Getting other people to do what needs to be done is a
simple, but pretty basic, definition of management. But management certainly
isn't simple, at least not the way we Americans approach it.
If you consider the vast sums of money we spend on
formal management education - not to mention what's spent on books, software
and other tools - one would think that this management mystery should have been
solved a long time ago. But we're still looking for those elusive management
"secrets" that will transform us and our organizations.
This Don Quixote-like quest for management
"Answers" is lucrative for those in the management answer business.
In that category I put consultants, who never met a business problem they
didn't like or couldn't solve, and authors, who now are culling management
advice from the most unlikely sources. For example, if you find the management
secrets of Moses, Jesus or Attila the Hun wanting, read the book that reveals
the managerial insights of England's Queen Elizabeth I.
While I don't doubt that Lizzie gave the MBA-types of
the 16th century a run for their money, her insights probably won't enlighten
your boss, help you do your job better or get you a raise. The truth of the
matter is - notwithstanding the millions paid to CEOs - there are no secrets to
managing. Being a good manager requires reasonable intelligence, common sense,
a desire to accomplish something and a bit of brass.
Since I qualify as a management expert (I've reported
to managers my entire working life and have been one, too; and I'm displaying
brass), let me tell you the five signs of good management. Whether or how good
managers are born or made, who knows. But look for these signs that a company
has them:
1. The company knows its business. The
least convoluted the response to "Just what is it that XYZ Co. does?"
the better. If management can't explain what the company does in simple
English, it probably doesn't know.
2. 2.
The business makes money. Call me old-fashioned, but when a company earns a
profit it means that management has at least figured out what people in the
real world want and how to produce it for less than the price people are
willing to pay.
3. 3.
People listen. Good management means that humility is encouraged, and arrogance
is discouraged. Salespeople listen to customers, managers listen to salespeople
and bosses listen to workers. This is the way a company learns, improves and
grows. If management doesn't listen, it's not just deaf, it's dumb.
4. 4.
Reasonableness rules. It's important to aim for the stars, but if management
demands excessive returns or non-stop extraordinary performance - without
understanding how work gets done or without providing adequate resources -
watch out for severe politicking, blaming and corporate upheaval.
5. 5.
A sense of mission. Does making a millionaire CEO richer or completing a
meaningless project turn you on? I hope not. Good management gives people
emotionally satisfying reasons to care about their work. Sure, pay is
important, but good managers know the importance of caring about something
bigger.
http://www.morebusiness.com/running_your_business/management/d1021251037.brc
ANDHIKA TRIPUTRA, 10212753,1EA21
