good health;
- - sense of humor;
- - respect for others;
- - curiosity;
- - openness to everything new.
We also note that a good manager must be able to find a common language with everyone, be non-conflict, be able to sense what others want, etc. Many personal qualities contribute to the implementation of managerial functions, and therefore successful work. F. Taylor, identified such personal qualities in an ideal manager as: intelligence; education; technical knowledge; force; tact; energy; determination; definition; prudence. Another classic of management, A. Fayol, believed that a manager must have: foresight; competence; health; developed intelligence; high level of culture and morality.
From the set of personal qualities of a manager, the “magnificent seven” are distinguished:
- 1. Courage - fear of failure and fear complicate the movement towards success. Every new action provides life experience.
- 2. Patience - it is impossible to achieve success instantly. Perseverance and conscious overcoming difficulties lead to the goal.
- 3. Envy - a feeling of dissatisfaction should be benevolent and freed from the evil spirit of competition.
- 4. Doubts - healthy doubt accompanies making responsible decisions.
- 5. Modesty - a modest person sees himself as part of everything that surrounds him.
- 6. Sincerity is the basis of self-confidence. A person who believes his own lies brings great harm.
- 7. Compassion - kindness and service to people, sympathy for others enhances a person’s personal energy.
Thus, each national community, and even a company, makes its own demands on the personal qualities of a manager. The personal qualities of a manager resemble professional ones and are important because they contribute to the performance of managerial functions.
Professional qualities of a manager are the individual, personal and socio-psychological characteristics of a person, which together ensure the success of his work in a specific managerial position. These qualities are studied using the method of expert assessments and specially designed psychological tests. When studying the professional qualities of managers, the most productive is the functional-activity approach, i.e., identifying the required qualities based on an analysis of the structure of the activities of managers of a certain rank. Comparing the levels of development of identified qualities in groups of successful and unsuccessful managers allows us to create a reference profile for each job position. Basic professional qualities of a leader:
- - practical intelligence- a person’s ability to think critically and logically; the ability to quickly, flexibly and effectively use your knowledge and experience in solving practical problems. This is a necessary quality, but not sufficient. The effectiveness of management work equally depends on both the ability to work with information and the ability to communicate with people. -- social intelligence- the ability to understand and correctly interpret the feelings of other people, to put oneself in the place of another, to know what can be demanded from a particular person and what not. This is the ability to behave according to the situation, to create, through communication, an atmosphere most conducive to the success of the business.
- - adequate self-esteem- is expressed in the ability for introspection, self-control, criticality and correction of one’s behavior. Inadequate self-esteem is manifested in selective perception of information (for example, a manager discards information that could reduce the assessment of his activities in his own eyes or begins to evaluate subordinates not by the objective results of their activities, but by how well they can adapt to his expectations). Inflated self-esteem and the inability to correctly assess one’s capabilities and professional competence lead to the manager taking on impossible tasks. In turn, low self-esteem gives rise to self-doubt and negatively affects relationships with colleagues or subordinates.
- - professional knowledge- as you approach the top of the management pyramid, the amount of required highly specialized knowledge decreases. Thus, the director of a plant or the president of a company does not need to know production technology as thoroughly as the chief technologist is familiar with it. However, a top manager must know whether production processes meet international standards, what are the technological and economic connections between enterprises in the industry, what are the most promising types of products, etc. That is, along with the necessary knowledge in the field of management, he needs to have a general understanding of special issues.
Managers and top-level executives must have professional qualities that allow them to:
- - identify the problem, taking into account its relationships with other management tasks;
- - make optimal decisions taking into account the opinions of various specialists;
- - promptly manage and control the work of employees;
- - with an increase in the level of management, the requirements for such psychological qualities of managers as a sense of responsibility, the ability to think ahead, perseverance and determination increase.
Following from this, we can highlight several of the most important leadership qualities of a manager:
- * Organizational skills;
- * Communication skills (the ability to clearly express one’s thoughts, adequacy, the ability to listen, the ability to win over the interlocutor);
- * Professional competence;
- * Ability to make decisions;
- * Initiative;
- * Intelligence;
- * Creativity;
- * Stress resistance.
It is also important ability for social activation other people, the ability to infect them with your energy, will, and self-confidence.
The work of a manager, and any other work, requires a specialist to have such a quality as the ability to bring things to the end. Ability to complete work Demonstrates interest in and understanding of the importance of customer service.
Ability to work in a team- the ability to successfully work in a team with partners and bosses, with people of different classes and professions - a huge value for any company.
Willingness to work and interest- company leaders want to see employees who will do everything possible to achieve both their own success and the success of their team.
Desire to succeed- It is very difficult to teach people if they have no desire to do so. If there is such a desire, then it is much easier to resolve important issues.
A sales manager plays a significant role in society because he is the person who fully represents the company and its products. Through the manager we learn about new companies and products. The success of sales of the company's products will depend on the impression the manager makes on us. A manager must also have the qualities of a good leader.
1. Neat appearance
Last but not least, this quality actually plays a very important role. A neat appearance is very important as it reflects a person's personality, which also affects sales. Therefore, the manager should be well dressed and have a good physique - this will help influence clients.
A manager must have good habits. Speech should be soft and pleasant. Facial expressions should reflect the enthusiasm on your face well. All of these have a very big impact, so the sales manager needs to focus on these things.
2. Market knowledge
Every professional worker must have maximum knowledge about the business, if he, of course, wants to succeed in it. Likewise, a manager must have a sound knowledge of the market. He must understand the current market trends, customer needs and future market aspects for the company to achieve success. The manager must know competitors and rivals and find effective methods of dealing with them.
3. Planning and organization
Planning your actions before doing anything is a necessary quality. Organization and planning will make work more efficient and the result more fruitful. A sales manager must always have a plan for finding a prospect, and once found, must organize it.
He must plan everything before going to meet clients. If he is going to make a call to a client, he must have a good plan and be ready to answer any question the customer may have. A manager must be able to cope with any task.
4. Opportunity to build new relationships
Relationships and connections are very important in this world. Connecting with people and making contacts can be very beneficial in many areas of life. The manager must be polite and speak in such a way that when selling a product, he builds a new relationship with the client. Sometimes these relationships can lead him to seek out more contacts around the world to benefit the company.
5. Good communication skills
Communication skills are important for every person working in the market. Today the world is ruled by globalization. Each country has its own roots spread throughout the world. Any company is not located in the country itself, but has branches and clients around the world.
Firm employees must convey ideas to their clients, so it is obvious that communication skills must be at the highest level. They contribute greatly to developing relationships and attracting a large number of clients.
6. Feedback
All those who are focused on improving previous results are more successful and stable. A manager's salary and career largely depend on clients, so their opinion is very important. Everyone knows that consumer demand changes over time in accordance with growing needs.
If the manager continues to supply products of the old trend, they will not be bought. It is very important for a sales manager to understand the client’s needs and listen to feedback about the product. He must constantly revise existing trends, make them compatible with current ones, and then success will be achieved.
7. Persistence
In order to become a successful person, you need to try the same thing many times. Until we gain knowledge through our own mistakes, we will not achieve success. We should not lose hope when faced with failure, but keep trying and remain resilient. Managers face failure many times.
Often their calls and letters do not receive a positive response even after a huge number of attempts. Therefore, in such a situation, the manager should not loosen his grip or stop trying, but instead should be prepared for such failures and only then can he succeed.
8. Sequential learning
Every person on earth is not perfect. People learn throughout their lives. Every day we learn something new and if we apply it in life, we will continue to move towards success and excellence in our work. This process is sequential.
A manager must want to learn something new from every sale made in the career. He should always try to expand the network of his knowledge, update it and look for new ways to improve. With increasing knowledge, he will gain more experience and will be able to develop his career.
9. Persuasiveness
This is the kind of ability that a manager must acquire with every sale, big or small, in order to be successful. The manager must satisfy customers with the product. This is a really good business. The people he meets will ask the same questions about the product a thousand times, but he must answer them patiently with all the details.
This is also part of being persuasive. When customers find the answer to every question, then they will be completely satisfied and buy the product.
10. Confidence
A sales manager must be confident in his own products, since his confidence is how customers form an opinion about the products they are going to buy. If they are very confident in themselves, they create a good impression in the eyes of customers, and sometimes for this confidence, customers are willing to purchase the product without hesitation.
We can also easily observe this in real life. Trust is actually very necessary in any field. Confidence comes with a person's knowledge and sincere belief in one's abilities.. Confidence brings excellence in everything we do and it makes us happy and satisfied.