5 management skills, leadership, vision, humane treatment and image, innovation and teamwork, necessary for successful management, regardless of the size or the turn of the organization, are exposed. Seeking that these are developed and strengthened, the administrator will be able to carry out her work with greater success; for which, in addition, an action plan is proposed that allows its growth and expansion in the company.
Leadership
A leader must be persuasive, to get his team to collaborate to achieve the end or goal that he had set himself. At the same time as having persuasion, he must have patience to be able to accept suggestions or modifications to the ideas he presents, he must know when to present his ideas so that they have the impact he expected. (Conger, 1998)
Another point is that you must have credibility, which, at work, can be created through experience and personal relationships. (Conger, 1998)
Work must continue and support for team members to achieve the goals that have been agreed. It is a good idea to set high expectations, which must be achievable, talk to people who are still resisting the idea or change and listen to their opinions. (Conger, 1998)
There will be no results if the employees in charge do not trust. The responsibilities and roles of each person involved must be defined. The definition of roles is as important as the review that what is established is being fulfilled, for this it is necessary to establish measurement or feedback criteria, so not only will the administrator or boss come to review but the workers themselves will be able to evaluate themselves to redefine actions to follow.
A leader is also expected to take on both achievements and failures, both from himself and from the employees he is in charge of. Promote and reward successes and desired behaviors psychologically and financially. That the employees or members of a team know the goals, know how to evaluate themselves motivates them to do their job. They have an expectation about what to expect or do.
"The leader is expected to perform many tasks… But his main job is to give results" (Goleman, 2000, p. 78)
It is recommended that as a form of self-evaluation, so that the manager detects the points in which he can improve on the way the organization is running, he should carry out a small analysis of XY organizational leadership. (De la Cerda and Núñez, 1998, p. 83)
Theory X is "the traditional perspective of direction and control." Theory Y is a "means of integrating individual and organizational objectives" (Duncan, 2000).
A leader today must learn to delegate, not be biased, as employees are asking for this new type of manager, and in order to compete globally, paternalistic leadership doesn't work well.
The leader must manage through the qualities that complete emotional intelligence. Self-management, self-confidence, sociability, and trust and empathy towards others. (Goleman, 1998)
Likewise, there are different styles of leadership, depending on which one is chosen, there is going to be a certain impact on the organization, and they must not be managed alone, but preferably in combination. The styles are: the coercive, the authoritarian, the affiliative, the democratic, the "do it like me now", and the guide. (Goleman, 2000).
It is an explicit and coherent management style that best responds to the characteristics of the organization and the business environment in which said organization finds itself (Farkas and Wetlaufer, 1996), so it must adapt to the environment that surrounds it.
It is important to consider that "when people know what is expected, then they perceive some personal control in how they achieve their goals, it is more like having a process and transition from a way of thinking managed by another to one managed by oneself" (Geller, 2000, p. 39)
View
To determine the vision, certain steps must be followed: 1. Vision statement 2. Understanding of the environmental impact 3. Definition of customers 4. Selection of products or services 5. Estimation of the company's potential 6. Identification and selection of values aggregates 7. Determination of suppliers 8. Qualification of the success criteria of the product (Geller, 2000).
You can have vision only if you know the company in which you work in depth, thus obtaining an overview of it.
Heifetz and Laurie (1997) cite a very clear example of this. The case of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, whose greatness in leadership within his basketball team, was in part his ability to play hard when he had the whole game situation in mind, as if he had been on a balcony next to the playing field.
Most professionals invest most of their energy in their area of work, leaders see opportunities between areas of work, between departments (Avery, 1999)
Another way to review the "vision" issue is when the leader is not originally from the country where he is working, this happens a lot with senior managers of transnational companies who must have a very broad vision to adapt to current culture, in addition to to contribute new strategies, work guidelines or way of doing things since what is the use of a leader with international experience if they do not contribute anything new? Therefore, this paragraph could be closed with the phrase “leaders with cultural sensitivity are required” (Sánchez, 1998, p. 5)
When a person knows what he wants, he has a goal to follow, it is easier to achieve it, since he puts all his efforts to fight day by day for the pursuit of those goals that he set himself.
Now with new information technologies, like the Internet, the world changes faster than before, there is a great evolution in processes and software. With this situation, it is appropriate that we are aware of our environment, such as the current competition we have, and also who the short and long-term competitors might be to take action in this regard.
A very clear example of the above is Barnes & Noble that being a prestigious bookstore (using the traditional method of sales) never imagined that someone through the Internet could unseat them, who is this talking about? Amazon.
Another example is the electronic dictionaries Systran Personal Translators, a subsidiary of Altavista on the Internet, which with the simple press of a button translates in seconds, in many cases replacing traditional dictionaries, such as the Appleton's Dictionary that they never imagined in the past. that they were going to unseat them.
You have to imagine what the type of business will be in the future, that technology can be asked to be able to get there faster or get to that type of business-customer or business-business interaction first. No idea should be underestimated. Just as Disney CEO Eisner listens to his employees, since they are the ones who have provided the ideas that have given the company great profits, of course all these ideas have been aligned with the objectives that he had set. (Wetlaufer, 2000)
Innovation.
A company leader, a manager, should not stagnate in business processes, since there is always some aspect in the administrative and operational aspects. How can you find opportunities to innovate?
"Innovation is a specific function of entrepreneurs… Innovation is the means by which the entrepreneur creates a new product or endows a new product with new characteristics" (Drucker, 1998, p. 149)
According to Drucker, unexpected events, inconsistencies, needs within the operation, changes in the market, demographic changes, new knowledge and changes in perception are some key points where innovation flourishes (Drucker, 1998)
As directors or administrators at any level, you should be alert to any idea, whether it is your own or the people you work with. With this point you can reach a differentiation in terms of Innovation. When innovating, two areas of the company can be affected: the structural one, which is any change in job positions or departments, and systems innovation, which is any idea that refers to the process of the product or service. (Hoffman, 1999) Listening to everyone, not discarding ideas no matter how silly they seem, is a very good source of innovation for the company, since if the worker perceives that her idea was heard and verified, it will create trust towards the company. And trust is a very precious value to lay the foundations for honesty and fidelity at work.
Negative people always have some "good" pretext to stop the progress of themselves and those around them, they influence themselves so that any improvement that is found does not take place, this they do with the well-known phrase of: « That idea does not change anything »,« it has to be something more innovative », etc. But innovations can also be very simple, small and very specific. It doesn't take big changes to be innovative. If all the members of a company made small improvements in their work, companies would work better and when they least realize it, the company will have made a great innovation.
"Innovation requires knowledge" (Drucker, 1998, p. 157)
On the other hand, Gary Hamel, during his talk at Stanford University, mentioned that it is not necessary to be an expert on the subject to be able to innovate in any specific area. In fact, if you are an expert on the subject when working as a consultant, you have the possibility of infecting the company you are working with at the same vices (Hamel, 1998)
Human treatment and Image
Usually within the environment in which the director operates, understand the work, the family, among others, being in contact with the rest of the people makes him very susceptible. It's easy to get upset by comments or ways of acting by those around you. Between positions of the same hierarchical level when some type of misunderstanding or annoyance occurs, it is easier to solve it.
It is very different when the person to whom it is reported or who is dependent is the one related to the situation in friction. Since the people who are the dependents feel belittled and humiliated, since they know that the boss has "the pan by the handle" and not much can be done about it.
That is why the type of information and education that the director has about interpersonal or human relationships is a key factor in the company's work environment, since in this way employees will perform better in their work.
You must be tactful when addressing the people in charge. The employee should be asked for things in a “good way”, so he will respond better than if we yell at him or say it angrily.
Whether it's wisdom or intuition, these kinds of skills help executives see what others can't. These qualities are what separate true executives from thousands of managers (Khatri, 2000)
If two people were working at the same level but they did not get along and one of them is promoted, it is unethical to continue keeping those bad thoughts about the other person since now they are different, one has a higher position and must start from scratch with the others, in other words, there should be no old friction, since obviously the pan is now held by the handle and the other person is not.
The director must constantly update his knowledge, as well as allow his employees to do it also, through diplomas, interpersonal communication courses, for self-improvement; In this way, personal and professional growth will be achieved, which will pay off and will be projected in their work within the company.
Just as the boss must demand of the employees so he must be aware of their time and skills limitations, flexibility is a characteristic that a good manager must have, he must know when to "pull" and when to "let go" a bit.
Knowing how to listen is a skill that every good director must have, giving an example the Disney company with its CEO Eisner that has managed to get the company out of a very bad period, how did you do that? Listening to your people, receiving ideas. People are satisfied because they know that they are listened to, and that if the answer is a negative they trust the director, and they know that the negative is because the project is not convenient for the business, because it is not going to contribute anything to the strategy of the company. company or maybe the project presented needs a little more polishing and not because they are simply not the director's favorites.
Teamwork
A team is defined as a group of people who do something together, even when the activities they carry out and the end they pursue are very diverse, what forms the team is the fact of doing things together. (Robbins and Findey, 1999)
Teamwork is the performance of a specific task by a group of individuals, who due to their multifunctional nature, perform it in a more efficient way.
To carry out adequate teamwork, it is necessary to know that it requires responsibility and trust in each of its members, and that it must be made up of creative, well-disciplined people who pursue the same goals. Furthermore, Bill Walsh says that if the team wants to be the winner, it is necessary that all its members participate in the decision-making process.
For every company it is necessary to have a work team with several functions, which can react to new requirements immediately (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1995); In this way, the administrator, having the ability to work in a team, manages to face the challenges that are presented to him more effectively, since he has the support of a group and knows how to take advantage of his joint talents.
Murata and Harrison (1991) say that despite the fact that each of the players has their own personality, only through teamwork can the contest be won. Therefore, it is stated that every administrator must have a good management of teamwork, since personal skills may be insufficient to solve a task in the best way.
Managers need to know how to work as a team as this allows them to better perform their functions, obtain better results and make better decisions because the diverse points of view of the team enrich the vision and give a broader perspective of the task to be carried out.
Skills Assessment
For the author, all the characteristics that have just been analyzed are important for managerial practice and one should try to have them, because they are all related to each other. If any of them is missing the address of the company, for the author's consideration, it would not be the ideal one and it would not work as the plan should.
Firstly, in order for the department or company to work successfully, there must be an organizational goal, there must be a common place that one wants to reach as a whole, whether at the organizational or departmental level. This point is called “vision”, knowing where you want to go and a director must have this clear ability, know what the company's objectives are, hence the strategies to follow and the action plans that are will be carried out by the company. Formulating the future involves a careful examination of the organization vis-à-vis its customers, regulatory bodies, its own culture and above all comparing itself to what the company is today and what it wants to be in time, carrying out a SWOT analysis into the future to go one step further than the competition.
The author with respect to the point previously described, is considered as not having developed it sufficiently. When something usually happens, the author tends to see the specific situation, she does not see it as general, encompassing everything.
Now when a manager is clear about what he wants to become or where he wants to be, it is convenient that all his team or his entire company like that end, so he needs to have persuasion and communication skills, to have a Good public image for employees to put on their shirts and support him, since they will know that they are supported by the head of the company, they know that if they fail, this person will understand.
Regarding this, the author considers that she has that good image, the people around her trust her and follow her. It is considered comprehensive, for the same reason they have confidence in it. Still, the author believes that more can be improved.
The director must build trust by being honest and fair. If employees do not trust the head of the department or organization there will be no results.
Knowing how to be a leader recognizing achievements as well as taking failures is also important. Push actions, not approve immobilities. Reward successes and desired behaviors psychologically and financially. All these last steps are part of the motivation and thus create a good public relationship between the top management and the operators. That the employees or members of a team know the goals, know how to evaluate themselves motivates them to do their job. Know what to expect and what not to do and what to do.
Providing worker certainty is an important part of leadership skill as workers will know what to expect and when to expect a review. For which the author is well evaluated, motivates those in charge and gives them certainty and confidence. Although it could be improved, many times it depends on the situation they do not follow it.
“At the top of the corporate health indicators is communication. How easy it flows down, up and horizontally is most of the time an important indicator of the effectiveness of the organization. ” (Harshman and Harshman, 1999, p. 4). In fact, communication is taken as a value that a good manager must have.
The recommendations made to managers to be successful point to certain areas that are consistent with what has been seen in this work, such as:
- A clear vision of the future Wide involvement of employees in the business The company has a strong commitment to employees and vice versa They have reward systems that are related to performance
If you do not have a good image among and treat employees as human beings, it will be difficult to induce them to carry out new tasks or processes, to do their work with quality, to help the company in processes that require some kind of sacrifice on your part. They will have apathetic professionals, looking for new horizons, a tense organizational climate where each one works for his direction without caring what others do or think.
On human treatment, the author considers herself very well evaluated. Treats everyone around her as human beings with respect.
Often it happens to meet people that people follow, listen to, obey, and the question that arises is why do people believe in them? Well, because in this person is the characteristics and desires that many have as responsibility, ease of speech, honesty, vision, innovation, knowledge of the process, among others. And they are all interrelated. It is not easy for employees to follow a person who does not have an established path, who does not have defined goals (vision), much less if he does not have clear actions to follow to reach that goal.
The emotion of believing that the goal can be reached cannot be spread without having the ability to persuade to spread the taste for work. And if over time there is not a well defined and honest scheme of transmitting the knowledge or results of the process in question, people will not follow the director again.
Also if you have a humane treatment and good image with employees, you must have a sense of innovation by allowing employees to suggest improvements, contribute their ideas so that the performance of their work is satisfactory.
For which the author considers herself in a good grade, because she tries to get others to help or collaborate with suggestions to improve the situations that arise.
As for teamwork, it is a task that occurs at all times within organizations, the author's performance in this skill has a basic skill since her formal education stimulated the development of it.
The continuous teamwork in the school encourages the exchange of ideas and makes known the benefits and problems of working under this scheme, the author considers that the synergy that is created in a team increases the vision of all its members and enriches the results although it should not be ignored that there can be problems if people do not have the sense of responsibility and confidence that is needed to carry out the task.
In her own experience, the author believes that the choice of team members should also be part of the administrator's skills, since if the group is not made up of interdisciplinary members, the overall vision will be poor and will not bring benefits to the final result. The ability to work as a team must be developed in all people, since the perception of each member of the group broadens the possibility of success for the company.
Action Plan for the Development of Management Skills
Leadership
- Short term: Reading of different books related to this skill and keeping the author updated. Short term: Motivating those who are working with the author at that time to collaborate in the execution of the tasks entrusted to them.. Medium term: There will be an evaluation of the performance of the manager (or the author) by his subordinates to see how they perceive this ability. Medium term: Request suggestions to have feedback and be able to improve in the aspects that are needed.
View
- Short term: The flow of information will be encouraged at all levels to know the opinions of all the departments. Short term: Care will be taken to ensure that what you want to communicate arrives correctly. Medium term: The performance of each member of the department will be evaluated through oral feedback and / or application of questionnaires or exams. Medium and long term: Get the author involved, in the planning that is carried out both in her department and in the different areas of the company, to achieve an overview, and thus be able to further develop this skill.
Innovation
- Short term: Reading of books dealing with new trends will be carried out in order to apply them in the development of daily work. Short term: A creative idea will be thought of to solve any problem, in this way the logical structures of thought will be eliminated. Short term: Request “brainstorming” with coworkers, to improve the ideas that the author has in mind and can be done more easily and creatively. Short and medium term: mental exercises will be carried out where creativity is stimulated.
Human treatment and image
- Short term: Take a personal image course for executives to see where you can improve your physical appearance. Medium term: Campaign against mistreatment of others. With a complaints box which would be placed in a strategic area. It should be said that this would not only be applied to those in charge of customer service, but also internally. Medium and long term: Implementation of self-improvement programs which will help the employee to feel motivated and thus develop better Your activities.
Teamwork
- Short term: The elimination of prejudices regarding the skills of colleagues and their knowledge, everyone learns something and the vision of some may seem far-fetched and not be, so it will encourage openness to actively listen to all Opinions. Short Term: Full trust will be placed in the members with minimal control to identify mature members to carry out teamwork successfully. Short and medium term: Teamwork will be done without eliminating the individuality of the person as this enriches the result.Medium term: A project will be started with a carefully chosen team to launch a promotional campaign that integrates the ideas of all members and the results of the task will be evaluated in financial and penetration terms.
Bibliography
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Harvard Business Review. 78 (1 2000): 114-124.
Additionally, we suggest the following video-course, taught by Professor María Gisbert, which addresses the managerial skills necessary for successful management: time management, delegation, communication, conflict management and negotiation, self-knowledge and emotional management, creativity and management of ideas. (7 videos, 2 hours and 27 minutes)
