13 Management Techniques You Won’t Learn in School

While professors can teach you a lot of relevant information for running your business, there are some things you just have to learn on the job. That’s why we asked 13 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question :

“Name one management technique you can’t learn in school and explain why it works so well.”

Management Techniques You Won’t Learn in the Classroom

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Instinct

“No one can teach you how to listen to your gut, but I’ve found that it’s a critical component in management. Every time I look back at turning points where things went wrong, I recognize that those were moments when I didn’t trust my instincts.” ~ Darrah Brustein, Network Under 40

2. Emotional Intelligence

“The one management technique you can’t learn in school is emotional intelligence. Only experience will teach you to understand that all people are different, how to discern their values, and how to give them what they value instead of taking a blanket approach.” ~ Vladimir Gendelman, Company Folders, Inc

3. Persistence

“Employees look up to leaders who persevere in the face of major setbacks and challenges. School doesn’t teach you to sustain a positive attitude when things don’t go your way, but an ability to do this as a leader will motivate your staff to adopt the same outlook. And, when you have an entire team that can get back up after a fall, the organization will eventually realize the toughest of goals.” ~ Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work

4. Coaching

“Building other people’s confidence and skill set is something that students are not expected or taught to do, but it’s the most important characteristic of a great leader.” ~ Christopher Kelly, Convene

5. Active Listening

“You really can’t learn how to actively listen from any theory provided in a book. Instead, you have to be out there with people, practicing how you hear them. You can learn from talking to others and see how they actively listen or don’t listen to you so you can determine how it works. This is an interactive lesson that has to be put into practice.” ~ John Rampton, Due

6. Hustling

“I cannot emphasize the value of hustling enough. Business school provides you with a lot of planning and evaluation tools. However, having started multiple companies, I can tell you that execution is the key, and hustling is one of the most important techniques towards successful execution.” ~ Karan Chaudhry, Comnplus

7. Collaboration

“My management technique is all about coupling bonus, which means even if two people had a conflict of interest based on their position, they will get an extra bonus if they both choose to let it go and collaborate.” ~ Kevin Xu, Mebo International

8. Delegation 

“Delegation isn’t something you can find in a textbook. It’s a learned behavior that involves practice and observation in order to understand who should be delegated to and how you should approach them with the delegated work.” ~ Peter Daisyme, Due

9. Vulnerability and Authenticity

“Vulnerability has made me a better and more effective leader. My team is committed to the vision of our firm and trusts me to take us there because I have replaced professional distance with emotional exposure. I’m honest, and I outwardly focus not just on their growth but mine as well. Our connection as a team working towards a common goal is greater as a result.” ~ Megan Smith, Brownstone PR

10. Resiliency

“Bad things happen. Ideas fail, revenue fluctuates and businesses go through many ups and downs. When things don’t go your way, does it discourage or demotivate? The ability to be resilient is a must. Look ahead no matter what and focus on constantly trying to improve to build resiliency.” ~ Shawn Schulze, AnyplaceAmerica.com

11. Negotiation 

“Whether I’m negotiating salary, management fees, or any real-life business scenario, these techniques are hard to learn in school. Many colleges have debate clubs. However, when I’m dealing with real companies and my own money, I approach things more strategically. Simply put, negotiation is vital for success and can make or break a company’s future.” ~ Anthony Pezzotti, Knowzo.com

12. Passion 

“While everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, not everyone has the passion for it. Anyone can start a website or a business, but without the required passion and dedication, it’s just another job or side project that won’t get 100 percent of your attention. While “business” in general can be taught, passion cannot.” ~ Zac Johnson, Blogger

13. Empowerment

“They say we learn everything in school, but empowering/appreciating employees is something we tend to forget. Because employees work for us, we tend to get the “copyright” of whatever they do. Empowering, encouraging and appreciating them is the least we can do aside from paying them well. Let’s take care of our people by rewarding and appreciating them.” ~ Daisy Jing, Banish

Classroom Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "13 Management Techniques You Won’t Learn in School" was first published on Small Business Trends