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Cleaner, manager both need each other
2006-01-19 08:45:42
By Correspondent Jane Maro
It is predicted that the present generations will practise up to seven different professions before retirement or death.
This has already started, if you check with some people at your work place you might discover that they have taken up two or three professions in their lives.
This is quite a good thing and it allows flow of personnel from one sector to another.
It also enables people to be more knowledgeable by learning the nitty gritties of different professions.
However, this on its own is quite challenging and can only be done by people who have the ability to learn fast as well as the patience to learn new things.
It does not require people who are overzealous.
I am saying this because the overzealous can never make it in this world of switching professions.
You need to lie low after assuming a new post in any organization.
It could be the same profession but you need to lie low in order to get information about the organization and how people operate.
It doesn’t really matter whether you join the organization at a managerial or low level.
The fact remains you need to lie low for some time whilst you grasp the concepts and ethics of the new place, what we call the house style.
You could be a manager but if you think you can just bash into a company and introduce new policies from nowhere you might end up hitting a snug.
You could be in control of finance or human resources but still you need to know that you cannot just institute changes overnight and expect people or your subordinates to swallow it.
Change is good but it has to be gradual. If you are not very careful about the changes you institute at a new place, the results could be disastrous.
You need to study the system first before you can map out strategies on how to implement your changes.
If you think you can effect changes anyhow because you have the power then you might end up destroying what you are trying to promote because of using the wrong approach.
The ideas could be right but the mode of implementation could cause problems.
Communication is very important, make people know and understand your intentions, that is the best way to operate.
Most managers make this mistake, they think they can implement changes to do with money under the auspice of cost cutting but they will face resistance.
You cannot play around with one’s earnings and expect them to be quiet.
One thing which these people fail to appreciate is the fact that in a company, you all need each other from the sweeper to the top most boss.
You wouldn’t be a boss if the lower people were not there.
What finance would you be directing if the company was not making money and for the company to make money there should be people involved in the production line.
Production comes in different types depending on the industry.
In schools the teachers are the producers, in journalism it is the reporters, writers and editors who are at the bream of production therefore they should be viewed with respect.
The finance director counts the money produced by these very people hence it will be folly for him or her to look down upon these people because if they sabotage him or her, he or she will have no money to count. He or she will be a director without finance.
Many people make this mistake of thinking that they can exist autonomously without other departments yet that’s not the case.
A successful organization should have harmony from top to bottom and it is one that allows dialogue among the concerned parties.
Once instructions come from top to bottom and there is no reverse communication or feedback from bottom to top, the organization will be heading for disaster.
Good administration allows for a healthy environment where dialogue is welcome.
Dictatorship belongs to the old school of thought and this is one thing that managers should learn to live with.
Once in a while it is important to take employees on outward bound courses to learn some of these values which might appear to be petty yet are so crucial in the day to day running of an organization.
Customer care does not only refer to the outside customers, it also entails internal customers. One’s colleagues are also one’s customers and they need to be treated with the respect that they deserve.
It is not what you say but how you say it that matters.
Poor management can lower morale of the workers thereby creating frustration and lowering the quality of the final product. Eventually you will have no one to manage.
You don’t get into a new system and think you can turn it around in one day no matter how intelligent you think you are. Rome was not built in a day.
Whenever you get to a new organisation you should take note of the following they might help you.
The organization was there before your coming in and it will still be there long after you are gone so you need to respect fellow workers. There could be some things that need change but making it appear like people were doing nothing before your arrival is totally uncalled for.
Don’t make it appear like you are the only one who knows what you are doing and the rest are hopeless.
How do you think the company was surviving before you arrived? You can never know it all.
The funny thing is that I have witnessed situations where these overzealous people ended up being told to leave the premises in very shameful ways after the proprietors discovered that they were putting the company into disrepute.
Beware if you are among such overzealous lot at whatever work place you are.
If you feel offended by this peace then you really need to change your ways because this is nothing but the reality.
You can mess up with any form of management but the one to do with cash will see you toppling before you know it because it concerns the stomach.
Even at home, you cannot afford to bully your children and workers around if you want to live harmoniously.
You have to give them the respect that they deserve otherwise you will be considered as a poor manager of your own home.
We practise management at different levels and sometimes we might not be aware that we are playing a managerial role but the fact remains we have to be rational rather than emotional in our management roles.
Everyone is a manager at some point in time, it could be at home or at work.
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