Working Woes ......

A management position is not a job that is undertaken easily. There are 3 common causes of failures in Management.

New managers sometimes fail to learn their craft. Then, there are some managers who fail to do their homework. Lastly, it is the failure of managers to continuously develop themselves. In short, the failure at self-development leaves many managers in a vulnerable position.

It is not enough to be busy. The question is "What are we busy about?"

For many, their job is one of frantic activity, rushing to and fro. They are busy from the morning till night, but what do they accomplish?

The sad fact is that many managers work hard and put in a lot of hours, but they contribute little. They focus on efficiency - they do many little things neatly. They focus on doing the things right. They are policy focused. They are always reacting to crises - they are concerned with urgencies and they are continually rushing about in fevered activity. Yet, although they are busy, they seem to accomplish very nothing. They are losers in management. 

The winners in management are those men and women who are effectiveness focussed. In other words, they are more concerned with doing the right things than they are with doing things right. This is not to say that doing things right is not important, it is to say that doing things right is subordinates' work. You as a manager, must concentrate on doing the right things. Your 'Key Results Areas'. 

Effective managers are those who want the opportunity for achievement in a leadership setting. One is not born with achievement drive. Achievement drive tends to come as a result of early childhood experiences and from parents who had high performance expectation.