MAP Management
February 20, 2009 by Miki Saxon
If you read any of the hundreds of how-to books written about good people management and leadership, you’ll find great similarities among them. So, what happens during implementation? Why can the de facto difference between managers be so enormous?
The answer goes back to one of two basic beliefs that are formed and held long before a person becomes a manager.
- People are intelligent, motivated, and really care about helping their company achieve its objectives.
- People are stupid, don’t care, and will screw up if you don’t watch them every minute. Variations of A are discussed, lauded, and underlay most “good” management practices. Variations of B are rarely admitted, infrequently discussed, and can be largely unconscious.
| Think of it as a scale | A | B |
| 10_____________________0_____________________ 10 | ||
Do managers on the B side of the scale always fail while those on the A side are guaranteed success? Unfortunately no.
What does this mean to you? If you’re a current or future manager, you need to be aware of where you are on the scale and then decide if that’s where you want to be—information that is nobody elses business.
If you like where you are, do nothing, you’re all set.
But if you decide to alter your location on the scale, remember that change rarely happens when undertaken as a result of what “they” say, so be sure that it’s you who wants to change.
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Image credit: sxc.hu