In a world that seems to not understand what management is about, it is no surprise that we want to know why good management is important. The answer lies in how we control our results and our destiny not in any new process or system.
We already have the answer and the know-how within and there are way too many processes and systems out there already.
It is time for us to be directed to something that has been with us since the beginning of time.
Allow me to turn the spotlight inward.
So, Why Is Good Management Important?
Good management is important because if we want to live well, internally and externally, it depends on how well we manage ourselves, our resources and our surroundings. Life is management. To enjoy a good, healthy life we must live congruently. This means that we must maintain our body, our mind, our emotions, our situations and our behaviours. We must ensure that they are in harmony with each other.
Unfortunately, we are taught to think of management only in terms of business and managing an organisation and its resources. However, the quality of our lives is determined mainly by how well we manage ourselves and the things within our sphere of control.
To manage means to succeed in doing something; to control or handle a difficult situation; to achieve the result that we want.
If we apply that understanding to expanding the concept and application of good management in our lives, it may well help us to sustain healthier and happier lives inside and outside of organisations.
Why Are Good Management Skills Important?
I have been practising management all my life. Truth be told, we all have. After almost 60 years of managing, I still cannot understand why management skills are not taught from our early childhood years.
We would have much more effective human resources if we do.
The concept of management is introduced to us much too late in life and it is time to change that. Good management skills, introduced early in life and reinforced consistently, will profoundly impact the quality of your life.
Let me ask you this.
Would you allow a heart surgeon who has not been able to save the lives of his patients during surgery to operate on you? I am certain that you would do your research first and make sure that you afford yourself the most successful surgeon that you can afford.
Not so?
Well, the same applies to good management skills. I want to know that the business manager who is guiding me is a good self-manager.
Does Good Management Make A Difference?
I will answer that with a couple of questions.
- Does a good heart surgeon make a difference?
- Does a good teacher make a difference?
- Does a good parent make a difference?
Chances are that you have answered “yes” to all three.
So, why are we so late to the party when it comes to management?
Our approach to management – good management must change.
As a young Actuarial Intern, I was taken aback when I heard stories about the personal lives of our managers and executives. It was always of concern that organisational managers who were failing in their personal lives were incongruent in the workplace.
There is no way that a person who is functioning incongruently can make congruent and healthy decisions.
The evidence of this can be observed and experienced every day within organisations in every industry, country and across all functions. When there is imbalance and chaos in our personal lives, we act out that way in our organisations.
When I reflect on the most successes I have had within an organisational setting, they are always when I was most authentic and aligned within myself.
ADDITIONAL READING >>>> How Can Congruence Be Applied In Real Life?
What Is Essential For Good Management?
In one word, congruence.
Congruence is essential for good management and it must begin with you.
There are 5 primary areas that demand good management in our lives;
- Our mind.
- Our body.
- Our emotions.
- Our energy.
- Our behaviours.
When any one of these areas is out of balance, it directly impacts every other one.
Have you ever had a headache, toothache or pain in your body? Did you find it challenging to concentrate, listen and do the things that would normally be easy for you to do?
Probably.
What about important life situations such as death, separation, divorce or losing your job?
These are major personal situations that if not well managed can negatively impact our performance in our personal and organisational lives.
Each of those situations requires good, healthy management if you want to emerge from them successfully.
I am not saying that failing has no place in how we manage our lives and our organisations. It does. What I am referring to is the consistent repetition of the same mistakes and behaviours that ultimately lead to failure.
Good management demands that we apply the learning from our results to adjust our sails and achieve better results. After all, management, as taught, is getting effective and successful outcomes by controlling and directing the resources at our disposal.
How Does Good Management Affect Employees?
If I practice good management in my personal life and bring those good management skills to the organisation, they will positively impact the quality of life within the organisation. The opposite is also true.
This is why it is imperative that we pay attention to good personal management in our lives.
How can you positively inspire, motivate and enable others if you are not acting from a position of satisfaction and happiness within yourself and your own life?
An organisation is a living thing. It is systemic and reacts to the collective thoughts, emotions, words, energies and behaviours in it. Good management will positively influence an organisation’s culture and directly impact how work is performed and what results are obtained.
In the years that we have been working with our individual and corporate clients to strengthen their congruence, we have been able to measure the impact on productivity and enployee engagement.
Across all sectors, there continues to be positive growth in numbers and the quality of life.
ADDITIONAL READING >>>> What Is The Future Of Organisational Development?
Some Closing Thoughts From Peter F. Drucker
We cannot talk about business management without talking about Peter F. Drucker.
In his book, ‘The Practice of Management‘, (1954), Drucker wrote:
Drucker was opposed to any form of bureaucratic management. He favoured creative management and believed that the role of management was to innovate.
Whilst others were focused on economics, he directed his years of research and work to the study of behaviour in the achievement of economic balance and success. This could be done, he felt, by combining both old and new ideas.
By doing so, we can use what works well and marry it with what emerges from the future, adapting as we go.
Even back then, almost 100 years ago, Drucker spoke about “speedy changes” and “the effect of these rapid changes on human life“.
His approach to becoming more effective was to apply the concept of management to the individual functioning of workers (employees). It made sense then and makes even greater sense today.
In essense, the most effective and sustainable way to control your organisation’s results and your individual success is to become a good manager of yourself.
Leave A Comment!
What are your thoughts about good management?
Do you have experiences with management that you would like to share with us?
Would you like to know more about congruence and how it can help you better manage yourself and your life?
If so, leave us a comment below.
We will be happy to get in touch and exchange thoughts and ideas with you.
About The Author
Cassandra is a Management Consultant, internationally qualified Facilitator, Executive Coach, Strategist and Behaviour Change Agent.
She enjoys travelling, exploring cultures and learning about historical and social networks and dynamics.
Her driving force is the education and development of her tween daughter. The roots of her inspiration to diversify her niche markets and the motivation to expand and scale her business investments rest firmly in this relationship.
This is the reason for building her legacy.