Manager potential

Question

During my career, I have experienced an increasing interest in manager positions and I am considering to aim for these during my career. This leads me to my questions:

1. How does one conclude whether or not he/she has the potential to be a future manager?
2. How does one approach his/her manager for discussing the posibility of a manager role in the future?

Please note that I am a little unsure whether this question is within the scope of this page, or if it falls under "primary opinion based", however I thought myself that there should be some general points one should consider when considering this career move.

EDIT: Added another question.

Answer 1

It's a very good question, it's really important to approach this sort of thing in the correct way.

1) The fact that you're asking yourself this question already demonstrates that there is a part of you that wants to take the pursuit of this move seriously; also that you are self-aware and recognise that it will take certain things. This for me shows you already have the right mindset. If you believe you are ready for a step up in responsibility and feel you have the requisite skillset, then all that needs to happen for you to know if you're ready is try!

2) As the previous answer suggested, the best opportunity is likely to be a 1-1 with your manager, ideally a performance review, particularly if your feedback is very positive. I would suggest perhaps letting them know that it's something you would be interested in, and ask for his thoughts on what you could do to make that sort of step.

All the best, I hope that it works out for you when you feel ready!

Answer 2

1) Basically trying. During your career you should feel if you are good at managing people, organizing tasks, if people come to you for advice... There is no clear measure of someone's managerial talent.

2) Usually there are annual reviews of performance. In these reviews, the career path of an employee should be discussed, and therefore it is the perfect opportunity. Otherwise ask for a one-to-one meeting with your boss, and explain you feel ready to move towards this role, and you would like his help in order to go in that direction without compromising your current projects.