How many books do you think have been published on management skills? A quick search on any bookseller’s site will tell you it would take a long time to get through the ones published this year, let alone all the tomes that have built the foundations for management today. Why so many? Surely there must be a limit to how many books someone needs to carry out their job, mustn’t there? Well, the truth is, people will always see things from different perspectives, and even though much that is written has been written before, there will always be something that can be said differently. But how much of what is written is actually true, accurate, correct? How much of it is myth? In this series, I’m looking at some of the myths of management and why they exist. Remember, there are just a few managerial habits that will have the biggest impact on individual performance. So let’s kick off with a myth that has perpetuated throughout time and needs to be addressed:
People don’t like to be managed
Well, I suppose to a certain degree this could be a justified statement, but only because they see management as a control mechanism. Micromanagement can cause frustration and pressure on their teams. But most employees want and expect their managers to display leadership, good planning skills, ensure their team is working on the right tasks in the right way, and is driving change in the right direction. Employees would like to know if they are performing well, whether their work is satisfactory. They want to know when they go wrong, and they want managers to deal with people who are not pulling their weight. Actually, most employees tell us they lack respect for those managers who don’t manage. So, you need to manage in a way that people want. They don’t want to be managed in a controlled, directive or autocratic way, but in a way that creates the atmosphere and environment for them to thrive and grow. Manage in the way they see is necessary for that growth. Next, we’ll take a look at another myth, this time surrounding Performance Management. Thanks again Sean Sean McPheat Managing Director
How many books do you think have been published on management skills? A quick search on any bookseller’s site will tell you it would take a long time to get through the ones published this year, let alone all the tomes that have built the foundations for management today. Why so many? Surely there must be a limit to how many books someone needs to carry out their job, mustn’t there? Well, the truth is, people will always see things from different perspectives, and even though much that is written has been written before, there will always be something that can be said differently. But how much of what is written is actually true, accurate, correct? How much of it is myth? In this series, I’m looking at some of the myths of management and why they exist. Remember, there are just a few managerial habits that will have the biggest impact on individual performance. So let’s kick off with a myth that has perpetuated throughout time and needs to be addressed:
