Top Mistakes Managers Make … and How to Avoid Them !!!

A Quick Quiz n Managers make mistakes because … –they’re dumb –they don’t care –they’re in a hurry –they’re mean –they’re poorly trained –they focus on the visible rather than the important –they haven’t a clue

Quick History of Business Mistakes n No sense of customer –RRs, Ford, IBM, People Express n No value of subordinates –Harold Geneen, Deming gospel n No listening –Edsel, Osbourne computers, Kiwi n No seeing beyond self –autos & steel of 60s, Bill Gates?? n and some recoveries! –new Coke

Top Ten (Recent) n Failing to listen –keep ears open & mouth shut n 80% effort for 20% results –inability to prioritize work issues n Failure to learn –doing same thing & expecting different results n Living in world as I want it to be –reality beats fantasy every time n Making false assumptions –verify your information

Top Ten (Continued) n Failure to communicate –words/actions mean different things n Inflexibility –what worked last time … n Polishing images instead of results –no limit to what one can achieve if you don’t care who gets credit n Forgetting your customers –internal & external customers n Check the details!

Sharing Some Personal Nominees n Positive discipline –book vs. real-world »situation must support solution n Delegation is easy –not too little & not too much n Team from hell –downsizing by team decision n other stories

Basics of Good Management n Common sense –set real goals, make good decisions n Common courtesy –involve people, share the praise n Hard work –set the example n Magic –excitement & enthusiasm … leadership –“imaginization” & creativity

Five Steps to Good Decision Making n State problem/decision re organizational goal –often hardest step n Gather information to understand issue –facts … and opinions n Develop alternative solutions –brainstorming … do not limit to obvious solution n Choose best alternative –devil’s advocate approach n Implement with benchmarks … & evaluate –no management decision is 100% right

Some Recommended Books n Classics: Drucker, Practice of Management … Simon, Administrative Behavior … McGregor, Human Side of Management n History: Goodwin, No Ordinary Time … Womack, et al., The Machine that Changed the World n Economics: Heilbroner, Worldly Philosophers … and, Modern Economic Society n Modern: Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People … Peters & Waterman, In Search of Excellence … Davidow & Malone, The Virtual Corporation … Morgan, Imaginization