“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
During the early times, a master considered his workers as machinery or slaves that could be bought and sold easily. They were subjected to long hours, miserable wages and undesirable working conditions; the more they increase production, the harder their work loads and get unjust treatment from people above them.
In the modern era, these barbaric practices were strongly opposed and laws concerning slavery, human trafficking or forced labor was enforced in order to protect the Human Rights in terms of labor and employment. Many advocates and labor unions fought even in the streets and were not afraid to die defending this cause.
As time passes by and technology advances, the need for people to catch up with their knowledge and skill increases so as to take full advantage of the new methods or tools that were designed to facilitate the demands of this fast-paced world. However, for your business to grow and remain healthy you must master certain basic skills in management and leadership.
These skills will help you avoid the crisis situations where you have to do "whatever it takes to stay afloat". 1The basic skills include problem solving & decision making, planning, meeting management, delegation, basics of internal communications and managing yourself.* Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader.
2According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb, McKee, 2004). They found that:
· Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization.
· Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence:
o Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.
o Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.
o Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division is doing — relative to strategic business objectives.*
Being a manager gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the business but this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss. The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization. You must be trustworthy and able to communicate a vision of where the organization needs to go.
Successful businesses have good planning strategies, innovative management styles and effective leadership skills. Character will be tested; patience will be stretched to the limits; resources will be maximized. Management theories can be a good foundation; it is a trial and error system. Plans may fail; yet it helps to improve in managing your business and your people.
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