15 Vice President Skills for Your Career and Resume

The vice president is a high-level executive who typically reports directly to the president or CEO of a company. As a vice president, you will likely be responsible for leading a team or division and working on strategic initiatives. To be successful in this role, you will need to have a variety of skills, including strong leadership, communication and organizational skills.

Risk Management

A vice president is responsible for overseeing the company’s operations and ensuring its success. This means that you may need to mitigate risks, such as financial or operational challenges, in order to maintain a positive outcome. Having strong risk management skills can help you identify potential issues before they occur and develop strategies to overcome them.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is the ability to identify and address issues that may arise in your work. As a vice president, you may be tasked with resolving conflicts between employees or addressing challenges that affect company productivity. Your problem-solving skills can help you find solutions quickly and efficiently so you can continue to lead effectively.

Contract Negotiation

A vice president is often responsible for negotiating contracts with suppliers, clients and other business partners. This requires strong negotiation skills, including the ability to assess a situation, identify goals and interests, propose solutions and evaluate outcomes. Negotiation also involves interpersonal skills such as active listening, empathy and assertiveness.

Communication

Communication is the ability to convey information in a clear and understandable manner. As a vice president, you may be responsible for communicating with employees at all levels of an organization. This means that your communication skills are essential to ensuring that everyone understands company policies, procedures and goals. It also ensures that employees can ask questions or provide feedback on any aspect of their job.

Decision Making

A vice president is often responsible for making decisions on behalf of their company. This can include deciding whether to accept a contract, how much to bid on an item or service and what projects to pursue. Strong decision-making skills are important in this role because they allow you to make the best choices for your organization. You may also be required to provide input on other people’s decisions as part of your job.

Budgeting & Forecasting

A vice president should have a thorough understanding of budgeting and forecasting, as these skills are necessary for managing the company’s finances. A vice president may be responsible for creating budgets for departments within their organization and ensuring that each department has enough funds to operate effectively. They also need to analyze financial data and make predictions about future trends in order to plan ahead for the company’s success.

People Management

A vice president often oversees a team of managers and employees. This means you need to be able to manage people effectively, including providing feedback, setting goals and creating an environment where your employees feel valued. People management skills can help you develop the relationships necessary for leading others successfully.

Influencing

A vice president needs to be able to influence others in order to lead effectively. You may need to persuade your superiors to approve new projects or initiatives, and you may also need to convince employees to follow your instructions. Your ability to influence others can help you get the results you want from your team members.

You can practice influencing skills by observing how other leaders interact with their teams and then trying to apply those techniques yourself. For example, if you notice that a colleague is more likely to listen to an employee when they approach them directly, you might try doing the same thing with one of your own employees.

Investor Relations

A vice president is responsible for maintaining relationships with investors and shareholders. This means you need to be able to communicate effectively, whether it’s in person or over the phone. You also need to understand financial data and have a basic understanding of accounting principles so you can make informed decisions when presented with new information.

Financial Analysis

Financial analysis is the ability to interpret financial data and make informed decisions based on that information. As a vice president, you may be responsible for reviewing company budgets, analyzing profit margins and making investment decisions. Strong financial analysis skills can help you make sound business decisions that benefit your organization.

Change Management

As a vice president, you may be responsible for managing organizational change. This can include initiating and overseeing the process of changing company strategy or implementing new technology that requires employees to learn new processes. Effective change management involves communicating with your team about the changes, providing training and resources and ensuring everyone understands how the changes will affect them.

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to guide and motivate a team. A vice president often has leadership responsibilities, so it’s important for them to be able to lead effectively. You can develop your leadership skills by taking courses or workshops on management and organizational development. It’s also helpful to observe other leaders in action and learn from their example.

Business Development

A vice president is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that help the company grow. This may involve creating new products, expanding into new markets or improving customer service. Strong business development skills can help you develop these strategies and implement them effectively. Examples of business development skills include identifying opportunities, managing budgets and negotiating contracts.

Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking is the ability to analyze a situation and determine how best to proceed. This skill can help you make decisions that benefit your company, such as when you need to change or update business practices. It also allows you to identify opportunities for growth and develop strategies to achieve them.

Strategic thinking can also be useful in planning meetings and presentations. When preparing for an important meeting, you may want to consider what information is most relevant to present and how you can present it in the most effective way.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the ability to create and implement long-term goals for an organization. As a vice president, you may be responsible for creating company objectives that help drive business success. Strategic planning requires attention to detail and the ability to think several steps ahead. It also involves assessing risks and challenges your team might face in achieving its goals.

How Can I Learn These Vice President Skills?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to learn the skills necessary to be a successful vice president may vary depending on your individual circumstances and goals. However, some suggestions for how to learn the skills necessary to be a successful vice president may include studying relevant coursework at a college or university, participating in professional development programs or workshops, or shadowing or working with a more experienced vice president in order to gain first-hand experience and knowledge. Additionally, reading books or articles on vice president-level skills, such as those listed in the question, can also be beneficial in helping you learn what it takes to be successful in this role.