The critical tool for business success
Effective management theory has been discussed over countless decades by management thought leaders. It is a topic worthy of debate and discussion. But often, the lessons can be lost with a view that the principles only apply to bigger businesses. This is not the case, it applies to us all from the one-person band to the largest corporation.
Effective management, what exactly is it?
Effective management, to me, is the ability to manage the core functions of planning and decision making, to be able to organize yourself and others, to provide leadership and the ability to implement decisions. When it is broken down like this effective management becomes more relevant to the smaller business and indeed to the single-person company.
Whether delivering consultancy or implementing a client solution, effective management plays a key part to every aspect.
“The success of your business relies on your ability to manage.“
Effective management : the key areas of focus to deliver success.
- Planning - what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there. This is rather obvious I know, but how many of us have our business development plans in place. You know, the two pager that shows where we are now, what our aims are and what we are going to achieve. It’s your directional map. When planning, break it down into component pieces if it all seems to big.
- Identify and then select the best course of action.
- Identify and then implement a set of achievable goals and objectives.
- Identify any risks or problems (once that you can anticipate) and create a plan to deal with them should they arise.
- Organizing – putting into place the resources and tools to make the goals happen. What do you need to do to ensure that you meet your business objectives. Here are a few thoughts;
- Organizing yourself! How are you managing your time? Are you operating in an uncluttered environment? Have you written that task list?…
- Organizing others. Have you the right people to work with you? Do they know what they are supposed to be doing? Do the know what they are NOT supposed to be doing? Have they the right tools? Are your communications channels effective?
- Putting in place the right tools for the job. This can be anything – your office software, your whiteboard and your coffee machine(!). Whatever it takes to make sure you are operating as effectively as possible.
- Leadership – being able to take others where you want to go and for them to want to make that journey with you. This is a massive topic in its own right, but some things to consider;
- If it’s you on your own, lead “yourself” through self-development and ensuring that you are fit and able. The whole work/life balance thing.
- If you are working with a team and indeed a customer, consider how you are going to bring them on the journey to success. Do they need mentoring or coaching? Have you made the message clear? Are you behaving in a manner that is conducive to them wanting to follow you? Do you allow them to contribute? How are you managing conflict?
- Critical things like meetings – how are you organizing and leading them to ensure they are successful?
- Implementation - making it happen. You’ve decided what needs to be done, be that building a new business, delivering a successful project for a client or replacing the office furniture. The plans are in place, the organizational aspects are handled, now you need to “make it so”. Some things to consider.
- Watching the time.
- Watching the budget.
- Working with, managing and leading the team.
- Communicating clearly with all the relevant parties.
- Dealing with problems as they arise and making sure things aren’t left to fester.
Effective management really will help your business. This post is a very brief summary and there are lots of great resources that can help you on your way. Some are naturals at management, but most of us probably need a helping hand with some aspects of it to make it work properly. Take the time out to learn, it can only help you achieve your aims.
Are you effectively managing your business? What lessons can you share?
Photo : NASA
Tags: business management, effective management, organizational management, Project Management, Risk Management, time management
