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I have always said that if I were to write a book on effective management principles, the first chapter in that book would be about the importance of pinpointing responsibility among an owner’s or a general manager’s reporting units. After all, one of the most popular definitions of management is getting work done through others. #1 Management Pitfall: An unwillingness to delegate. Many times the owner or general manager is the most knowledgeable and the most capable person in the company; he or she can perform many tasks better than anyone else. The problem arises when managers decide that they are the only people in an organization who can really perform a task “right.” While this may be true, when managers feel a strong need to be in total control by personally taking charge of the company’s most critical tasks, they have made a very personally limiting decision. Why? Because any single person has just so many hours in a day. So managers who are poor at delegating are limited by their own personal mental and physical stamina. A manager friend of mine recently told me a great story that I believe illustrates this point extremely well. This particular owner had founded his business almost 40 years ago and had designed the company’s first product catalog about 25 years ago. The catalog was highly successful, so he continued to hold on tightly to this task himself. No one else in the organization was as capable at selecting products for the catalog or laying out the product selection. As the business grew, however, the owner became busier and busier with involvement in other critical management functions: Banking relations, negotiating insurance programs, strategic planning, estate planning, acquiring new locations, etc. So the most current catalog was neglected and pretty soon began to look outdated. A key employee who had worked with the owner in implementing previous catalogues came to him and offered to assume responsibility for the project. However, the owner continued to sincerely believe that only he could do this job and do it “right.” But nothing happened. Realizing that she was taking a risk, the subordinate took it upon herself to take a stab at laying out the catalog. Conscientiously working at home, she burned the midnight oil so the project didn’t interfere with her normal duties at work. Finally the project was finished and she presented the rough layout to her boss. “Wow,” he exclaimed. “What a great job!” The owner finally realized that while the catalog she had designed was not laid out as artfully as perhaps he could have done it himself, the project had gotten done. What duties and tasks are you holding onto because you perform them better than anyone else? Are you assigning responsibilities to your people and holding them accountable for measurable results? So ask yourself: Is the success of your business limited by your own personal physical and mental stamina? There’s just so much that any one person -- no matter how talented -- can do and do well. #2 Management Mistake: Failure to hold your people accountable for measurable results. Have you ever told a manager that the next time you walk into the area of the business he or she is responsible for that you want that area to be neat and organized? Most owners and managers certainly have. Well, how about this question: Have you ever returned to inspect the manager's progress and been disappointed in what you observed? The reason many times is because the owner’s or manager’s idea of C-L-E-A-N is substantially different from that of the subornate. Try this: Prepare an inspection checklist. Describe clearly what your definition of clean is so that the person you’re holding accountable will know in no uncertain terms what is expected of him or her. So often managers are guilty of saying to a subordinate manager: “I want you to reduce expenses out here.” But they never suggest how much or expressing the request in measurable terms. I suggest to my clients that they hold their managers accountable for controlling operating expenses to a specified percentage of sales and pay the manager on his ability to meet this goal. Management mistake #3: Failure to establish minimum conditions of employment. In other words, make sure all employees understand in measurable terms what they have to do -- at a minimum -- to keep their job. Examples: How many new customers and how much sales volume must a salesperson attract to the business in a given period of time? What inventory turnover must the buyer achieve at a minimum? What collection days must the credit manager achieve at a minimum? How much net margin must the general manager achieve at a minimum? Casino Mind Power Secrets. - Discover how to win casino pots with the power of your mind! The Simple Golf Swing. - eBook for a repeatable and Simple Golf Swing that provides power, accuracy and consistency. Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 |
More Articles:1. Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals By Steve Kaye The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals for the meeting. Properly done, goals have five S M A R T characteristics. They are:Specific. The goal must tell exactly what will be accomplished. For example: During the next hour we will find at least three ways to reduce defects on Unit #4 by 10%. This states exactly what the group will work on. Vague goals can cause you to lose control of the meeting.Measurable. A measurable criteria helps you determine if the goal has bee… 2. Recruitment - Pick People Who Think By Alan Fairweather Old style management doesn't encourage personal mind control, employees aren't encouraged to think. That was certainly the case when I started work back in the bad old days however it's still prevalent in many businesses today.It's evident in many of the organisations that I work with that there's a culture of - "I'm the boss - I tell you what to do - you don't question it."The successful manager doesn't react that way, he or she employs people who think; people with a mind of their own who ar… 3. 13 Comments on Bad Meetings By Steve Kaye Bad meetings are a cultural malady that senior executives pass on to new employees.Long pointless meetings are useful in that they keep incompetent people from interfering with those who are working.An employee who needs permission to buy a box of paperclips can spend tens of thousands of dollars worth of employee time on bad meetings.Many people attempt to save time by Not planning. This false short cut guarantees that everyone will spend more time later.Unstructured spontaneity leads to … 4. A Better Way To Work - Workplace Democracy By Rahul Dewan Recently, during a discussion with Suman, a co-worker in the car while stuck in a traffic jam on the way to a client meeting in Gurgaon, I shared the vision of transforming Srijan into a company in which all its members collectively manage the growth, direction, etc. In response, Suman said, we already have a good work environment within the company; and why we should think of such measures at all?I tried but could not provide an answer; and asked him to allow me to write down why, as I am b… |
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