A Set of Self-Interests in Disguise

What we see as ‘Management’ today at our business places is nothing but a procedural set of personal self-interests in disguise.

Well, this self-interest could be and should be revered or deplored is just another issue into which I have none of my business. The thing that makes me interested is to watch and differentiate one manager from the other through behavior and policies to identify the intensity and direction of the self-interest that I am talking about.

Yes. I know you are perplexed to read this pessimistic idea of a ‘disguised management’. It surely creates a negative impression of such an acclaimed discipline. This is the same as we disregard the value of ‘Aab-e-Hayaat’ (the elixir of live) instead of appreciating it. For a flourishing business, we must appreciate a good management the same way as we appreciate the elixir of life. But think of the possibilities if the drink is consumed by an imp instead of a pious saint !!!  The consequences obviously, would be disastrous.

Let me ask you the other way: What happens when the management goes into wrong hands? Off-course, your answer would be that a single wrong decision by higher management may bring down the business and even make the enterprise extinct.

Yes I do agree. But let’s keep it in mind that no manager would like to do that because in this case, not only other’s interests are at stake but his own personal earnings are lost (at least for several weeks, if not forever) !!

This means that mismanagement or poor management can be intentional only as long as it safeguards one’s own interests. Such mismanagements are short-termed and usually have roots in the personality traits. It has nothing to do with the management skills. However, the positive aspect is that it can be traced and corrected.

We should not confuse at this stage with exceptional cases such as  ’wrong decisions of good managers’, or the ‘good strategies of poor managers’……The result in this case has anomalies and almost anything can be predicted.

Contrary to it, let’s see another scenario wherein two or more managers come together to cooperate each other and safeguard their personal interests giving next or the last priority to the welfare of their enterprise. It crosses the boundaries of true professionalism and loyalty for the enterprise and therefore, can be one of the most dangerous scenarios.  Some of the major implications being:-

1. Dissatisfaction among other employees (particularly, subordinates)
2. Since the number of subordinates in a company is always greater than the number of managers, the extent of dissatisfaction is imaginable.
3. The Higher Management (at the level of CEOs) is usually unaware of such designs and ‘disguised management’ giving it a chance to extend its roots further, deeper. This makes the losses permanent and perennial.
4. The curve of customer dissatisfaction gains a non-uniform downward swing due to poor support and services by the disappointed employees.
5. Competition finds its way in, and ultimately, the business share in the market segments start diminishing.

( to be continued )

A Good Manager is a Visionary Strategist

Within a short span of five and a half years in Middle East, loafing around managers helping them drive their professionalism, I had to come across different types of managers and management, each with his own unique characteristics.

The most common of them were those who try their best to make their office a kitchen full of fermenting ideas borrowed from Google and elsewhere and expect their notebooks to cook all of them to reflect their creativity.  Occurrences were to the extent that I wondered, Oh God!!  How businesses would flourish in Middle-East in the absence of search engines?!!

Anyway, such ‘dishes’ usually remained half-cooked or over-baked due to lack of vision and optimum control over the business logistics. They failed to understand that preparing different types of recipe, needs different types of cooking range, skills, seasoning and dressings. Even though, appreciation can’t be guaranteed as it depends on several factors such as time, temperature, mood and taste of the people being served. This explains why I disagree to the long standing axiom that “a good manager is the one who can get his work done through any means”. I am sure that a visionary team leader would never do this mistake.

As clarified above, you cannot cook a certain type of dish by any means. You need to identify and use specific skill and resources for that. So, in the context of above verbal illustration I would prefer to redefine a good manager. That is, a good manager is a visionary strategist who knows:

• What actually needs to be done?

(Defining the Problem)

• What process is involved into it?

(Understanding of Procedures)

• What is the optimum time required to start and finish?

(Time Constraints)

• Who around him can be the best capable person for it?

(Understanding of the Right Person)

• How to simplify the task in hand.

( Liaison, Delegating & Controlling abilities)

In other words, a good manager is a good professional and knows how to put a giraffe into refrigerator.  (Once I happened to see this funny grill which beautifully supports the idea that) while searching for winning strategies, we should start with the simplest solution in front of us rather than finding a complicated solution under complicated situation.

Hey, if you have any doubts, I can let you know, not only how to put a giraffe, but even an elephant in your refrigerator!!

Looking forward for your comments.