Management, of course is such a general word! I like to ask people what they think it is, and is it good or bad? Some people have a good experience with “management”. They had a good manager or two, or they were agreeable people and liked all of their managers. Or, perhaps as a manager they were trained and well prepared for their first management position. So these people tend to believe that management is good and necessary.
Then there is the other 95% of population! To many, management is bad! I don’t need to be managed! We don’t manage people here, our people already know what to do!
In many circles, “management” has earned a negative connotation to be sure. Yes it is true, there is bad management! Or just “management” for short. Perhaps we are on the verge of a new politically correct term, maybe “coach”, or “leader”, or “director” or anything but “management” because we have tainted the term so badly! How did we do that?
Well it was easy! Time and time again we promote someone into a management position. Congratulations! You are now a manager! Or maybe you are a supervisor, or director, or group leader. Take your pick of title. And bang, now that you have the promotion – good luck! You were good at sales so now you should manage the sales people! Or wow you were the best engineer, so how about becoming the VP of Engineering?
If you were lucky, your boss did send you to some training, here and there. Hey, take this time management class, then take a negotiating class, ohhh yes you better take the seminar or running a meeting. Ohh and you better take the Situational Management course (that’s the creme de la creme!) Of course those are just basic classes, if we are really grooming you we will send you to a “LEADERSHIP” Course!! There you will learn how to be a LEADER!!! Right?? WRONG!!! I have yet to ever see anyone that became a leader because they went to a LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. Am I against them? No! Its good for Leaders to do case studies on other Leaders to be sure! But if you aren’t sending someone who is a proven leader already, it is GIANT WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!
Is leadership the same as management? Of course not! Leadership requires that people are willing to follow you of their own accord. Management means almost the opposite. It means you are the person charged with helping and making life easier, more productive and as clear as possible for everyone in your group. Yes there is more to management than that, but that is the gist!
So what is MANAGEMENT again? More generally, MANAGEMENT is the methods, tools and process we use to successfully operate a business or business unit.
To start, for the entry level manager, its very simple:
- You are here to make your group successful, not the other way around.
- Use and keep a good Calendar
- Know and adapt your job description, your group’s job description, and the organizational structure
- Meet regularly with your boss and your group to review progress, problems and results
- Be accountable for yourself and your group’s goals, actions and results
- Monitor your own performance and that of your group
THAT IS WHAT MANAGEMENT IS!!