Management – Simple!

Let’s just be clear. Management is as easy or tough as you want to make it. But the interesting thing is that you need to be a little tough to make it easy!

I come across challenged managers all the time, who fail to take some initially tough decisions that will make their longer-term management easy, because it involves people. And being clear; and firm; and challenging.

And they don’t like to do that…

So these managers continue to work in uncontrolled ways and that causes them problems.

For when your people aren’t clear about what is expected of them – be that the standards they meet when they work with you; or the outcomes of their work you expect – they don’t perform very well. And you end up with ‘hamster-wheel’ management.

You constantly running around the wheel trying your best to get all the work done yourself, because your people aren’t clear about what and how they are expected to do things.

Being Firm

That stance on discipline and clarity is vital. It may require you to be focused, challenging and a little bit uncompromising – and you must be that way.

Interestingly, when you ask employees what they like about their boss, they will tell you that they like that they know what is expected of them. They like the way they are respected. How they are trusted. They appreciate consistency and clarity.

Then they start to expand their creativity within that.

As managers, we are still human. We like to be liked. We like to be on someone’s Christmas card list. we like to be invited to weddings. But we have to have that firm, clear streak inside us as the foundation. For that is what out people want of us.

Then you will be popular and liked as well as successful.