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Vilnius, Lithuania - Executive search professionals say that the main competence that shareholders expect from general managers is the ability to increase business effectiveness. They also mention that general managers are expected to have an increased knowledge base outside their own markets.

The business environment dictates new challenges for companies.  The main challenge, of course, is to produce products and services more effectively, meaning at reduced cost and increased speed. Many companies are reconsidering their business processes and are in a state of constant adjustment. In addition, businesses in the East are turning from local to Western markets. These changes pose new challenges to general managers.

Kristina Vaivadaite, Country Manager for Lithuania at Pedersen & Partners states, “The main task of a general manager is to increase the company’s effectiveness. This is the main competency that almost every general manager needs. Especially in the Production sector; general managers in production companies should be innovative and must show that they can maneuver the business to perform faster, cheaper and with higher quality. The constant improvement of processes is something that shareholders are looking for.

In today’s market, it is critical for general managers to be able to focus on business development into new markets. According to Kristina Vaivadaite, “shareholders of Lithuanian export companies seek to attract general managers who would be able to promote the company’s exports in Western or Scandinavian markets. Usually, general managers who have worked with Eastern markets are not capable of this because Western markets are different in many aspects – different culture, different languages; different competencies are required compared to Eastern markets.”