Many HR specialists know from experience that 85 % of the Russian companies' management staff do not have any managerial background and education. In many cases the leadership qualities and charisma play the part the education should have played here. The experts also say the 70 % of the newly founded companies shut down during the very first year of their operation. The main reason for the failure is the absence of the leadership skills and talent. At the same time, according to the experts, even the management that has the leadership skills often lacks the background needed for an efficient manager. Besides, the leadership skills as such can hardly be defined although everybody knows that they contribute to the business success. The authors discuss the issues related to the professional manager competences formation, try to find out whether the competences available meet the employers' requirements, and identify the demand for the talented managers in Russia.