What does Management mean to you?

Business Management Means Getting Things Done

Business management isn't about doing things, it's about getting things done. It's knowing what has to be done and finding a way to get it done without doing it yourself.

Business management is not the same as leadership. Leadership focuses on you. Your vision, the way you think, the way you behave, the way you communicate, and the image you project to your people. Leadership is about you.

But business management is about your business. How to get your business to do the things it has to do while leaving you free to do the things you want to do. When you reach the point where your business gets things done the way you want them done, consistently and predictably, without you having to do them, then you can be free of it.

Think Systems!

The secret of successful business management is systemization. To do it, you have to be able to think systemically as well as systematically.

Systematic thinking is methodical, thorough, and pulls diverse information together into an integrated whole. It's a system of thinking. People who think systematically inspire confidence and trust. People who don't think systematically are often seen as "scattered" or confused.

Systemic thinking is thinking about your entire business as a whole. It means you're always aware that your business is a system, and that it's composed of systems within systems within systems, all integrated and dependent on each other to achieve the result you want, your Strategic Objective. It also means you approach your business operations by creating systems to accomplish them and you approach business problems by creating systems to eliminate them.

Systemization is a significant departure from conventional business practice. The norm is either the "fix it" mentality in which the manager comes up with a quick-fix solution to the problem, or "people dependency" in which the manager finds "good people" to "throw at the problem." In both cases the solution is only temporary. It works until the problem shows up again, at which time the manager once again either "fixes it" or "throws more people at it." And because the original problem was never really solved in the first place, you can be sure it will show up again.

You can see where this leads, and maybe you've lived it yourself. Problems…quick fix. Problems ... quick fix. Problems ... quick fix. And a life of perpetual frustration. Many business owners tell us the experience is like being on a treadmill or being a gerbil in a cage - trapped with no way out.

But there is a way out; managing your business by implementing the principle of systemization. In other words, living by the adage "the system is the solution."

What about People?

If systemization is the answer, doesn't that mean people are merely cogs in your machine? Where's the human dignity?

Systemizing your business is not a dehumanizing experience unless you make it so. It's just the opposite! Systems free your people to pay attention to the things that matter while all the routine things take care of themselves. Systems raise the level of performance of people. With the right systems in place, your people can work flawlessly, at levels of productivity and excellence they've never experienced before. They can start a new job and be instant experts with none of the uncertainty or clumsiness that's the norm in most businesses. Think of the satisfaction, the pride, the sense of accomplishment, and the self-respect. And think of the results for your business.

The bottom line is that, just as systemizing your business will free you to pursue and achieve your life purpose, systems can do the very same thing for every person in your business.

Delivering Accountability through managing teams.

There is another concept that is critical to effective management: accountability. Or, more specifically, personal accountability.

If managing teams is about getting results through other people, then each and every person in your business must take personal accountability, personal responsibility, for doing the work and getting the results that you've hired them for.

When your employees take personal accountability, they're willing to "stand up and be counted." They're eager to make agreements about their work and their results, and they're committed to keeping their agreements. You can count on them. You can trust them to do exactly what they've said they'll do. And if for some reason they can't, they'll let you know about it. Together you'll find a way to get it done.

Does this sound like your business?

Contact us TODAY if you are a principal or owner of a business with annual sales of 1.5 million to 20 million and you want to discover more about how a Strategic Affairs Business Strategist and Coach can help with your company’s growth.

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