What does the manager do in his leadership role?

by SABF Blog Admin

***Mr. Dilip K. Pithadia*****is a Business Management Consultant of Pithadia Foundation, Detroit, USA. He was born and raised in India, and has been living in the USA for three decades. His core education is in Electronics Engineering and Business Management. He has held different management positions in several US corporations and has been widely recognized for his work, including being honored for “Outstanding Services to Nation” by Sec of Commerce, United States of America and receiving Ford Motor Co’s Presidents’ exclusive Awards for Excellence four years, from 1995 through 1998. In this opportunity he kindly shares with us his views on the Management skill sets for the 21st century. SABF is very grateful for his contribution.

What does the Manager do in his leadership role? Answers are known to be:

  • Planning****: Project planning, Strategic planning, Business planning, staffing and budget planning.
  • Resources****: For optimal efficiency, headcount, budgets and other resources deployment.
  • Leadership****: Set up mission statement, vision and goals for organization and influence people to follow them and champion leading organization in that direction.
  • Control and coordination****: to optimize the system, process and structure of organization, use tools such as financial control, reorganization- realignment, Performance measurement, Feedback, Risk and profit management, and Stockholder & employee value creation.

Management skill sets of the 21st century:

The 21st century offers many challenges to Leaders and Managers alike. The days ahead will be filled with constant, turbulent and unexpected changes day in and day out.  It’ll create casualties, survivors, and champions.

However, these skill sets assures you your well-deserved high ranking place on the corporate ladder:

  1. Change Management: To survive in increasingly unstable times, you and your team need to be skilled managers of change. It’s one of the most difficult skills to learn.
    Reasons: A) It involves Risk Taking B) You can anticipate failure C) Life as usual will stop D) Pace will be faster-Tire will hit the road in fast lane.

  2. Empowerment and Delegation: If there’s still a strong element of control, restraint and restriction in your management style/Brand, kiss those days Good bye! And say Hello to- Trust, Respect and value appreciation. In new times, managers don’t issue commands, but create opportunities. Don’t control, but release. Don’t restrain, but help. Don’t say No, but say yes. Don’t keep power to them, but empower others.

  3. Leadership: leadership skills are needed at all levels in organization-Top to bottom! And as everyone is a leader, extraordinary things happen. All follow the same vision, values and mission. Everyone is a role model to everyone else. Leaders aren’t born, they’re made.

  4. Team Building: Oh! It is the race for the world cup. Now we are no more “A group of people” but we are transformed into “The winning team” It brings in power of synergy. It is bond, it is magical feeling.

*** “Sears & Roebuck, USA- research has shown a linear correlation leading from employee satisfaction to customer satisfaction to investor results.”***So, CEO of Sears placed his employees first, customers second, and investors third.

21st Century Management –  Most notable Paradigm shifts:

  • Create/invent problem resolutions that are ‘out of the ordinary’.
  • Crazy ideas are not laugh-at Ideas. They do get serious attention. Encourage it.
  • Allow enough time for research, learning and creativity each day at work.
  • Discuss ideas, discuss solutions, focus on issues and not people, think of issues from bottom up. Just encourage ‘brainstorm’ style meetings.
  • Work assignment according to capability of employee and his/her interest.

**These are some of 17 **fundamental attributes of GREAT leader:

  • They are great Futuristic yet Realistic mentors and coach.

  • They have roadmap from point A in present to point B in future.

  • However challenging their vision/goal is, they set only achievable targets for full engagement of organization.

  • They are great listeners with sharp focus. They have sensory feel for new ideas through meetings and conversations.

  • They have extraordinary clarity of communication in meeting and conversations: Simple, concise, with specifics and business****driven.

So what are some of the habits of Unsuccessful leaders?****

  • Habit #1: “Our products are superior, and so am I. We’re Unbeatable. We are successful because of my leadership and intellect-I made it happen. “
  • **Habit #2: **“I am the owner. This is my company. Therefore, my wishes and my needs are in the best interest of my company and its stakeholders. “
  • **Habit #3: **“I’m a genius. I believe in myself and you should too. Don’t worry, I know all the answers. I’m not micro-managing; I’m being attentive. I don’t need anyone else, certainly not a team.”

This is straight shot from Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) US steel manufacturer & Philanthropist: ***“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing It”. ***