Surfing the Job – or ‘How to ride the waves of management’
In the ‘new’ recession driven world, being able to ‘ride the waves of management’ is becoming more complex and difficult as these waves themselves take on an ever-changing size and shape.
It is essential the manager has the skills, knowledge and attitude needed to:
- Recognise these ‘waves of management’
- Build the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed in self and others
Supporting the ‘rider of the waves’ is their surfboard, and in terms of the job this is the people who make up any support teams, plus the resources in financial and material terms that give framework to the role.
In the 1970’s to the 1980’s a team of occupational psychologists identified the core skills necessary to be an effective and efficient manager. These were to manage information, communicate effectively, and the interpersonal skills in all aspects of managing the interface with other people.
These are still vital core skills. However, over the last few challenging years with even faster changes and increased pressures, there is the need to take a fresh look at the skills, knowledge and even more critically the attitudes to build a more robust ‘surfboard’ of support to meet today’s challenges.
The ‘ocean of management’ now crashes with waves of ‘doing more with less’, the global village with its cultures and equalities, the communication and information explosion, individual choice and expectations, customer experience and perceptions, never ending competition, and not to forget the triad of balance – quality, time and costs.
To ‘manage’ the tides, current, winds and unpredictable nature of these waves, the manager will need to develop and practice the key skills of understanding and developing coping strategies, with a real appreciation of self, and then others. The manager must do this by being able to maximise the time available whilst minimising ineffective stresses and using the real power and calming effect of networks of all types.
About the Author: Dave Stent is an Associate of The McQuaig Psychometric System (brought to you by Holst). To contact Dave email him at davestent@mcquaig.co.uk or find him on Linkedin. To find out more about the McQuaig Psychometric System visit www.mcquaig.co.uk or call 0203 111 9292
