Introduction
Management is a skill that harmonizes the determination of an individual’s ideas and objectives via existing assets in a proficient and efficient manner (Mince, Rigel & Branson, 2008). In new industries, “management” is habitually considered “whatever requires to be done just to retain things floating”. Significantly, for the industry to develop and remain strong, it must master some elementary skills in management. In addition, it must possess leadership skills that will evade the risky circumstances where managers have to ensure “whatsoever it takes to stay floating”.
Research demonstrates that organizations perform dismally because of poor management skills (Mince, Rigel, & Branson 2008). Lack of management skills translates to industrial unrest, employees quitting their jobs, and continued losses in the business. The research will address the basic leadership and management skills required by managers and administration for effective production. Furthermore, practical examples will be used to address management issues.
A Practical Example
Three years ago after completing my college education, my uncle employed me to perform non-managerial tasks ranging from distribution to manufacturing. Thereafter, I was promoted to product development project leader in the company. Earlier on, the company experienced poor performance, and many employees had to quit their jobs due to management issues. As a new project leader I took the initiative to identify the causes of poor performance and the following issues were noted;
Revenue from the business’ standard products has dropped significantly in the past three years. Records tracked from 2011 to 2013 shows the company has recorded negative revenues over three consecutive years. In 2011, the overall revenues were two hundred and fifty million. In 2012, the profits went down to one hundred and seventy-five million and finally in 2013 the amount decreased further to one hundred and fifty million.
There are no new ideas on the horizon. The company has remained under old-fashioned technology and production, which has slowed down its performance. Furthermore, the company operates on outdated accounting principles that have resulted in poor record-keeping. Thus, there are no new ideas on how to improve production, as well as workers’ performance. There are no ideas about employee motivation, product improvement, and new marketing strategies. Moreover, the managers lack basic management skills, and this has resulted in a low turnout of workers. Consequently, this has led to the loss of major markets due to low-quality products.
No one is leading the project managers. I also observed that there was no coordination between the project manager because there was no overall leader. Managers were making decisions contrary to the organizational goals. In addition, managers fail to show teamwork amongst themselves in the planning of the organization’s future undertakings. It is evident through the continued misapprehension of different schemes since each manager would like his or her ideas put into consideration.
The last project leader left the business because of conflicts with peer managers and immediate supervisors. I also observed that the existence of conflicts between peer managers and the immediate supervisors was a result of poor governance by the previous project leader. The leader failed to harmonize with the manager and would impose and implement his rules without the participation of his juniors. The misunderstanding made him be laid off because of his poor leadership skills. After identifying the causes of poor business performance, I resolved to accept the job offer. During my service as a product development project leader, I intend to use the basic management and leadership skills to achieve goals of high performance.
Basic Leadership Skills I Need to Succeed
Planning. It is the practice of making choices for the company. Planning needs one to comprehend the tenacity of a duty to be completed or a process to be fulfilled. It requires a leader to take into account the possible dangers involved in the process of effective implementation. Therefore, it entails taking into account any unanticipated delay in the financial plan. Furthermore, the supervisor should reason on the streaks of ‘what if this plan fails’ and have dual plans as substitutes (Kleiman & Lawrence, 2010).
Governance. Governance includes the effective use of resources in attaining the company’s objective. It also comprises the organization of human resources by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each player. It is about leading individuals and managing them to the achievement of corporate objectives. Similarly, leadership comprises the apportionment of labor to the resources, planning for the execution of tasks allotted, and assisting the group with duty accomplishment (Mince, Rigel & Branson, 2008).
Teamwork building. It is the process of dealing with individuals who are the most imperative resource of the business. Cheering the group affiliates to suggest concepts and permitting them to make faults and acquire from them, can be termed as team building skills. To shape the team, one requires a nurturing team spirit in all the team associates. For a team to feel inspired to work, it is essential for a manager to gratify their anticipations, identify their strengths and comprehend their weaknesses (Mince, Rigel & Branson, 2008).
Communication and Presentation Skills. The manager should be open, friendly, and eager to converse. The manager should be able to admit productive criticism. It is vital for the manager to interact with the team and incorporate their ideas. Communication is a two-way action enhanced by the art of listening. It assists a manager to apprehend his or her team associates, invite their involvement, and get their esteem. Decent presentation skills allow the manager to converse freely with his crew (Mince, Rigel &Branson, 2008).
Decision-making Skills. To look at the situation rationally, one must possess a problem-solving technique. Equally, one requires reasoning about every result and developing the pros and cons of the situation. The manager is required to be a fast thinker and be conscious of the consequences as the result of his choices. In business, there are achievements and obstacles. A manager should be furnished to grip both. Effective delegation is a key quality of management that includes allocating responsibilities to the correct people in a group. This denotes that a manager is well informed about the strengths and weaknesses of his team and knows precisely the jobs which can be done well and by which team. Finally, the delegation also inspires promotion.
Time Management. For the fruitful enactment of a process or the conclusion of a duty, the manager requires creating short-term objectives with time limits for accomplishing them. He is required to program his and his team’s responsibilities so that time limits are met.
The Methods I will Use to Build Effective Relationships with My Superiors and Peers
To create an effective work team, defined outcomes, common goals, and correct skills are key to success (Mince, Rigel & Branson, 2008).
Methods that I will employ to create a successful work team
1. Formulate a common goal. There must be one focus that the team is aiming at.
2. Have quantifiable results. Team implementation is, usually, more operational if you can quantify what the team yields.
3. Promotion of interdependency whereby each person must recognize what he or she is going to participate in and also how the ‘big image’ is represented. Likewise, dispirit private (individual) rivalry in courtesy of the team’s scheme and tenacity.
4. Help the crew to fathom and comprehend dissimilarities. Solidarity is a personal skill, and every person brings distinctive talent, significance, communication requirements, strengths, and weaknesses to the crew. Building an operational and cohesive team needs every individual first apprehend their own “elegance” and then spot and appreciate the “elegance” of other members.
5. Another method is to make certain that crew associates have the correct skills. Technical skills together with social, and problem-resolving skills, are correspondingly essential to the crew’s achievement.
6. Tutor and then follow up on the tutorial. Long-term withholding of recently learned practicing skills needs ongoing tutoring and help from other managers and trainers. Recurrent reviews into how newly trained crew associates and making headway and respond will aid them to carry on and emulate what they have learned.
7. Define our lines of communication. It’s vital to recognize how to communicate as well as the “sequence” of conversing. Also, consistently stress the crew’s drive that repeatedly involves recapping crew affiliates of the ‘what’ and the ‘why’.
8. Become an example. People will react in accordance with the actions – not the confrontations of their front-runners.
Strategies for Building Effective Relationships Regarding the Participatory Management in the Business
1) Information Management
One technique for participatory management is the formation of a workshop atmosphere in which information is shared voluntarily with personnel. It consists of financial forecasts, remunerations, and effective plans as well as information linked to long-term tactical planning. This tactic delivers clearness in all facets of the industry and permits worker remarks, input, and ideas.
2) Mentoring and Teaching Management
A participatory accomplished work atmosphere offers ongoing teaching, skills growth, proficient fortification, and mentoring to workers at all ranks. Workers frequently take on fresh or extra tasks, cross-train in diverse sections of the firm, and contribute their recent skills under the direction of a counselor.
3) Acknowledging Management
An alternative method of participatory management comprises a forum in which workers are frequently acknowledged for their accomplishments and donations. The reward methodology is intended to upturn performance, inspire workers, and offer positive support for work well completed.
4) Joint policy-making Management
Below joint policy-making, management, and personnel contributes to focus collections; whole assessments partake in suggesting meetings and frequently work in self-monitored assemblies on explicit duties and assignments.
In conclusion, one has to consider that a working set starts to develop into a set when workers understand their tasks not just doing it independently, but they are contributing to the group’s general achievement. If those guidelines are followed, managers can make sure that their work crew cultivates the cooperation needed to move a working set to a new area of contribution and efficiency. Good relationship and communication skills are vital between the managers and staff for improving performance. It is there recommended that managers should train and practice leadership skills so as to gain perfection in dealing with subordinates.
References
Kleiman, J., & Lawrence, S. (2010). Management and Executive Development. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Mince, G., Rigel, L & Branson, R. (2008). Management: People, Performance, Change, 3rd edition. New York: Printing Press.