Essential Management Reading

Long time readers of this blog will know that I have been subscribing to the Manager Tools podcast for some time now.

I find it to be the best source of information and advice on effective management that I have been able to find on the Net.

Apart from the fantastic information that is provided by Mike and Mark (the hosts) on effective management skills, one thing I do appreciate is that they constantly provide reference sources - in particular book titles and authors - that can provide further advice on this subject.

Over the course of their podcasts there have been numerous mentions of the management philosophy of Peter Drucker, so I have recently purchased one of Mr Drucker's books, titled The Essential Drucker and I am finding it fascinating reading.

I have just read a chapter titled "How Should Objectives Be Set and by Whom" (commencing page 117) and wish to share with you the first 3 sentences of this chapter - [Quote] "By definition, a manager is responsible for the contribution that his or her component makes to the larger unit above and eventually to the enterprise. The manager's performance aims upward rather than downward. This means that the goals of each manager's job must be defined by the contribution he has to make to the success of the larger unit of which he is a part. [end quote].

The chapter goes on to say that because of these responsibilities, there is a requirement for "each manager to develop and set the objectives of his unit himself".

Have a think about these sentences for a minute and then compare what is being said here to your own situation if you are in a management role.

Are you - as a manager - expected to set objectives and tasks for your team with the long term benefit of your company in mind (i.e. aiming upward), or is your role as a manager defined by the way in which you motivate the people in your team with little to no focus on action plans that will "better", or "advance", the position of the company you work for (i.e. aiming downward)?

Another way to look at it is by thinking about how much of your time is spent "reactively" putting out the "spot fires" within your team, versus the time you spend "proactively" implementing strategies within your team that will increase the "bottom line" to your company.

Before starting my own business I had worked in many different areas of many different organisations - both large and small - and I can confidently say that the focus of management in every business that I worked in was the "reactive" example above rather than the "proactive".

Certainly, managers were called together in "working parties" to put together "implementation plans" to improve business performance (upwards focus), but these "working parties" only met when there was free time from their "real" job which was "looking after the performance of their staff" (downwards focus).

I am finding that the reading of The Essential Drucker is turning my view on management totally on its head and is beginning to give me many refreshing ideas on ways to improve my management skills in the various business roles I now find myself in.

A huge thank you goes out to the Manager Tools team - once again you have provided me with an absolute gem to assist me in being a more effective business owner and manager - keep the podcasts and author suggestions coming guys because you have an avid listener here in Australia.