MANAGEMENT 101
SECRETS OF MANAGEMENT SUCCESS
Compiled by Ted DeCorte, M.A.
The number one secret to management success is FINDING OUT WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU. This may sound trite, yet many new managers fail to ask these five questions:
1. What am I expected to do?
2. What are the objectives of my group, team or division?
3. What constitutes a good job?
4. What kinds of authority do I have?
5. What kinds of limitations do I have?
A second key to managerial success is ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE. This is done by managing your self-esteem so that it's tied more to your performance as a manager than to your performance as a doer. If managers are "doing" instead of "managing", then they may need to change jobs, consider changing the organization, or get management training.
A third element in managing successfully is LEARNING TO GIVE ORDER. This can be accomplished by following these four steps:
1. Describe to the person the situation or task to be performed in terms of your company's needs.
2. Ask the person for clarification or suggestions, such as "How do you suggest we get this done?" or "What's it going to take to get this out by two o'clock?"
3. Give the person the directive in a clear, simple sentence. The manager's directive is a summary of the suggestions.
4. Check it out by asking the person: "How does that sound to you?" This is a way of confirming that the person understands the assignment and has a commitment to it.
The fourth secret to management success is ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR EMPLOYEE'S MISTAKES. This is accomplished by:
1. Stating the facts to the client, rather than apologizing for the error.
2. Expressing your concern to the client as well as the employee, to communicate that you are not minimizing the error.
3. Making a problem-solving statement to the client to prevent a similar mistake from happening again.
THREE MANAGEMENT TYPES TO AVOID:
1. The "I'm-Far-To-Important-to-Have-to-Put-Up-With-You" Manager. Prime candidates for this type are entrepreneurs and sales people as managers. These individuals tend to surround themselves with "yes" people to feed their egos. How do you tell if you are one: people are afraid of you, or people never come forward with suggestions or offer their opinions.
2. The Big Chief Manager. Prime candidates for this type are relentless corporate climbers. They have little respect for other people and are not looking for change. They are primarily interested in how they can scramble to the "top."
3. The "I'm-the-Only-One-Who-Can-Do-Anything-Around-Here" Manager. Prime candidates are those who are inclined to perfectionism. These people have an inability to delegate as "they can do it better." These managers redo others work, are dissatisfied with the staff, believe others are incompetent, and work harder than others because others have little to do.
MANAGEMENT DO's & DON'T's:
Do Trust Your Intuition
A final secret to management success is:
SELECT A STYLE THAT WORKS FOR YOU.
Think of the five best managers you ever had or knew. Try to analyze the personality traits, the skills, and the circumstances that made them good. Try to emulate what you can. Likewise, think of the five worst managers, to give you an idea of what you'd like to avoid.Management is to "oversee, direct, guide, govern, execute, bring about, contrive, accomplish, achieve, succeed, administer, supervise, command," and the list goes on and on. The bottom line is that management is the art of getting other people to do what the manager needs to get done! Happy Managing!
HOME All Rights Reserved © 1998 by Ted DeCorte.