WHO IS A MANAGER

 

This was a topic at a seminar that I recently attended on management and management functions.  The question seem simple but a deep reflection quickly shows that being a manager is more than just a title given to certain class of people in corporate ladder. This article critically discusses who a manager is by delving into the qualities, experience, characteristics, and qualification of a manager. A good place to start from is to provide a reasonable discussion of who a manager is and then go further to look at what qualities one must possess to be called a manager in this volatile competitive business world.

DEFINITION AND MEANING OF A MANAGER
A manager is a person saddled with the responsibility of other people’s burden. This definition might be weird and criticised by many but, how else can you explain who a manager is other than a person that is blamed or praised for other people’s failures or successes respectively. Have you ever tuned your radio or television and hear financial analysts or investment accountants criticise or praise workers for the failure or success of a business entity?

The view of these professionals about manager’s responsibility to accept both praise and blame is the right thing to do as managers in their various positions are better positioned to:

(a)   Motivate people and bring out the best in them which in most cases are wonderful innovative business ideas.

(b)   Supervise the activities of others as part of the directing function of management

(c)    Co-ordinate the activities of other resources to ensure that sub-optimal decisions are avoided while working towards a common objective of the company

(d)  Providing feedback to both the owners of the business and workers in the business.

A manager like many think is not a lazy boss that seats in the office all day doing nothing other than bullying subordinates and co-members of management team.

CHARACTERISTICS | QUALITIES OF A MANAGER
Being called a manger in the office is not all that it takes to become a real manager of resources (people, machines, finance, etc). There are qualities that distinguish successful managers and those that have failed in managerial position. Below are some of those features that you must have if you really want to be a true manager.

PROACTIVE AND GOAL ORIENTED
Managers are people who don’t
react to situations but respond to situations. It is a business and management
taboo to be an activity oriented manager. An activity oriented manager is someone who is busy doing nothing. You will always see them making fuse out of nothing. They are the loudest in the office and never allow their subordinates to be organised. As a manager, your first and surest bet to achieving your dream success is to become a ‘proactive and goal oriented manager’. Goal oriented managers are people that sees opportunities where others are seeing threat and danger.

VAST IN RELEVANT OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Being a manager entails so many things which include constant hunger for knowledge. You dare not allow your knowledge to rust as a manager. In today’s risky business world that is characterised by incessant financial crisis and corporate failures, the areas that managers must pay close attention are:

1. Internal control and fraud prevention techniques
2. Human resource management and staff motivation
3. Management accounting and decision making skills
4. Proper deployment and use of information technology
5. Human Resource Management
6. How to benefit from outsourcing certain business functions
7. Marketing
8. Financial SWOT analysis
   

LIVE BY EXAMPLE
My father always says that children do what they see you doing and not what they hear you say. As a managers, you need to lead an exemplary life that is worthy of emulation so that your followers can do same. You don’t for example come late to work on a daily basis and expect that people working under you will do the opposite. Not living by example is an ugly and unacceptable business ethics that managers should try as much as possible not to overtake them.

SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY
I have never seen any successful person that avoids facing responsibilities squarely. As a manager, one of the things that will make or mare you is your ability to stand up tall when the tides are high. You will never regret that you do.

HONEST
There is cliché that puts me off whenever people say is to my hearing. People say that ‘honest guys don’t last in businesses’. Who told you that honest people do not go far in business? In case you do not know, this is a trick that is used by dream killers to lure you into doing unethical and unprofessional things that will in no distant time pull the business that you represent down the drain. Make honesty, accountability and transparency your motto if you really want to make it to the top as a manager.

ORGANISED
Being confused and in disarray is not what managers are known for. As a person that is made the custodian of other assets, you need to plan ahead in all that you do. What others will want to do tomorrow, set yours in motion yesterday.




Credit: accountantnextdoor.com