
As a manager our role is to:
1. Establish the vision, or our contribution to the vision.
2. Establish the plan and forecast for our management contribution, be it $1million or $1billion.
3. Gain endorsement of the plan and forecast, by the vision holders.
4. Manage the plan and reality to the vision-contribution.
This is very simple on paper.
Assuming we have achieved the first three, let's focus on the fourth as it is vitally important.
Firstly, too many managers make a subtle twist here and manage the deliverables to the plan forgetting that the vision is the ultimate goal! To tweak the plan as we go, means we may readily exceed our contribution to the vision within the time frame. This is a wonderful over achievement, there to for the having, if our eyes, ears and hearts are open to the possibility!
My client had a plan to deliver sales of budget for the year. Nearing the end of Q3 they found they had exceeded budget substantially and could set a new target 25% over the previous budget. All it required to be done was to continue to sell at the same levels. There had been no product withdrawals by the competition, no category killers by their own company, just an extraordinary and consistent performance.
Her focus was on the vision not the plan, the plan would have enabled her to relax in Q4 and focus on a killer Q1. The vision meant she could change the contribution now.
Secondly, compliance is the ability to have others deliver the vision. Our client's staff can be joined into the vision, be left out but still be expected to deliver it.
IT consultants have delivered huge IT project to enable technological advances in work processes for years. The average to poor ROI projects may have great IT but do not readily fit the culture or the creative energy of the company.
Again a subtle but profound twist occurs. We focus on the technology to deliver the results and serve its requirements, rather than finding the model of delivery and have the technology serve it!
The business model is established and the technology serves it, and example.
A consultant to QANTAS found they had over 100 interfaces for the IT group to maintain and support ? an enormous technical feat for their staff numbers! The issue arose as IT was too slow in partnering with the business units in making the decisions about the technology to support their initiatives.
He simplified the process of interaction to a one page intranet form and 24 hours for low budget projects; and, one page intranet form and rapid interaction for more complex projects. The businesses found it easy to engage IT and IT added value by delivering better technical help and support for their initiatives.
As a result no new interfaces were introduced, and, many were retired or relegated to less essential operational areas. Millions of dollars and man hours were also saved.
Is your management two dimensional and falling over for you, or three dimensional, challenging, interesting and dynamic?
This article may be reproduced in printed or web format, provided the resource box below is included.
Rosemary Johnston is a professional corporate and personal coach. Working with executives from some of Australia's largest and most successful companies for over 15 years.
Rosemary's new book, "How To Develop Your Leadership Style and Skills to Take Charge of Your Career and Life" is now available to download at her web site. Read about how you can share some of the success Rosemary has had coaching leaders in Australian blue chip companies. http://www.leadershipfirst.com.au
AP - Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza early Friday and Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel, indicating there may be no quick end to the fighting despite a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.
AP - Lawmakers are under orders to finish action on President-elect Barack Obama's nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan by mid-February. But already it is plain that a set of serious fissures need to be bridged if the bill is to be completed within five weeks.
AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.
AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.
AP - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.
AP - Just minutes after George W. Bush took the oath of office eight years ago, he signed papers formally nominating 13 Cabinet-level officials. Several hours later, the Senate, meeting in a special Saturday session, confirmed seven Cabinet secretaries, including the heads of the key posts at State, Treasury and Defense.
AP - Tim Tebow enjoyed the battering-ram runs. He liked the old-school jump pass. Drawing a rare penalty, that really made Tebow's day. With No. 1 Florida about to finish off No. 2 Oklahoma 24-14 for the BCS championship Thursday night, Tebow was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Reuters - U.S. employers probably cut the most jobs in at least 34 years last month as the global economic crisis gathered pace and moves by policy makers took time to filter through to struggling companies.
Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip, ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Reuters - Europe sought a swift restoration of gas supplies on Friday after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a pricing dispute with Kiev.
Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.
Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is urgently overhauling the $700 billion financial rescue package to broaden its scope beyond Wall Street, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
Reuters - An analysis of proposals to overhaul U.S. health care by President-elect Barack Obama and members of Congress suggests it is possible to insure all Americans without significantly raising total health spending.
AFP - Israel and Hamas launched heavy air strikes and rocket attacks on each other Friday, ignoring a UN Security Council order on the warring rivals to end their conflict.
AFP - The European Union demanded Friday that Russian gas supplies to Europe resume immediately now that details of a mission to monitor the flow through Ukrainian pipelines have been agreed.
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