From Functional Manager to Business Manager.

This article is about the transition. Busy Readers: Core-concepts are in bold. Reflections and comments are welcomed. It's a personal view.

A functional manager is a person who leads a function like sales, finance or operations. Functional management combines specialized technical knowledge and leadership skills. Their titles could be regional sales manager or head of accounting and finance as examples. Business manager is a person who leads a business entity whether it is a branch, an organization or a unit. Their titles could be general manager, president, or CEO. Business management is often perceived as the next career step for functional managers. This article addresses the stepping move. 

 Functional management focuses on a technical area within the business, with the objective of ensuring that the function is done effectively. Functional managers are concerned with functional efficiency. They align their functions with the strategic direction of the organization. They coordinate with other functions. Functional strategic thinking differs significantly from business strategic thinking. Business managers' prime attention is on business sustainability. This requires a wide scope to consider. They pay attention to trends, events and activities. Trends are changes that happen over time, events are single incidents and activities are routine events.  They Consider internal dynamics and external factors. The transition requires a different set of skills , time application, and leadership. From functional management to business management, the challenge is obvious. 

New business managers that were recently functional managers usually will need to learn about other functions. They have to learn to look at the business in 3D mode, instead of a linear look at the function. Learn to value all functions and recognize the interrelationships. They have to grow from their functional roles, to allocate their time and effort to manage the business as a unit, and to step up to their level of accountability. Functional managers need to learn strategic management and learn to deal with all functions proportionality and avoid favoring the function they came of.  

New business managers should spend considerable time studying the strategic direction, the organization and the people. Business managers must spend time listening to functional heads, exchange thoughts and invest in setting the functional goals. Business managers are accountable for preparing the organization for the future. The future is embedded with uncertainty. There are a number of tools out there to help business managers deal with business complexity. Models like Value Chain Analysis, PESTLE, Competitive Forces, Boston Matrix, and SWAT/TOWS. Please share more models in the comments. Successful business manager has to have an entrepreneur mindset, and comprehend concepts of strategic management.

Please share your view if the functional domain is of any significance for the success of a business manager. In other words, are there any functional domain preferences when selecting a functional manager to be a first time business manager? Functional domains like : supply chain, sales, customers service, finance, legal, human resources, operations, R&D, IT, administration...etc

Feel free to leave comments. Appreciate if you share ideas and business models. Tell on what qualifies a functional manager to become a successful business manager.