Sunday, March 30, 2008

Get it Done / Work hard


Rule 35

“ Genius is 1 per cent inspiration, and 99 per cent perspiration”
Thomas Edison

The fundamental Rule of Management, I’m afraid, is get the basic job done, get it done well and work bloody hard at it. No good being a fantastic people manager if you let the basic job slip. You may have to get into the office earlier than anyone else, earlier than you’ve ever got there before, but get in early you must.

Once you have cleared your work out of the way you can concentrate on managing your team. Paperwork has to be done efficiently and on time. This isn’t the place to go into lengthy training sessions on time management and the like, but basically you will have to be :

* organized
* dedicated
* ruthlessly efficient
* focused

No choice I’m afraid. You have to knuckle down and get on with it. Management isn’t swanning around issuing orders and looking cool. It’s actually about what goes on in the background – the work being done where no one sees it.

And if you want to know if you are being a good manager now – take a look at your desk. Go on. Right now. What do you see? Clear space and order? Paper everywhere and piles of unsorted stuff? Do the same with your briefcase, files, computer even. Order or disorder?

You have to use whatever tools you have to hand to make sure the work is done, done well, and done on time. Make lists, use pop-up calendars on your computer, delegate, seek help, stay up late, get up early, get up earlier – obviously you still need to refer to Rule 71 : Go Home, you have to have a life. But get that work done and learn to be ruthlessly efficient.

“Managing Yourself
The Rules of Management by Richard Templar"

Photos by Microsoft Office