The effective management of people is the foundational element for success in any organization. When a manager effectively hires, trains, coaches, and develops the right people, all the pieces (operations, finance & accounting, organizational behavior, and marketing) fall into place and a business will run profitably and smoothly.
Management is not glamorous. It’s the boring blocking and tackling of business – the day to day application of Peter Drucker’s tried-and-true five principles of management that make a manager and a business effective.
These five principles are:
- Set Objectives – Set goals and objectives for the team and decide what work needs to be done in order to accomplish them.
- Organize – Divide the work into manageable activities and decide which employees can best do each one.
- Motivate and communicate – Create a team and empower and motivate them to follow through on the objectives. Practice effective communication which includes both speaking and listening.
- Measure – Establish appropriate targets and yardsticks then analyze, appraise, and interpret performance.
- Develop people – People are the organization’s most important asset and it is the manager’s responsibility to develop themselves and their people.
I was introduced to Peter Drucker’s management philosophy through the Manager Tools podcast many years ago and when I started managing the people in my organization through these principles, my performance and results significantly increased.
I’ve tried many of the “flavor of the month” management techniques and I always go back to Drucker’s as it has never failed me.