Management & Leadership Chapter 5

Introduction A dictionary definition of management reads ‘…controlling, administering, contriving, domineering. The definition of leadership is to show how the way by going first, to direct, to guide, to conduct, to convey…’.

Styles of management X Theory People have to be driven to get the job one, and that there is an inbuilt resistance to work in the workers. It sees successful management is being fuelled by fear, explicit or implicit treats, and characterized by the use of the ultimatum you’d better be successful or else! The manager is expected to demand and to order

Styles of management 2 Y theory In contrast, asserts that people basically want to do a good job, and that all a manager needs to do is to explain properly what is required Create a climate which is conducive to calm and happy working, and sit back and the praise the results

Styles of management 3 Y theory Here the manager is expected to motivate and persuade, to support to request, to coax. Disadvantage Sometimes leading to the manager doing much of is task himself, or putting up a weak recalcitrant member of the group

Management Skills Fairness. Playing favorites amongst members causes great disruption in your team. This doesn’t mean that you are expected to be able to subdue all personal feelings. Successful. If your judgment is consistently proved to be wrong, or you are the manager whose budget is always cut hardest in difficult times, or who is obviously out of favor with senior management, your staff will lose faith in you.

Management Skills 2 Decisive. You need to be decisive, that’s part of the job. Decisions can be difficult- they become impossible if you think you will have complete information about all the variables. Enthusiastic. You need to be enthusiastic; if you don’t enjoy your work, why should anyone else?

Management Skills 3 Integrity. You need Integrity, if one of your staff has a good idea which you present to management the rule is clear. If it’s praised, you give credit to the person who thought it up; if its rubbished, then you take the blame. You decided to take the idea forward; you are the manager; you stand the damage.

Management Skills 4 Support. You need to support your staff in times of difficulty. If someone has made an error, your first step is damage limitation to minimize any bad results of the action. Your second is to try to ensure that nobody makes the same mistakes again. This approach sometimes described as ‘No Blame’ culture pays dividends.

Management Skills 5 Truthful. You need to be truthful, if you cant tell the truth to your staff, try to avoid telling lies. Redundancies are one obvious issue.

Knowing yourself Knowing yourself and knowing your particular strengths and weaknesses is absolutely vital. Do not allow your performance as a manager to be limited by false pride. There will be tasks which members of your team will be able to do better than you are. Encourage them, praised them for their efforts and if the skills are important learn from them