Читать книгу Management - Michael Heath, Michael Heath - Страница 4

You local bookshop is stuffed full of books claiming to help you manage better. So why add one more? Because I’ve done the job. And I’ve written it so that you get quick practical advice about the every day challenges I know you face. If you think academic theories are going to help – this ain’t the book.

As well as doing the job, I’ve spent the last 20 years or so working with other people also doing the job of management. Training them. Coaching them. Mentoring them. And believe me, that’s a lot of experience to dip into. I’ve seen the superstar managers – and the managers who would only get a star for being so bad at it. And what separates them? Simple – great managers prepare.

So I want you to prepare to make your management life easier. I want you to experience the thrill of knowing you manage your team well. And I want you to have a reputation as the sort of manager that people imitate. That people want to be like. That’s why I’m sharing these 50 secrets with you. You’ll find these secrets spread over seven chapters:

■ Manage yourself. You’ve got to have a clear sense of who you are before you manage others. Personal credibility is a big factor in a manager’s success.

■ Empower your people. People can be powerful – but only when the right management behaviours enable them to tap into that power. How you prepare for crucial interactions with others will determine your success.

■ Make things happen. A manager gets things done. Getting things done means applying the right tools and techniques that make sure the right things get done.

■ Communicate in all directions. Many don’t realise just how much skill a talented manager uses when they communicate. Not just to the team, but every key person they interact with.

■ Recruit the very best. You want a great candidate to say ‘yes’ to your job offer. A systematic approach to recruitment makes this a reality.

■ Build a great team. Great teams don’t happen by chance. A manager works carefully on the composition, skills and motivation of their employees. And they also turn team meetings into events that people look forward to.

■ Treat the budget with respect. Whether you’ve a budget or not, you will make crucial decisions that affect it. Understanding something of the process will help guide your decision making.

Time and again I’m going to talk about the need to prepare. Don’t short-change yourself on this. Thinking about and preparing for the management situations you face is often the deciding factor between the great manager and the mediocre.

Great managers anticipate and prepare while others merely react and repair.