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What management is all about

It’s simply working with your people, treating them with respect, getting them to go up the ladder to reach greater goals. Giving orders is not enough; help them become champions, be there when they need you and give them the confidence that they can do it!  Give them the tools and continually strive to help them achieve greater heights and successes. Encourage them not to be afraid to make decisions. And above all, manage yourself. Leaders must demand high standards of themselves as well as others.

The late Peter F. Drucker has been one of the leading experts on management and its role regarding responsibility in the business arena for over 50 years> He has been called “the Father of modern management.” Drucker was an author, consultant and teacher and his 29 books have been published in many languages[i]. In his books he states that managers who succeed must possess the ability to not only manage their subordinates, but must have the ability to manage themselves.

He talks about creating an environment of trust. Goal setting is also vital for the manager. Drucker states that managers must define the problem, find the answer, make decisions and test the validity of the decisions against the outcome. He points out that the manager must understand her or his job in order to make the proper decisions. Knowing what their responsibilities are and successfully carrying them out is a primary prerequisite for the manager.

The Responsibilities, Functions and Duties of a manager are what we affectionately call “RFDs,” (Sherman & Perlman). Although the manager has many different RFDs, one of the primary ones involves recognizing a problem and making a decision on how to best deal with it. Encouraging personnel to be aware of marketplace changes and communicating these changes. Some examples of these changes may be a shift in population, such as younger consumers moving into a senior area, less disposable income because of increased unemployment, or other demographic changes.

Monitoring the overall performance of personnel in order to determine if they are performing their job and achieving their goals requires administrative skill.

The manager must function as coach, motivator and problem solver. Managers must be conscious at all times as to the behavior and performance of their people and deal with any negative aspects as they occur. Analyzing the activities of the staff that is falling behind can alert the manager as to what changes and what positive reinforcement is needed to give the employee more confidence in their job performance. When a manager overcomes obstacles or makes changes that may affect their results, it adds to productivity.

Procrastination is the road to failure – when things go wrong, analysis and action is the only way to find the solution.

Communicating information that results in successful outcomes is an important part of management. Getting the subordinate to work more efficiently by focusing on problems and solutions is a part of the manager’s RFDs.

As we say, “every problem becomes an opportunity if we find the solution.”

[1] Some of his more popular books include Managing for Results, Harper & Row Publishing, Inc.,(1964), , The Practice of Management, Harper & Row Publishing Inc.,(1954), Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management, Harvard Business Review Book (1998), and The Essential Drucker, Harper Collins Publishing,(2001)

Excerpts from the book, The Real World Guide to Fashion Selling & Management, Gerald J. Sherman & Sar S. Perlman. Fairchild Books, Division of Conde Nast Publications,

Gerald J. Sherman of Sherman & Perlman LLC, Marketing is a Boca Raton-based, author, marketing consultant and public relations person who has written several books and articles on these subjects. http://www.shermanperlman.com jerry@shermanperlman.com

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