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No Goal, No Management
(Note: This article is taken from the 55-page e-booklet from TipsForSuccess.org called "How to Set Exciting Goals You Can Reach." For a free copy, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/goals-link.htm.)
Most government officials, executives and managers cannot explain the purpose of management. Yet by understanding this purpose, you take the first step to becoming a more powerful manager.
Even if you are not a government official, business executive or group manager, you at least manage yourself. If you properly manage yourself, you enjoy enormous personal success . . . and can easily take charge of others. You start by learning the definition of management.
"Management could be said to be the planning of means to attain goals and their assignation for execution to staff, and the proper coordination of activities within the group to attain maximal efficiency with minimal effort to attain determined goals." -- L. Ron Hubbard
Let's break this important sentence into its parts.
1. ". . . planning of means to attain goals. . . "
Goal examples: "Reach $1 million in sales by August." "Provide such a wonderful experience to our customers, that 95% of them buy from us again." "Make XYZ Bolts and Washers the largest bolts and washer manufacturing company in Canada."
Do you have goals? Do you have a plan to reach those goals? If not, you will fail as a manager as you have nowhere to lead your group..
In some cases, the goal for your group is already spelled out. You only need to create a plan that makes progress toward that goal.
If you do not or cannot get a goal for your group, you must create one and then plan how to attain it.
2. ". . . and their assignation for execution to staff . . . "
Once you have a plan, you can break down the plan and decide who will do each step. You give out assignments to your staff (assignation means to assign something). You ensure they execute (do) those assignments.
You may need to hire a few people and train many others. You issue written instructions. You make it clear what each person must do to complete the plan.
3. ". . . and the proper coordination of activities within the group . . . "
A key job of a manager is to organize the activities. You get all parts of the operation working with the other parts. You hire, train and supervise the people.
Hold meetings if necessary. Adjust work loads. Set up schedules. Make the staff work together.
4. ". . . to attain maximal efficiency . . ."
You must also cut out wasted effort. The more efficiently your group can do its job, the faster you reach the group's goal.
Remove the distractions. Get everyone focused on the important aspects of their jobs. Improve the group's speed at completing tasks.
5. ". . . with minimal effort . . . "
If you make the work as easy as possible, you get more done. So if you see an employee doing a job the hard way or otherwise suffering from the job, you must step in and help.
Constantly look for ways to reduce the effort of the group. For example, computers often make everyone's jobs easier. Training manuals help people learn their jobs faster so they don't need to learn through trial and error.
6. ". . . to attain determined goals."
All these steps boil down to the final, most important step of management: Reach the goal.
If all five previous parts of this definition are in place, you will reach your group's goals.
Summary
Now that you understand the six parts of this definition, you know more than most executives about the purpose of management.
"Management could be said to be the planning of means to attain goals and their assignation for execution to staff, and the proper coordination of activities within the group to attain maximal efficiency with minimal effort to attain determined goals." -- L. Ron Hubbard
Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you. Copyright © 2005 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here. |
