In the past we have looked at counting. We focused on – The Productivity of Support Staff, Counting Money, Measuring Marketing, Tracking Sales, Counting Production, and The Physical Plant Also Counts. The final count goes to Management which is “The Final Accountability
Good Management is about bringing all seven areas together. In a small business, the owner is often the only decision maker. This is the simplest organizational structure that uses what we call “Spider Management”. All the legs of the spider report to the central body or head. This form of organizational structure can be very effective. However, the larger the company Spider management is less effective.
In a larger business delegation of responsibility and the requisite authority is necessary for success. The inability of the owner to “let go” is one of the most common roadblocks to the creation of a capable middle management team and growth. When the owner realizes the value of empowering others, much more can happen.
As the business grows so must the management team. Many companies of size have people in place who are accountable for the performance of others but often, they are not a team. They are more a collection of independent and non-relating decision makers focusing on their own area of concern without regard to the company as a whole.
Helping our middle managers to become team focused, and feeling like a valuable part of a team, is an essential task of senior management.
To this end, at Business Navigators we often present the Three Levels of Management:
Managing Tasks – where getting things done is the managers main concern. Though necessary, this level limits a manager’s overall effectiveness. For greater success, the Task Manager must move to the second level.
Managing People – where helping others get things done is the main concern. To reach this level, a manager must learn to evaluate others, communicate well and be a Coach. These skills are essential to reaching and moving beyond the second level of management.
Managing Vision – Those who reach the highest level of management see the big picture. They envision how the company will look in the future and include others in the creation of that vision. They are Leaders.
Growing a business will succeed when management teams are successful in all Three Levels of Management. When owners can delegate to middle managers and middle managers act as coaches the team performs. Most importantly, every employee sees their place in the future of the company.
Measuring management performance can be highly subjective. We must do it all the same. Self-evaluation of the Three Levels of Management may be the most important measurement of all. It is, “The Final Accountability, because good management is good business.
