Mastering Management: Essential Skills for General Managers in International Organizations Operating in Malawi.

Following every presentation I deliver about my professional journey, one recurring question that I get centers around what it truly entails to manage an international company in Malawi. Typically, my response is a well-rehearsed explanation, touching on aspects such as culture, awareness of the 4 P's, and their impact on managerial roles blah blah blah. Occasionally, I delve into the broader perspective of general management, emphasizing its role as the orchestration of a company's activities and processes to ensure efficient resource utilization and coordination. In essence, it's a very rehearsed response that I repeat many times.

Sure, management is usually defined as a process of accomplishing organizational goals effectively and efficiently by working through others. It includes a range of tasks, including planning, the establishment of objectives, arrangement, and allocation of resources, controlling the activities, and measurement of the results. To put it into a framework, management encompasses planning, organizing, controlling, staffing, leading, reporting, and directing – my lecturer often represented this with the acronym POCCC+SLR, an adaptation of the common 14 principles of Management by Henri Fayol.

However, the management landscape in Malawi deviates slightly from this conventional framework. Here, the rulebook tends to be thrown out, and a General Manager has to roll up his/ her sleeves and really work for the success of the company. Factors such as trade laws, cultural nuances, currencies, and prevailing business practices significantly influence the role of a General Manager in this context. Success, therefore, hinges on the Managers' ability to navigate these complexities effectively to prevent ( or handle) inevitable mistakes that can occur in business. Allow me to share what I consider essential international business skills that a Manager must master to thrive in Malawi.

1. Collaboration capabilities

You need to recognize the benefits of collaboration and understand the importance of working with local and international team members to achieve a shared goal. This involves exercising measures of leadership and humility equally. You need to know when to stand up for your business and goals and when to fall back and let others take the lead. Do not wait to be told. If you see an opportunity or a problem, use it as a chance to shine and take ownership. Embrace ambiguity and crises as opportunities for growth, learning, and making a meaningful impact. Simply put, work hard, work smart

There are no shortcuts or magic formulas. It is hard, merciless work. But it is manageable if you work smart, manage time effectively and efficiently, focus on the right priorities, and not be the hero of every story by trying to do it all yourself.

2. Networking skills

The ability to quickly build rapport and forge connections, especially with colleagues in similar positions but in different countries can open doors to remarkable opportunities. Negotiation and conflict management skills are absolute essentials for any general manager, and in an international company, you are basically doing it all day long.? Your job involves constant collaboration, interactions, and networking with individuals both inside and outside of your team and organization. It helps to have an awareness of local approaches, and those of your peers in other regions to facilitate productive dialogues leading to mutually beneficial outcomes.

3. Cross- Cultural awareness and communication

An acute awareness of the languages, beliefs, traditions, international business practices, and social norms of each culture in which you do business can help a general manager and the company from some awkward and unnecessary situations to missed opportunities to strengthen ties between different offices.?

Working in international business requires having excellent communication skills, plus the ability to effectively communicate across cultures. Such communication can be verbal, gestural, or written.

These cues can differ between cultures, which highlights the importance of maintaining cultural awareness. While it may not be necessary to learn every language and tradition, having a general understanding as a benchmark for each region can guide decision-making that resonates across cultures- a ‘what would Igor do in this situation’ man in the mirror that can help you make decisions that are acceptable across the board.

4. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence stands out as one of the most valuable skills for General Managers involved in global teams. It encompasses self-awareness and emotional control, especially in high-pressure situations. Emotionally intelligent managers exhibit empathy, particularly when working with teams from diverse cultural and/or linguistic backgrounds. Such managers can better sense the feelings of all parties in a negotiation and utilize this insight to identify areas of concern and propose practical alternatives. They can also manage their own emotions and regulate their behaviors and those around them effectively.

That said, as I have gotten older (wiser), I find myself becoming instinctively more unreasonable. I really believe that when a manager accepts excuses, they inevitably accept failure. Stretch yourself and your team. Be inflexible about goals but highly flexible about how you get there. I have learned that I cannot please everyone all the time, but that is ok.

5. Adaptive Thinking

Given the ever-evolving nature of international business, General Managers should cultivate adaptive thinking skills. These skills enable individuals to consider potential responses to challenging situations. Take a step back, weigh your options, and decide on the most appropriate?course of action for responding to that situation. The ability to think critically and logically, particularly in times of uncertainty, is invaluable in the international business arena.

Analysis shows you are smart, while action shows you are effective. Do not look for the perfect answer: you will never find it. Find what works and do it. Our director, Peter Chulu drums on about this mantra, 'don’t get it perfect, get it done'. Truer words have not been said on how a general manager needs to approach each task.

6. Motivation and resilience

Working in international business can be challenging and demanding. Even a successful career in international business can have some setbacks. A general manager needs to work long hours, often across different time zones with a full and tiring schedule. It is essential to remain self-motivated and resilient. The willingness to put in long hours, constantly strive for improvement, and try again even after failure is what can make a successful manager. Learn to delegate, and then to inspire and motivate to completion. Team-building and interpersonal skills run through the veins of a visionary international manager and it inevitably creates a culture of excellence.

7. Act the part

General Managers must serve as role models in their actions, appearance, and behavior by setting high standards, and then continually raising the bar. You need to demonstrate a commitment to learning and improvement and encourage teams to do the same through education and on-the-job opportunities to contribute to a culture of growth.

8. Hard Skills

In addition to these soft skills mentioned, I believe General Managers should possess specific hard skills relevant to international business. These skills include comprehension of financial accounting, knowledge of economic principles, and awareness of taxes, tariffs, and local labor laws, which can all significantly impact business and how it is conducted in that country.

Lastly, an enduring characteristic shared by every General Manager of any international organization that I have ever spoken to is the resilience gained through numerous and frequent encounters with conflicts and dispute resolution. When you become a General Manager, these challenges will come at you from all sides, and of this, I am as certain as the rising and setting of the sun. Learn to live with it! If such challenges are absent, it may be prudent to self-reflect and enhance your awareness of both the team and the work environment while also increasing your accessibility to the team. Something is obviously not okay there! Essentially, a general manager serves as a leader, responsible for establishing an example and setting the tone that others should aspire to follow.