As a substantial part of my coaching work includes career coaching and counselling – both for those who are professions in the traditional sense (lawyers, accountants and surveyors) and modern professionals (marketers and business developers) I joined two recent webinars to hear others’ views on career development.

Each webinar was good in its own way although they tackled rather different topics – management and partnership. 

Chartered Manager: Open University Business School (OUBS) and Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

As an OUBS alumni, I am always interested to hear what they are offering – I’ve always been impressed in the past. This webinar focused on a partnership between OUBS http://www.open.ac.uk/business-school/ and CMI whereby, as you complete your MBA, you can simultaneously achieve the CMI’s management certificate.

The CMI http://www.managers.org.uk/, established 70 years ago, aims to be the leader in management and leadership (I wonder what the Institute of Directors http://www.iod.com/developing/chartered-director-qualifications/diploma-in-company-direction  thinks about this?). It has 107,000 members and 25,000 students. During the webinar the Management 2020 report http://www.managers.org.uk/insights/management-2020 was mentioned and also a report on ethics in management http://www.managers.org.uk/campaigns/ethics-campaign/ethics-report-download .

Some of the points made during the webinar:

  • One in three managers admits to telling a lie each day
  • Three quarters of organisations surveyed admit they lack good management and leadership
  • UK is below USA and Japan in management effectiveness
  • Only one in five UK managers receives formal management training
  • Two thirds of employers offer no management training
  • 11 million working days are lost to stress caused by bad management
  • 75% of people found a coaching style of management led to more engagement and better performance than a commanding style of leadership

To become a Chartered Manager, you need to have:

  • Knowledge (covered by part one of your OUBS MBA programme)
  • Minimum of three years’ management experience
  • Commitment to ethical conduct
  • Continuous learning and development

Those that had completed the Chartered Manager, assessment which can be completed in six weeks (and includes producing a written submission and sessions with a assessing mentor, found:

  • They had more confidence
  • A third were given promotion and further responsibilities
  • 67% met or exceeded the targets they were set

Ark Group Strategic Portfolio Career mapping and planning

This session was focused on lawyers – and particularly on partners. It considered a number of topics including:

  • Changing legal market and law firm structures
  • Demographic and retirement changes
  • Talent and alumni management

Some of the ideas explored included:

  • Strategic alignment
  • Succession planning and client handover
  • Moving from lawyer roles into management
  • Profile raising with business and practice development
  • Non-executive directorships and trustees
  • Remuneration, de-equitisation and pensions
  • Opportunities and innovation within ABS structures
  • Performance management and KPIs
  • Portfolio careers (in the true Charles Handy sense)