Top Management Story

Writen by Rosemary Johnston

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?

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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