Mantra for Managers

What do organizations look for in a prospective employee with special reference to fresh MBA graduates? The two key assets that an organization looks for is the potential of the individual and ability to pursue his goals in all situations. Every organization expects its team of fresh recruitees to grow into top quality Managers and therefore it is very important to evaluate the potential of the fresh graduate.

It is also equally important that the fresher has the capability to pursue the goals of the organization and be able to focus and dedicate towards achieving these objectives. These are some of the basic requirements and will be coupled with other needs of the organization specific skill-sets.

The normal progression of career in a corporate sector involves moving from a functional or technical skill-specific role to a more managerial role. Of course there are exceptions to this specifically with respect to pure domain specific or technical research oriented roles but by and large most of the associates go through this cycle. As one moves up the ladder, the expectation from the associate changes and he/she is expected to play more soft-skills oriented roles. What this comes down to is that for moving up the chain the soft-skills become a key ingredient.

Few of the soft skills that a manager of today must have to succeed in the Business World are expectation management and perception management.

Expectation Management: The ground rules of any relationship are defined in the way that reciprocal expectations are managed. This is as true for Business as for personal life. If the expectations are not clearly defined, it could lead to differences in perceived outcomes which could lead to an unmanageable circumstance. A good manager is able to set up mutually-agreed expectations with respect to his superiors, colleagues and subordinates.

Perception Management: We see things as we are made to see them. It is not only important to do things right but also ensure that it is understood right.

One of the key ingredients of the Global Manager is the ability to have a Global view.

1) Avoid Assumptions: It is pretty interesting to go through the statistics and research over the impact of environment on the individual. Anyone who has traveled will vouch for this. The association of differences in the way people in different geographies have different impressions of variety of subjects, is amazing. This is a factor of the culture, the environment, the economy and host of other things. Several large corporations have misread the minds of people in entering a market. It is very important to use the data, research or more than that understand the ethos of any particular culture/geography before making an assumption. The mantra therefore is to avoid making assumptions.

2) The ability to see the large picture: One of the challenges that a Global manager faces today is surfeit of information. This information comes from various sources, some in the form of quantitative data while a lot of it is qualitative. It is the attempt of every executive to get data in forms that will enable one-to-one comparison. But that may not be the case always. The ability to comprehend all this data and make good sense out of it is what makes a Global Manager successful.

3) From a Resource Management standpoint it is very important to respect differences. In a Global society there is no right or wrong; these are just different shades of grey. The capacity of a Manager to absorb these differences will let him stand tall over his peers.

The real battle is with respect to what is the purpose of Management education. Is it to empower the students to become better Managers or to provide them with skills that will help them perform better in their context in the corporate world? Although these are not loggerheads with each other but still have a bearing on the direction, which the Management education takes as it tries to align with respect to Industry. So the general idea should be that the corporate should help in curriculum building by way of emphasizing focus on leading-edge area while letting the Management education achieve its larger purpose. The lecture from Industry experts is really welcome with a view to bring in greater practicality into education.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Anubha Singh is professor, Department of Corporate Communications, Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore. Her special interest is in Communications and Linguistics. Email: anubha_agastwar@hotmail.com

---

Performance Appraisal - Ten Stupid Things Managers Do To Screw It Up

Performance appraisals aren't fun. But a lot of the time they are agonizing because managers do really dumb things, ending up destroying a process that is important to everyone (or should be). Appraisals... Read More

Human Resource Employee Risk Profile - Management Risks Explained

Human Resource Employee Risk ProfileIs your business at risk? Do you want peace of mind?Please answer the following question honestly by drawing a circle around or shading in the column. If you can... Read More

How to Save Money on Training

1) Use a live instructor. Adults learn best by doing, practicing, and experiencing. Effective instructors customize their programs to meet people's needs, provide counsel on individual challenges, and respond to questions. Videos, CDs,... Read More

ISO 9001 the Process Approach to Quality Assurance

What is the Process Approach to Quality?The ISO 9001 2000 standard is designed to manage and improve organizations processes. There is a great deal of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the meaning of the... Read More

Work Life a Balancing Act

Australians are loosing their laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue to work longer hours, exercise less and neglect our leisure and family time.Recent research indicates that 67 per cent of Australian professionals spend... Read More

The Role of the Machine Metaphor in Mixed-initiative Organizational Leadership

"Can This Marriage be Saved?" So reads the title of the cover story in the August 15, 2005 issue of BusinessWeek (www.businessweek.com). The article describes the seven-year (1998-2005) story of the merger of... Read More

Making Powerful Requests That Launch People Into Action

Do you ever wonder why people do not simply do the things that you want them to do? Well, instead of waiting for things to happen, decide to take responsibility for making them... Read More

What Makes a Crisis a Crisis?

If you're old enough and were living in America about 30 years ago, you may remember the scandal in the motion picture industry known as "the Begelman affair" or "Hollywoodgate."A skillful analysis of... Read More

Employee Motivation: Make Everyone A Cheerleader For Your Company

Do you manage by walking around? What do you see? People excited about their job or people just going through the motions? Here are seven ways, that do not cost much if anything,... Read More

How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids

Learning comes from many places. And one of the most wondrous opportunities is right in front of us. At dinner, at play and at bedtime, every evening. It is there on the sports... Read More

Hire The Person, Not The Resume

"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats (and the wrong people off the bus) and then [figure] out where to drive it." - Jim Collins... Read More

Making Assumptions - A Critical Communication Mistake In Business And In Your Personal Life!

We draw conclusions about people through observation, their behavior, past experiences, other people's comments, etc. We assume who people are, what they think/need/want with such speed we fail to recognize how our own... Read More

Where Else in Your Business Do You Accept a 60% Failure Rate?

I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies and small, profit and not-for-profit, and I asked just them just one question: 'What is the single biggest factor that you believe will... Read More

Hire Winners: Avoid These 10 Interview No-No?s

Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? I'm sure many of us have at one time. The purpose of the interview is to obtain good information about an... Read More

Will a Workplace Bully Bankrupt Your Company?

Safeguard Your Company Against Harrassment ClaimsTwenty-five percent of employees suffer with peer to peer bullying and its on the rise, according to the National Institute of Safety and Health. Dina Beach Lynch, a... Read More

Lets Make Training More Interesting!

Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in external training programs, they have fulfilled their responsibilities. This is not the best situation. In this article, I will be emphasizing... Read More

Management Coaching to Improve Relationships with Work Associates

As a recent employee to your job, you are becoming familiar with the work environment and your work associates. You have met the boss on two occasions; your interview and one time when... Read More

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although most of us don't even realize that. The full study of this issue would take many books, and years of experience to grasp... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 5th C: Control Issues

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 5th C: Control IssuesWhen control is in the picture it is a lose/lose proposition.First, it is... Read More

What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask)

This is a challenge for every company owner and manager. You have tremendous plans for growth and expect a lot of your employees. But do you know if the company is meeting your... Read More

Innovation Management ? smart people dont necessarily produce great ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly,... Read More

Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants

With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (all habits that will make us better consultants!), here are eight skills that all of us as consultants... Read More

Four Ways To Make the Case For Outsourcing

How do you convert outsourcing leads into clients? You may need to make the case for outsourcing."Businesses today are kicking into survival mode," says Bill Allison, managing director for the Pacific Southwest Management... Read More

Popular Business Misconceptions Cost You Money!

Faulty information costs you money! Which of these popular business misconceptions do you believe?Popular Misconception #1: "We Only Need Our Books Done Once A Year For Tax Purposes." Are Your Accounting Records Adequate... Read More

Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the "You might be a redneck series of jokes.If you really believe people in your group are lucky to have a job, you might... Read More

Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions

And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who they are and what interests them. And that's just where you spend your time. About them - not you, not your... Read More

The 6 Steps to Six Sigma

Step 1Get the proper level of Six Sigma expertise at the executive level of the company. If the top leaders don't understand the advanced six sigma principles, the company has no shot to... Read More

The Business Shaman: Exploring the Mystery of Success!

Note: This article was written for a internet business site. It is a promo for my work with the business world. I published it here for anyone who is interested in a shamanic... Read More

The Three-Dimensional Communication System

Human communication is always three-dimensional. No spoken or written message is ever just words or rational thoughts. Every interchange between you and another person has and takes place at the following three intimately... Read More