Managing is what managers ought to do. But the question is 'what is managing?'.
Best to describe it as:
"enabling people to do the work in the most efficient way"
Enabling means that you need to provide means, knowledge and motivation.
people means that you need to respect employees and pay attention to them in a honest way
the work means that the result you want need to be specified and clear for you(!) and the person who works on it. Communicate your expectations and listen to the response and remarks of the person.
efficient means from the companies point of view the most efficient way, that is the best price - time - result. But take care, this doesn't mean as cheap and fast as possible only, there is also a social responsibility and commercial aspect of the company, that needs to be taken into account too.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The stars
We are groping in the dark while it's light.
Life is unpredictable and we think everything is under control. The society feels superior and we, the human mankind, feels superior on this planet. And maybe we are. But all is relative. At the end we die and we do not control that. Neither we control the extreme behavior of nature, tsunami’s, earthquakes, water flood, eruptions, ice age, ... all can happen all of a sudden.
If we should look more often, on a bright and dark evening, to the stars, we all should feel very tiny and very grateful of what life brings to us every day.
The stars 'live' in a perfect order and balance between an uncountable number of colleagues. I wish we could say the same for the balance between human and nature and humans amongst each other. Sometimes I see the office as a small solar system.....without a balance...
Life is unpredictable and we think everything is under control. The society feels superior and we, the human mankind, feels superior on this planet. And maybe we are. But all is relative. At the end we die and we do not control that. Neither we control the extreme behavior of nature, tsunami’s, earthquakes, water flood, eruptions, ice age, ... all can happen all of a sudden.
If we should look more often, on a bright and dark evening, to the stars, we all should feel very tiny and very grateful of what life brings to us every day.
The stars 'live' in a perfect order and balance between an uncountable number of colleagues. I wish we could say the same for the balance between human and nature and humans amongst each other. Sometimes I see the office as a small solar system.....without a balance...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Vacation is over
Vacation is over and the work starts again.
During my 3 weeks holiday in Italy I evaluated my professional career.
It can be enhanced if I improve myself and execute more ideas. Normally you think 'I should do this or that' and then you leave it. Main excuse for that is 'I have many other obligations and have no time for it'.
Well,.. manage these 'other obligations' in a proper way, organise it, and give yourself time to do things you think are good.
See what happens.
During my 3 weeks holiday in Italy I evaluated my professional career.
It can be enhanced if I improve myself and execute more ideas. Normally you think 'I should do this or that' and then you leave it. Main excuse for that is 'I have many other obligations and have no time for it'.
Well,.. manage these 'other obligations' in a proper way, organise it, and give yourself time to do things you think are good.
See what happens.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Have fun!
Friday I had a baseball training together with several other 40+ people. I realized that my condition was not that bad and that I really liked the game.
I enjoyed it very much and thinking of making it my second sport activity next to badminton.
When having fun and meeting new people, it stimulates the mind and gives you more than you expect.
Fun in a project at your work is also very important. Sometimes when things are evolving not the way you want it is good to make a joke out of the situation (take into extreme) or/and involve complete new people in the project (for a short term).
The latter is a famous management trick, but it works to keep people alert.
Have fun!
I enjoyed it very much and thinking of making it my second sport activity next to badminton.
When having fun and meeting new people, it stimulates the mind and gives you more than you expect.
Fun in a project at your work is also very important. Sometimes when things are evolving not the way you want it is good to make a joke out of the situation (take into extreme) or/and involve complete new people in the project (for a short term).
The latter is a famous management trick, but it works to keep people alert.
Have fun!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander seems to be a famous baseball player.
I will try to play this game on Friday.
As kid I always liked the game and now I'm 46 I will try to play the game for fun.
I'm looking forward to it, and hope to become a relatively good player.
I realize that I will never be as good as Justin Verlander.
A shame.
When I should follow my feeling earlier and started to play the game when I was 18, maybe I was now (stil) playing in the USA????
We should follow our dreams and interests immediately.
It would change our lives.
I will try to play this game on Friday.
As kid I always liked the game and now I'm 46 I will try to play the game for fun.
I'm looking forward to it, and hope to become a relatively good player.
I realize that I will never be as good as Justin Verlander.
A shame.
When I should follow my feeling earlier and started to play the game when I was 18, maybe I was now (stil) playing in the USA????
We should follow our dreams and interests immediately.
It would change our lives.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Managers, managers, who's doing the job?
In lots of organizations a lot of people are afraid of doing the job.
There are many excuses for not doing the job. You can imagine yourself.
But, in some circumstances it is efficient and good for your leadership to do a job yourself. Especially when nobody wants to do the job.
In those cases you give an example to the rest.
And that's what managers need to do!
There are many excuses for not doing the job. You can imagine yourself.
But, in some circumstances it is efficient and good for your leadership to do a job yourself. Especially when nobody wants to do the job.
In those cases you give an example to the rest.
And that's what managers need to do!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Ask questions
Always ask questions!
When a project is not progressing or an employee does not perform....,
ask questions, direct questions.
We (the Dutch people at least) have the habit to find out through others and trough circumstances to identify what the problem is.
But it is much easier just to ask the person or the project leader what the problem is. If you get an unsatisfactory answer, appeal to the higher goal, and demand that you want to know.
If you got further resistance appeal to your function and responsibilities and his function and responsibilities. Do not threat but push a bit and give it a day to react. Do not come to a situation that you say 'if you do not deliver it, then....'. That is only a very last solution. In that case you can say goodbye to the loyalty of the employee.
When a project is not progressing or an employee does not perform....,
ask questions, direct questions.
We (the Dutch people at least) have the habit to find out through others and trough circumstances to identify what the problem is.
But it is much easier just to ask the person or the project leader what the problem is. If you get an unsatisfactory answer, appeal to the higher goal, and demand that you want to know.
If you got further resistance appeal to your function and responsibilities and his function and responsibilities. Do not threat but push a bit and give it a day to react. Do not come to a situation that you say 'if you do not deliver it, then....'. That is only a very last solution. In that case you can say goodbye to the loyalty of the employee.
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