- What is a general manager?
- General manager duties
- Requirements for the position of general manager
- What is a manager?
We explain what a general manager is in the business field, its functions, responsibilities and the requirements for the position.
What is a general manager?
The term general manager, general director or even CEO (from the English Chief Executive Officer) to refer to one of the highest ranks of executives in the structure hierarchical world of business. He is the head of the management of a business or organization.
A general manager represents the top of the business pyramid, on whom falls the largest share of responsibilities and is, in addition, the maximum spokesperson of the company. He is an authority figure in the business field; strategic leadership is expected from him and decision making high, to achieve compliance with organizational goals.
Above them is usually only the company's board of directors, made up of its shareholders, that is, its owners themselves. The general manager can be fired or hired by them, since he is the highest-ranking employee of all.
In many organizations CEOs are difficult to identify, if they have methods more general or horizontal organizational structures, but there is always someone in charge of this function. In the case of public organizations, this figure can be called in other ways, such as President or director.
General manager duties
The roles and responsibilities that a CEO performs can be summarized as:
- Planning, organization and general supervision of the activities carried out by the company.
- Administration of the entity's resources and coordination between the parts that compose it.
- Strategic management of the organization and act as both Leader within the company, as a spokesperson outside it.
- Take decisions critical, especially when it comes to issues central or vital to the organization.
- Motivate, supervise and mediate between the work team.
Requirements for the position of general manager
The requirements for a general manager are different, depending on the profile of the company and its particular history. It should be considered that it is a vital position, which implies high confidentiality quotas and commitment.
For this reason, it is unusual for general managers to be hired from a pool of unknown applicants. On the contrary, they usually come from the company's own cadres or are chosen by the board of directors from among the individuals who result from their total trust and agreement.
However, a suitable general manager is expected to possess:
- Business vision and ability to strategic planning in the medium and long term.
- Capacity of leadership, charisma, motivation and a stop commitment with work.
- Very high command of oral and written expression, which allows him to be a spokesperson for the organization when necessary.
- Entrepreneurial instincts, decision-making skills and a lot of courage.
- Commitment to the company, honesty and a professional journey that inspires work team.
What is a manager?
A manager is an individual in charge of running an organization or a specific area of it (sales manager, sales manager, finance, insurance manager, etc.). In other words, he is in charge of materializing his objectives, to ensure that they are fulfilled in the best way.
For this reason, managers are the identifiable head of a work team: they are the ones who will answer for its successes and mistakes, and they are the executive link of the team with the other parts of the organization. Managers are individuals of authority, with a high level of commitment to the organization and who, therefore, occupy the top of the hierarchical pyramid in their area.
The term manager comes from the Latin gerens or gerentis, which means “the one who carries out something” or “the one who manages something”. The general manager of a company would be, in some way, the manager of managers.