Managing as a MANAGER

A lot has been written on the topic of being a good manager and a leader. Why a manager is not a leader and vice versa. As I pen my thoughts, I am sure there must be another 10 book ready to go for print hoping to add bits of wisdom to a promising manager who is trying find a right balance between behavior, skills and attitude to inspire and motivate his people for more productivity and efficiency. Or, an already successful manager aiming to make a bigger difference by using the softer aspects of behaviour in managing people. In this overload of information and a whirlpool of ideas and more being researched, let’s go back to some basics:

The way we manage our department or team has a significant impact on its productivity (and to an extent this is true irrespective of the capability in the team) you can help move this lever up considerably by ..

Setting expectations and targets of each person in the team 

Establishing a method of work and incentives around it

Monitor their performance on a daily basis. Follow-up! Follow-up! And follow-up!

Defy common management practices at every turn- In rewarding or in hiring. For example hire for natural talent and not for skills - skills can be taught but this is not true for natural talent.

While it sounds simple, the challenge is to stick to these simple principles. The problem is that these principles lacks sophistication and fad. I won’t be surprised if the very next swirl at work moves you from your ground in pursuit of another inspiring and a more complex maze that sounds Wow! 

 So hold on and be a simple people MANAGER. It can take you places!