Good administrative skills contribute to the smooth running of business operations, and managers are always on the lookout for professionals who possess administrative skills that can help direct workflow, deal with personnel, and delegate responsibilities effectively. According to the Harvard Business Review, here are three skills that can help an individual become a more effective administrator:
Technical skill
As used here, technical skill implies an understanding of, and proficiency in, a specific kind of activity, particularly one involving methods, processes, procedures, or techniques. It is relatively easy for us to visualize the technical skill of the surgeon, the musician, the accountant, or the engineer when each is performing his own special function. Technical skill involves specialized knowledge, the analytical ability within that speciality, and facility in the use of the tools and techniques of the specific discipline.
Human skill
Human skill is the administrator’s ability to work effectively as a team member and to build rapport and good relations with their colleagues. This skill is typically displayed in the way the individual perceives their superiors, equals, and subordinates, and in the way that they carry out their duties.
Professionals with highly developed human skills is aware of their own perceptions and beliefs about other individuals and groups and are therefore able to better approximate the correct approach to relationship building with the individuals that they work with. This results in greater overall productivity because administrators form faster and mutual bonds with the people they work with.
Conceptual skill
Conceptual skill involves the ability to see the enterprise as a whole; it includes recognizing how the various functions of the organization depend on one another, and how changes in individual parts can affect the others. Conceptualizing also includes visualizing the relationship of the individual business to the industry and the greater business community.
Recognizing these relationships and perceiving the “big picture” in any situation, the administrator should then be able to execute their work in a way which advances the success of the organization. Hence, the success of an administrator depends on their conceptual skill and the ability to make the correct decisions for those who execute them.
