To measure your performance from an entrepreneurial point of view  you need to conduct performance assessment based on personal (and team) customer satisfaction levels, rather than comparison to some pre determined performance management system. In addition non-managerial, professional career schemes will need to be available to ensure a motivating future with appropriate rewards that can be envisaged/embraced by all stakeholders.

In the “old days” as a traditional manager you were expected to control inputs and encouraged to reward those who learn and posses the best process skills. Functional responsibilities were to control the people, oversee organization roles and ensure the correct skills were applied to the task at hand.

As an entrepreneur will you need to manage outputs, reward achievement, develop market-focused competencies (knowledge and skills applied to the task at hand) and develop and lead an appropriate value system.

By the way…

Direct page viewers can go to main blog to check out other posts by clicking on the white “orglearn.org” in the header panel above!

While you’re here take a look at the free blank resume form!

Entrepreneurial Characteristics

Risk taker that can live with uncertainty

Adaptable to change and able to improvise

Can see how new innovations satisfy a market

Interested in effectiveness rather than efficiency

Either creative him/herself or able to utilize those who are

Has a desire to lead in his/her area of operation or market

A continuos learner willing to make and or tolerate mistakes

Flexible, willing to change direction as the circumstances dictate

Self possessed of a sense of urgency and stimulates that sense in others

Recognizes his/her shortcomings and empowers others who compensate

Finally you need to understand that as an entrepreneurial manager you need to develop a creative outlook on what is to be done in response to and as a result of interacting with a fast changing environment. You must be very conscious of the effect of your old paradigms (norms) on how you see things an overcome the need for stability and a reliance on systems. An ability and willingness to follow hunches is essential for an entrepreneurial manager.

So what do managers do and what are the pros and cons of taking a management role?

According to Peter Drucker managers:

• Set objectives.
• Organize.
• Motivate and communicate.
• Measure.
• Develop people.

Well then of course there’s the old tried and true, planning, organizing, acting controlling and leader roles managers are expected to undertake to be at least efficient let alone effective. As the need to be a leader/manager is the most prevalent role definition today we all need to be:

• sellers of the vision
• strong advocates for the mission
• implementers of the plan

Of course all this needs to be achieved whilst coming to grips with the mindless vagaries of indolent self centred staff, or worse trying to maintain control the excesses of the exuberant ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ bunch to ensure they don’t give away the profits.

To make things more complicated for those working in cross-cultural situations you have the frustration of… “EMPOWERMENT” no thanks just tell me what to do you’re the boss… or you want ME to take RESPONSIBILITY, or again ‘no thanks that’s too scary ANYWAY IT’S NEVER MY FAULT’.

Assuming we are good at the technical, human, conceptual/evaluative and cultural parts of our traditional management role how can we ensure we breakthrough the pack of average and/or even effective managers and become a SUCCESSFUL manager. When I say successful I mean how fast we are promoted through our organisation.

Two issues are critical. Firstly, if you look around any organisation it doesn’t take long to realise that successful people don’t get paid because they work hard (although most do), they get paid for taking responsibility, that’s where the money is, in being prepared to take responsibility for outcomes and selling our organization on our competence and willingness do what has to be done.

Secondly, a study some years ago conducted by “Luthans, Hodgetts & Rosenkrantz” on Effective v’s Successful managers shows (amongst other things) the interesting statistic that successful managers spend 48% of their time ‘networking’, while average managers spend 19% and effective managers spend 11%. So socialising & politicking and forming bonds of trust both inside and outside our organization will have a profound effect on our trip up (or down) the proverbial ‘greasy pole’.

‘IT’S HARD TO REMEMBER YOUR TASK WAS TO DRAIN THE SWAMP WHEN YOU’RE UP TO YOUR BACKSIDE IN CROCODILES’ (author unknown)

SO WHY BE A MANAGER AND WHAT DO YOU GET?

Status, Power, Monetary Rewards, Personal Satisfaction

WHAT ABOUT THE DOWNSIDE?

Loneliness, often no immediate feedback, the burden of responsibility for outcomes, lack of control as you need to rely on others, someone is always looking to take your position, an increased need for political savvy and sometimes onerous legal responsibilities and regulatory restrictions.

If you would like to read more about management and what’s involved here is the link for direct page viewers return to main blog pagecareer success to check out other posts!

If you are looking to move into a management position you may (will) need to update your resume with the appropriate management skills listed so take a look at the free blank resume form!

Finally before you decide to take on a management role best think long and hard about what you want for your career and the costs your striving for ‘success’ may bring.

If my memory serves me well Malthusian Law went something like this:

‘The world will never be overpopulated as population growth is limited by war, pestilence, famine and natural disasters.’

From a personal or individual perspective this means that if you are to survive you need to protect yourself from all these natural forces by astutely being somewhere where these occurrences are not likely to happen.

Now for many this is not possible, however if you are by chance lucky enough to have some control over your existence you should consider these factors carefully.

From a work-life point of view lets see what you can do to give yourself the best chance of surviving or even thriving.

WAR: Often times in your career you will come across a war at work. Interdepartmental rivalries, battles for limited resources, personality clashes and straightforward power struggles. It is human nature for us in conflict situations to seek allies or to be sought out as supporters for one side of an argument or another. Can I suggest if you are put in a situation where you are being recruited on a position, where others are in conflict, at all costs stay out of the fray and remain neutral. Keep away from the combatants and focus on your own job role and performance.

PESTILENCE: The major disease I have witnessed in organizations is that of “poor cultural attitudes”. Every organization has cultural norms that have grown over time based on the personalities within the company and or the legacy that others have left. Often the cultural norms of a company can limit or even destroy its competitiveness in ever changing markets. Our fear of change, reliance on how things have been done in the past, power groups with vested interests in maintaining the status quo and being blinded victims of our own past successes can all create very sick organizations. If you find yourself in a company that is maintaining traditions that are out of step with current market realities don’t hang around, go out and find a more healthy place to work.

FAMINE: Old style companies, working in ever shrinking markets, trying to survive on outmoded products or services will over time starve to death and if you stay on working for one of them you may well suffer the same fate. I have had personal experience with this when in Australia the government deregulated the banking industry and finance companies as a result were starved of funds and business opportunities. I hung on for a few years however those that updated their skill set and changed industries early did best over the years that ensued. There are virtually no ‘real’ finance companies left in Australia today. Much of America’s traditional manufacturing is of course suffering, or has already suffered, the same fate.

*Link for direct page viewers return to main career success blog to check out other posts!

By the way if any of the Malthusian issues are currently impacting on your career you may like to take a look at the free blank resume form and take the law into your own hands by using the document to move on to less dangerous places of existence!

Finally…

NATURAL DISASTERS: Perhaps one of the greatest natural disasters that can befall  most of us from a work perspective is a takeover or merger. In this type of scenario there will be all sorts of misinformation, false promises and spin floating around and you will have two choices, stay and be part of the rescue process to rebuild the new radically changed organization or head out on the first evacuation flight you can get. In the merger I was involved in I chose the former however after two years, even though I had a more senior and better paid position, I didn’t like the culture and business practices of the new organization and resigned. Some of my former colleagues from day one of the merger process resisted the change and were offered a handsome golden handshake. In retrospect I should have taken the same approach. Now you might find this to be counter intuitive however when you are part of a takeover/merger you should consider your future and your options very carefully and remember no matter how smart you are no one is indispensable. I guess if you can maneuver yourself into a position of getting enough money to live and study enough to gain new and more sought after skills in a new company, or perhaps even different career, you may well be better off over time.