NOW BOND-DON-RAJ TALKS

[bonddonraj]

LEARN FROM FALIURE

All success hinges on how well you manage one person - yourself. But you won’t get as far as you could progress simply by trying to master the lessons of success.

Since the lessons of failure teach far more than those of success, you need to look hard at yourself (and your organisation) for evidence not of wonder-performance, but of under-performance. There are only seven principles you need to master.

* Be merciless in learning the lessons of your failures.

* Be meticulous in applying those lessons.

* Compare your performance objectively with that of others.

* Do all in your power to raise relative failures on those comparisons to relative success.

* Lay down objective standards of performance for yourself - and raise them constantly.

* Do all in your power to raise relative failure, also on those comparisons, to relative success.

* Never succumb to negative pessimism: positive optimism is the only psychological antidote to failure and defeat.

Conduct this catechism at regular intervals and you will find it immensely helpful, with one proviso - you have to act to correct your faults and failures. Most people don’t act, even when they know their faults, and that’s the biggest fault of all

 

[bonddonraj]

manager

The word 'manage' in the English language has a very clear meaning. It means to control things in such a way that they function as intended. A coachman driving a team of horses needs to 'manage' those horses so they pull together and turn the appropriate corners to reach the desired destination. It is also rare for the coachman to have decided that destination. The implication is that the system itself has not been designed by the 'manager'. The values, objective and destination of the system are also not decided by the 'manager'. There are some values which are decided by the coachman. These are the values involved in running the system effectively to reach the intended destination.

In a very similar way, the manager of a company is supposed to keep that system running smoothly and effectively. Local and immediate problems have to be solved. There has to be some foresight as to the problems and conditions that may lie ahead. The 'destination values' of profit and growth are both implicit in any company and usually laid out in some mission statement. That is the system - now you run it!

Where organisations have 'Chief Operating Officers' there is an acknowledgement that 'managing' is not all that is needed. In system terms you can manage for comfort, smoothness, minimal disturbance and plateau performance. None of this has much to do with growth, opportunities or most effective use of assets.

Management is essential. Management is the baseline. Without good management nothing much else matters. To compete, an athlete has to be fit. That is the baseline. Once an athlete is fit, then technique, strategy and psychology can all pay dividends. Fitness is essential - but it may not be sufficient. Fitness may be sufficient if all the other competing athletes believe that fitness is sufficient. But as soon as one of them adds strategy, then fitness is no longer sufficient for all the others. It is the same with corporations. Cost cutting and efficiency are sufficient if everyone else believes they are sufficient. But if some organisations start adding strategy and innovation, then cost cutting and efficiency are no longer enough. They are still essential - but not enough.

As managers move up the corporate ladder their success depends very largely on their 'management' ability. As they head units, departments, divisions and subsidiaries, what really matters is their ability to manage these entities. It is usually only when a manager reaches the most senior level that it becomes apparent that management is not enough. Now there is a need for strategy and for innovation. But these are not part of the skill set which has propelled that person into that position.

 

[bonddonraj]

management mistakes

Many professional service organizations are run by people who have worked their way up the professional ladder. They have considerable technical expertise, but little or no formal management training. Many managers may have been promoted one step beyond their level of confidence. Simon Turner of Upturn Associates explains how to identify the signs of the resulting divide between senior partners and their staff and suggests ways of improving communication to allow the business to grow.

The challenges faced by professional service organizations are numerous and varied. Each one affects a business in different ways, yet some managers are not aware that they have these challenges within their business, or how to identify them. However, by learning to look for the indications, the issues can be overcome.

Identifying the Issues
Management mistakes are issues of communication, control and co-operation. They can be expressed in sickness, absence and staff turnover, but these are easy symptoms to spot. Less clear is that parts of the organization may be failing to deliver their promises or what is expected of them. This is often because the expectations are not made clear. Many senior partners are self-managing professionals, but they need different skills to be able to state specifically what they require of their staff. Coming from a culture of self-management requires a big leap to move into directing, controlling and being specific. As senior partners, we often believe that what is required is obvious; what we do not realize is that it may not be obvious to our staff. Frequently, this is because it has not been made clear to them.

"Management mistakes are issues of communication, control and co-operation"
Another indicator of a problem with senior management is an increase in over-reactions. Senior partners may feel that they have to tell their staff exactly what to do, rather than ask; there is no discussion. But what happens when people cannot do the job, because managers have not clearly indicated what is required? When the work is not done, senior partners become frustrated because people are not doing their jobs. The partner's solution is to start issuing orders, rather than initiating discussion or looking into the problem.

Many senior partners are not skilled at setting targets. Their lack of direction and clarity causes staff to become anxious, which is not conducive to taking initiative; instead people just wait for instruction. This problem grows, as senior partners expect their staff to be self-managing, while people actually need more help. The gap widens and expectations are still not met. This gap can be seen particularly in businesses that are run as partnerships, including accountancies, law firms and surveyors.

Within the professions, senior partners have often achieved success through their own individual excellence, which brings with it an element of working individually, even alone. This is very different from the co-operation and team working which organizations require. High achievements at school, university and beyond are due to someone's own excellent individual brainpower. Then they are asked to work in teams. The result is that teams led by senior partners find it difficult to work together; communication breaks down, goals are not met and a culture of control develops.

Cost Effective Solutions
When communication, control and co-operation become issues within any business, that business will suffer. Productivity will be affected at all levels. However, the solutions to these issues are accessible to all professional service providers.

How do you make sure that people are clear what you are asking them to do? How do you ensure that you are clear what help they require? One of the simplest solutions is through some sort of review, often comprised of discussion and support. Whether a formal, annual meeting, or more informal time to sit and talk, this gives the opportunity to find out whether people understand what managers need from them and what they need in return. This can be consolidated into agreed objectives, so that future discussions can be centered on how both levels are progressing towards their objectives. People need clarity from their managers and senior partners - clear objectives rather than vague requirements or lists of detailed instruction.

"How do you make sure that people are clear what you are asking them to do? How do you ensure that you are clear what help they require?"
Overreactions can be prevented by attaining a balance between control and empowerment. Organizations need control but they must also empower their people. The reason is that control is a limited resource - senior managers only have so much time in which to control. Within large organizations, there is clearly a limit to how much time senior partners can spend checking every decision and every detail. Empowerment is required to free up an organization so that it becomes larger than the bottleneck represented by how many senior partners it has.

People need learning, training and development. All organizations need continuous improvement, which requires purposeful activity. This applies to all levels of the organization - from the most senior partner to the newest recruit. While following professional requirements is necessary in any profession, learning and development must be broader than that. This is what will help senior managers to set effective, realistic targets that their staff can actually meet.

While a senior partner's door may be always open, is there anyone in the office? Instead of becoming insular, partners need to work with their staff, learning to understand other people's needs. Focusing on the task to the exclusion of everything else can signal a lack of real concern for the people doing the work. Without it, praise cannot be given when it has been earned; more importantly, support cannot be offered when it is really needed. As senior partners, should we think about our team and go to them to ask what support they need, rather than waiting for problems to come to us?

On The Agenda
Managing people is a challenge. However, it needs to be on the agenda of every professional service organization. When it is, issues that arise from management mistakes can be identified and by applying a fresh set of skills and encouraging learning and development, the issues can be solved and the organization allowed to grow and prosper.

 

[bonddonraj]

. Don’t rely on money alone to motivate your people.
2. Don’t just ask for worker input - use it.
3. Tell your people you care about them.
4. Show them what they’re learning.
5. Support people when they make a mistake.
6. Set clear goals and celebrate accomplishments

 

[bonddonraj]

Key Supporting Powers (KSP) are found in the same categories as the above. Now, answer the following questionnaire:

1. Everybody has a Unique Success Proposition. Can you write down yours in no more than one short sentence?

2. Everybody has the Key Supporting Power or Powers (KSP) needed to potentiate their USP. Can you write down yours?

3. There are eight Main Sustaining Principles (MSP). Answer Yes or No to these questions:

* Leadership: do you lead yourself / others?

* Challenge: do you question what is and what you are told?

* Decisiveness: do you make up your mind in good time?

* Speed: do you take necessary action without delay?

* Clarity: are you clear about what you are doing and why?

* Change: are you prepared to change anything and everything that needs changing?

* Basics: do you do well all the basic things that need to be done?

* Objectives: do you have written aims for this year, next year and five years’ time?

Score ten points each for questions 1 and 2 and ten points for each MSP to which you have answered Yes. This is not one of those quizzes which grades the respondents by category. There is only one acceptable score: a hundred - if, that is, you want to succeed.

Your Success Quotient is static, but success is dynamic. The Performance Quotient turns static potential into dynamic actuality. Score yourself on a scale of nought to ten depending on how well you rate your performance on the USP, KSPs and MSPs - today, this week, month or year. Keep a record of the scores to show how near you have come to 100% and how far you have improved.

 

[bonddonraj]

Knowledge Management (KM) has a wide array of connotations and interpretations in the corporate community ranging from technological management tools to the culture and community within the organisation that results in people sharing information, knowledge and experience with each other. The words ‘Knowledge Management’ themselves suggest that we can control an outcome if we apply principles, systems or technologies.

It is self evident that a high degree of knowledge exists within a person’s brain and is a function of experience, perception, education, intelligence and wisdom. It is also arguable that by its very nature, this knowledge can never be placed on a hard disk in any form, and that people, by their nature will share information with other people directly based on the quality and nature of their relationships. The function associated with the quality of those relationships (and so the quality of the resulting knowledge) rests with the Human Resource and Management function.

Reality is that the client wants a ‘quick win’ and their discussions primarily revolve around how unusable their document management system is.

 

[bonddonraj]

Positive Thoughts, Positive Feelings

Thoughts cause feelings, and the wrong kinds of thoughts can cause stressful feelings.

We can look at the same event different ways. One is in the optimistic way and the other is pessimistically. It is the age old debate of whether to look at the glass as half full or as half empty.

It helps if you can learn to look at the good things in life rather than the ugly. For example, if you got into a car accident and totaled your car, you can sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or angry for losing the car. These are all self-defeating. On the other hand, you can thank god that you were not killed or, worse yet, maimed in the car accidents. When you look at life's events like that you will have something to smile at every event and that is the power of positive living.

Robert Schuller, the author of "Tough times never last. Tough people do!" gives the following guidelines in looking at problems in the proper perspective:

Every Living Human Being Has Problems.
Perhaps you are unhappy with your work. Isn't it good that you have a job rather than being unemployed? Many people have the mistaken notion that successful people do not have any problems. It is not true. Success tends to breed its own set of problems.

Everyone has problems. A problem-free life is an illusion - a mirage in the desert. Accept the fact that everyone has problems. This will help you to move on with your life rather than sitting and feeling pity for yourself.

Every Problem Has A Limited Life Span
Every mountain has a peak and every valley has a low point. Similarly, life has its ups and downs. No one is up all the time or down all the time. Problems do get resolved in the long term. They don't last forever. History teaches that every problem has a limited life span. Your problems will not live forever; but you will! Storms are followed by sunshine. Winter is followed by spring. Your problems will get resolved given enough time.

Every Problem Holds Positive Possibilities
There are two sides to every coin. What may be a problem for one could be interesting opportunity to someone else. Hospitals are there because people get sick; garages are there because cars do break down; lawyers are there because people get in trouble with the law occasionally. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Every Problem Will Change You
When me meet problems head on in life, they leave their indelible mark on us. The experience could make you better or worse. It is up to you. What is certain is that problems never leave us the same way they found us. We will change.

For example, let us say that you lost your job. You can sit and feel sorry for yourself. Or you can be aggressive and decide to do something about it. You are better than them. You want to show them what a mistake they did in firing you. You have to be fired before you can be fired up. That may be wake-up call you needed before embarking on a successful mission. Again, for every problem, there is a positive and negative side. Look for the positive side and work on it.

You Can Choose What Your Problem Will Do To You
You may not be able to control the problems, but you certainly can control your reaction or response to the problem. You can turn your pain into profanity or into poetry. The choice is up to you. You can control the reaction even if you cannot control the problem. You control the effect of the problem by controlling the reaction. It can make you tough or tender. It can make you better or bitter. It all depends on you.

There Is A Negative And A Positive Reaction To Every Problem
Tough people, according to Schuller, have learned to choose the most positive reaction in managing problems. The key is that they manage their problems. Remember, we have little control on problems, we have control on how we react and manage the problem. Positive people chose to react positively to their predicaments.

Do you automatically interpret silence on the part of your spouse to mean anger when it could just as easily mean fatigue? Do you blame yourself when a sudden downpour drenches your wash on the line? Do you dwell on the few times your boss criticized your performance and ignore the innumerable times s/he's praised you?

We all fall into the negative thinking rut from time to time. We badger ourselves with "should haves" and lose sight of the fact that "good" and "bad" in life is rarely black and white.

All-or-nothing thinking can lead to anxiety, depression, feelings of inferiority, perfectionism and anger. We are our worst enemies. We tend to put a higher standard for us compared to others. We tend to criticize ourselves for our miscues rather than being happy for the accomplishments. Allow yourself to fail now and then. It's all part of being human.

 

[bonddonraj]

There are a couple interesting tactics that people can use to accomplish the goal of constantly changing. One is called hot wash, which is what the army does when it practices war games. At the end of everyday the generals and colonels get together and criticize the performance of everybody else in the room. They don’t criticize the people. They criticize what they did, and they do it every day. Because it happens every day, people don’t get stressed out about it. Compare that to the horrible annual review, in which nobody learns anything and there’s nothing but stress.

The second thing is to put an expiration date on almost everything in your company. An example would be when a magazine starts running a column, and that column might run for years because no one wants to go through the energy of getting rid of the column. Or someone might make a brochure or start a plant. Put an expiration date on the things you do, say, a year from now this column will not run anymore so we had better be prepared to replace it with something. Two years from now, four years from now, we are shutting down this plant, whether it is profitable for us to shut it down or not, so we had better have something in mind to take its place. In this way you create these vacuums, people know they are coming and then they are way more likely to plan for it and have something to take its place.

 

[bonddonraj]

a sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out in a puff of
smoke. The Genie says, "I usually only grant three wishes, so I'll give each of you just one." "Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Poof! She's gone. In astonishment, "Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an Endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life." Poof! He's gone. "OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager. The
manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."



Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

 

[bonddonraj]

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The
crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate
it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

 

[bonddonraj]

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the
pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story:
1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

 

[bonddonraj]

Quotes on MANAGEMENT



"If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings—and put compensation as a carrier behind it—you almost don't have to manage them."


— Jack Welch


"Make your top managers rich and they will make you rich."

— Robert H. Johnson


"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it."

— Proverbs 3:27


"Catch someone doing something right."

— Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson


"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

— Paul Dickson


"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out."

— Ronald Reagan


"Always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end."

— Immanuel Kant


"Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't."

— Peter Drucker


"Don't equate activity with efficiency. You are paying your key people to see the big picture. Don't let them get bogged down in a lot of meaningless meetings and paper shuffling. Announce a Friday afternoon off once in a while. Cancel a Monday morning meeting or two. Tell the cast of characters you'd like them to spend the amount of time normally spent preparing for attending the meeting at their desks, simply thinking about an original idea."

— Harvey Mackay


"Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish."

— Marcus Aurelius


"We cling to hierarchies because our place in a hierarchy is, rightly or wrongly, a major indicator of our social worth."

— Harold J. Leavitt


"Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."

— Stephen R. Covey


"Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it . . . ; Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine."

— David Ogilvy


"When hiring key employees, there are only two qualities to look for: judgement and taste. Almost everything else can be bought by the yard."

— John W. Gardner


"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided."

— Casey Stengel


"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world."

— John Le Caré


"I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can be very often traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people."

— Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
A Business and its Beliefs (1963)


"Focus on a few key objectives ... I only have three things to do. I have to choose the right people, allocate the right number of dollars, and transmit ideas from one division to another with the speed of light. So I'm really in the business of being the gatekeeper and the transmitter of ideas."

— Jack Welch


"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work."

— Peter Drucker


"Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet."

— Henry Mintzberg
McGill University


"If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf."

— R Buckminster Fuller


"The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work."

— Agha Hasan Abedi

 

[bonddonraj]

Once there was an old alley cat walking down the street looking for his dinner. As he walked along he came upon a beautiful young cat who was running around in circles chasing her tail. Around and around she went trying as hard as she could to catch her tail.

The old alley cat stopped and asked her, "What are you doing?"

The young cat slowed down and replied that she had been taught that joy, happiness, success and luck were all in the tip of her tail.

"All that I have to do is catch the end of my tail, and I will have the happy life, she said.

The old alley cat replied, "I've been around for a long time, and I know that joy, happiness, success and luck are in the tip of my tail; but, you know if I don't chase it and work my very hardest and don't worry about it, the happy life follows me wherever I go. My tail follows me everywhere, so I don't need to chase it."

Happiness isn't a place, a time, or a possession. You have to make it happen. The ways to make it happen is to stop worrying about everything and just go about your business, and do your very best. Then, if you really work hard, your happiness will follow you just like the alley cat's tail.

 

[bonddonraj]

Donkey Story

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less

 

[bonddonraj]

YOUR BUSINESS IS WORKING FAST IF...

It's easy to get swept up in the whirlwind of activity known as rapid growth, especially when it hits you unexpectedly. But if your expansion goes unchecked, it can be as detrimental to your business as no growth at all. Pay attention to signs that you may be expanding too quickly, and take steps to keep things running smoothly.
Computers, desks and chairs have become hot commodities. Outgrowing your office space is par for the course, but employees who are working on top of filing cabinets may feel unappreciated — or worse — suffer repetitive stress injuries.


You have more temporary personnel than permanent employees. Relying too heavily on a contract workforce can backfire. Because temporary employees take critical business knowledge with them when they leave, you need to build up and maintain core employees who understand your business and its processes.


Employee morale is low, turnover increases, productivity drops. These signs tell you that you have some corporate culture issues in your office. Talk to your employees to uncover problems and take steps to resolve issues before they escalate.


You don't know what your competition is up to or what's happening in your industry. Focus on your business, but keep at least one eye on the larger picture of your industry and its key players at all times.


You stop sweating the small stuff. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that you can't ignore things like overnight carrier expenses, supply costs and all of the other things that deplete your precious capital.

You accept an order that's significantly larger than anything you've previously handled. You can't afford to turn down orders, but you can't sacrifice quality either. Make sure you have a ramp-up plan in place before you agree to more than you can deliver.


You continually operate in crisis mode. Dealing with an occasional crisis is one thing, running your business like an ER is another. Each time you encounter a sticky situation, take a good look at what caused it and take action to prevent it from happening again.


You don't recognize the majority of the people in your office. Make it a point to walk through your office a few times a week to get to know new employees and to stay informed of what's happening in various departments.


You're running out of capital faster than expected. Rapid growth can devour your capital if you're not careful. Keep a close eye on your bottom line and consider ways to reduce costs: leasing equipment, collecting overdue accounts or outsourcing employees.


You've received customer complaints and negative feedback. Complaints can sometimes tell you what expensive research can't. Use them to diagnose shortcomings in your organization and point to possible solutions.

 

[bonddonraj]

your business is moving faster if....
You accept an order that's significantly larger than anything you've previously handled. You can't afford to turn down orders, but you can't sacrifice quality either. Make sure you have a ramp-up plan in place before you agree to more than you can deliver.


You continually operate in crisis mode. Dealing with an occasional crisis is one thing, running your business like an ER is another. Each time you encounter a sticky situation, take a good look at what caused it and take action to prevent it from happening again.


You don't recognize the majority of the people in your office. Make it a point to walk through your office a few times a week to get to know new employees and to stay informed of what's happening in various departments.


You're running out of capital faster than expected. Rapid growth can devour your capital if you're not careful. Keep a close eye on your bottom line and consider ways to reduce costs: leasing equipment, collecting overdue accounts or outsourcing employees.


You've received customer complaints and negative feedback. Complaints can sometimes tell you what expensive research can't. Use them to diagnose shortcomings in your organization and point to possible solutions.

 

[bonddonraj]

definition of Discipline...here it is.

Definition:

1. training to ensure proper behavior: the practice or methods of teaching and enforcing acceptable patterns of behavior

2. order and control: a controlled orderly state, especially in a class of schoolchildren

3. calm controlled behavior: the ability to behave in a controlled and calm way even in a difficult or stressful situation

4. conscious control over lifestyle: mental self-control used in directing or changing behavior, learning something, or training for something

5. education activity or subject: a subject or field of activity, e.g. an academic subject

6. punishment: punishment designed to teach somebody obedience

7. christianity church rules: the system of rules used in a religious denomination or order

 

[bonddonraj]

Companies have to figure out how to build a company where we don’t care what happens next. It is disingenuous to say to your employees: “Get through this one change, if everyone just sticks together through this one change, then everything will be fine.” No, everything will never be fine again. Companies should not view change as a temporary thing that needs to be managed, gotten through, then things will go back to normal. Change management is a bankrupt strategy because you don’t know what the next thing you have to change into is.

 

[bonddonraj]

HOW to be a good manager

The need for good managers is not going away. It is intensifying. With ‘flatter’ organizations and self-directed teams becoming common; with personal computers and networks making information available to more people more quickly; the raw number of managers needed is decreasing. However, the need for good managers, people who can manage themselves and others in a high stress environment, is increasing.
I believe anyone can be a good manager. It is as much trainable skill as it is inherent ability; as much science as art.

Here are some things that make you a better manager:
As a person:

You have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are happy with who you are, but you are still learning and getting better.
You are something of an extrovert. You don’t have to be the life of the party, but you can’t be a wallflower. Management is a people skill - it’s not the job for someone who doesn’t enjoy people.
You are honest and straight forward. Your success depends heavily on the trust of others.
You are an includer not an excluder. You bring others into what you do. You don’t exclude other because they lack certain attributes.
You have a ‘presence’. Managers must lead. Effective leaders have a quality about them that makes people notice when they enter a room.
On the job:

You are consistent, but not rigid; dependable, but can change your mind. You make decisions, but easily accept input from others.
You are a little bit crazy. You think out-of-the box. You try new things and if they fail, you admit the mistake, but don’t apologize for having tried.
You are not afraid to “do the math”. You make plans and schedules and work toward them.
You are nimble and can change plans quickly, but you are not flighty.
You see information as a tool to be used, not as power to be hoarded.
Take a look at yourself against this list. Find the places where you can improve and then get going. And , if you need help, remember that's what this site is all about - Helping new managers get started and experienced managers get better.

 

[bonddonraj]

TIPS

(M) Consult, consult, consult.


(A) You are managing people, not projects or product development or customer service or any other departmental mission. People are complicated and messy. They aren't machines any more than you are; they won't be the same every day, no matter how much you'd like them to be. So stay alert to what's going on with them.


(K) For the first couple of days, sit down and get to know your staff. Find out what they do, what their goals are, what they like to do in their free time, etc. Several years ago, I watched a new manager start with a company and for the first month or so, didn't talk to any of his staff. A month later, he wondered why people were handing in their two week notices.

Get to know your staff!!


(R) Learn how to deal with problem or resentful employees. I was promoted into my position over a longer-term employee. She was made my assistant. (Before everyone raises the sexism issue, I was the ONLY male manager and was promoted on performance.) She had a great deal of resentment and worked against me at every turn. After floundering around for a while, I finally took her into the office and calmly explained the facts of life to her, that I was the manager and if she couldn't work with me one of us would be leaving and it wouldn't be me. She straightened out after that and we eventually developed a good relationship.

Avoid re-inventing the wheel. Everything doesn't require your unique hand-print. Some things probably work just fine already. Also don't think or act like you know everything, nothing breeds resentment more than arrogance. You may be smart, but there's always someone smarter.


(MC) You are responsible for everything that happens in your scope of authority. Don't ever think that just because you may not be doing the actual work, you are not responsible---you *are*. Unless you are comfortable with this basic fact, management is *not* for you.

The rewards come at a price. You will have to make decisions that will benefit the company as well as your staff....and quite often they are in direct conflict with each other. (You cannot be all things to all people....)

You do have a right to be human. Just because you are now management, does not mean that you can (or should) throw emotion out the window.

Laugh with your people....let them know that you are not a humorless troll.

Be honest with your people...you expect the same from them. Even if it's bad news, honesty does help lessen the blow.

Defend your people! They will reward you with their loyalty.
As exciting and as insightful as these tips for new managers are, there is one more we should add. Management is not for everybody. As (A2) put it "it's never too late to say thanks but no thanks....I'm happy where I am."