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There are four broad ways we can define and understand management styles. It is important for the career goals of a manager to understand each one, and identify which one you belong to. 

In particular, this will help you understand your current competencies and how you can do your job better. It will help identify your strengths, and also your weaknesses and areas where you need to improve.

Even more importantly, comprehending which managerial style you fit into will help you understand why you haven’t been promoted and what you can do to change that. After all, despite your style it is important that you learn to adapt and adjust so that you can advance your career goals of a manager.

While there are individual variations, most managers can classify their managerial style into one of four types: Integrator, Entrepreneur, Producer, and Administrator. In short, Entrepreneurs are always looking for new growth opportunities; Producers are extremely bottom-line oriented; and Administrators are great at developing and enforcing corporate policy.

In this post we are going to concentrate on the Integrator style of management. An Integrator is great at building and managing teams.

If you are an Integrator you are going to very popular regardless of what company you work for. Integrators are well-liked and simply great with people. They are those kinds of managers who people genuinely like and who are able to get the best out of others. They are able to form teams almost effortlessly, while keeping everyone happy and committed. This is no mean feat if you consider how diverse and competing personalities can really upset teamwork.

When it comes to projects, Integrators are all inclusive ensuring that everyone is invited to project meetings and has their say. However, they also insist upon complete consensus. This can be time consuming as each member is expected to have their say and respond to other’s ideas and comments.

Integrators work hard to keep the team happy and working well. This may mean making themselves available 24/7 to hear professional or even private concerns of their team members.

This sounds great, doesn’t it? You might wonder what is wrong with this approach and why Integrators are held back from promotion. After all, Integrators continue to ride the wave of success for a few years or so, eyeing their next promotion on the horizon confident they have are able to face new challenges and the authority and resources to meet them.

One of the issues Integrators face is their inability to evolve into a different type of manager. The insistence on consensus and being available any time of the day or night were appropriate when the Integrator was a junior and even a mid-level manager, but senior managers need to do more.

Senior managers need to take on essential skills, such as initiating multiple projects, making quick decisions, and being on the ball. Sure, team involvement is crucial to the team’s success, as an individual however, the Integrator hasn’t spent the time developing ensuring that they have the other skills so highly prized by their company. Also, giving so much time to team management can slow down the implementation of a project and actually be a drawback in the long run.

Do you identify as an Integrator? Do you have great team leading skills, but lack the expertise and training to fulfil other important roles in the company?

If this sounds familiar, don’t despair there are things you can do to ensure that next promotion is yours.

If you’re an Integrator, you must develop skills outside your comfort zone. The important thing is to start with what you know. Use your skills when it comes to building and managing teams and nurture the relationships you have with your staff. 

Then research the skills needed to fulfil the role of senior management and find out how you can gains those valuable skills. Do you need to study after work? Also, ask questions and sound out your own manager and ask what areas you need to improve. Learn about and understand the other managerial styles and begin to bring some of their key factors into your managerial style. Identify what you need to get better at now and begin working on it today to ensure you are promotion material.

It is only through ensuring your well-roundedness that you will be seriously considered for senior positions. 

And always remember:

Great managers are made. Not born.

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