What is a Manager?

The title doesn’t matter.

You may be called a manager, supervisor, controller, team leader, director or whatever new and meaningful designation the management textbook wordsmiths have crafted lately.

You may be managing already, just starting out as a supervisor with a small section, or a professional person whose seniority now needs the addition of some management skills.

Wherever you are, CYM’s principles will help you, because the principles of managing people are universal.

You know that seniority doesn’t automatically equate with ‘good management’, because you see it doesn’t every day at work, don’t you?

AND, without flattering you, you’re doing some thinking about management and you’re interested in taking on new skills, or you wouldn’t be reading this. You’ll be able to apply what you read to your particular circumstances without much difficulty. And CYM adds its own reminders where necessary.

You may be aspiring to a management career and want to get an idea of what it’s all about. CYM is for you, too. It will help you to avoid some of the pitfalls managers have to dig themselves out of!

A manager uses resources to achieve results that add value. In other words, what you achieve is worth more than the individual bits separately. We don’t need a more complex definition, but we will examine it in some detail.

As a manager, your most valuable resource is - you. Maybe you haven’t thought of yourself like that before. If not, it’s time you did. You are the only resource you cannot do without. If you’re not functioning as effectively as you can be, then it’s unlikely that your other resources are.

Generally the resource that causes managers the most problems is - people. This is often not because of the people, but because of the managers.

So, you won’t be surprised that most of CYM is about the effective management of the ‘people resource’.

‘Poor management’ is one of the most often quoted reasons for people leaving their employers.

Everything depends on them, and they depend on you.

We’ll set out to ensure that you are functioning as effectively as you possibly can be. You owe that objective to yourself, to your employer and to your colleagues. If you think it sounds a touch pretentious, you don’t yet think you’re important enough. You will soon!
What distinguishes those at the top of their chosen professions from others is as much about their understanding and constant practising of the principles that matter, as it is about natural talent and personality.

Arnold Palmer, the champion golfer, once said - “The harder I practise, the luckier I get.”

You may not be going to the very top, or perhaps even want to, but you can lower your handicap and give yourself greater choice in your career progression.

Your people and your employer too, are going to benefit from the value you add to the results you achieve...

...which is what you’re paid to do.