Broadly speaking, “Management” is the act of administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a not-for-profit organization, or a government body. It includes the activities of setting the strategy of an organization and coordinating the efforts of its employees (or of volunteers) to accomplish its objectives through the application of available resources – in particular, financial, natural, technological, and human resources. The term “management” might also refer to those people who manage an organization – viz., the managers.
As an MBA/PGDM, your prime job would be to impress people with your skills so that you are able to get the contract or whatever you are looking for. The whole aspect of impressing people is an art, nevertheless. Understanding people is a tough job, and there is no doubt about this!
However, there are a few points that can help you become the apple of everybody’s eyes (Yes, even your boss!) and we are here to lay down those points at your service.
Important Factors of Management
- Reading:Yes, it is an especially important factor. People who read tend to understand others quickly because literature is life and characters are people. So, you must read management books, motivational books, novels, etc. Underline the important lines, make notes, remember the context, and then use this art of reading in public. How? Quote from them! When you meet people during coffee breaks to discuss work and take a five-minute break from talking numbers, gently discuss your hobby. Tell them which book you read and what you are currently reading, what is it about and how they should read it too. You may suggest books that they can read and enjoy. In no time, the person sitting opposite would be impressed by your vast knowledge and when you come back to the work part, he will listen to you intently. Know that, reading never fails people and you should take up and enhance this hobby.
- Networking:Another important factor is “Networking”. It is especially important to enhance your networking skill to win people. You must socialize with them by meeting, calling, emailing, take part in social events, interact with people, tell them about yourself and your job profile, get to know the other person, exchange numbers, organize meetings, etc. – these are several ways to develop your network. Another thing that works is, make your account on social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn and keep it strictly professional. The networking site forms a chain of people and gives you an opportunity to interact with people from various fields. When in a job and going out to meet a client, be gracious, polite, courteous, and professional. Avoid getting too friendly with the clients, stick to the work you are there for and pay attention to details. You must also prepare yourself beforehand for the presentation, think of the questions your client might have and imagine yourself giving the answers. People generally like a confident personality and it is especially important that you exhibit the same.
- Email Etiquette:You can work hard and do everything in your control to make it the best presentation for your client but what ruins it, is how you finally send them the presentation. A lot of people don’t know the proper email etiquettes; there is a way of communicating your ideas and many lack that communication skill. A good email consists of professionalism as far as the point information is concerned, plus a little bit of flattery. Remember, the person receiving the email is not your friend, so don’t go about getting personal on them. You must just talk about the purpose of sending the email, attach your presentation and say you look forward to hearing from them. When applying for a job, the most important is to draft your covering letter and change it accordingly from time to time depending on the job profile. Also, don’t CC your application, but send individually to everyone.
- Basic English & Verbal Communication: English is important. There is no doubt about it. We are in a country that has made English a language for doing business, you already know that, so there can be no excuses for shoddy English. If you need to enroll yourself in basic English and personality development classes, you should definitely do it. Your job profile basically means meeting a lot of people, selling your business, answering their queries – and so, you must communicate in impeccable English while doing so. People normally get greatly impressed by someone who has good communication skills, one who knows how to be polite and firm at the same time. Confident speakers generally do well in the company because they know how to play with words and gently sweep their way into someone’s mind. It is advised that you watch American and British series, Hollywood movies, read books – all these will help to enhance your vocabulary. Try to speak in English with your family and friends for practice. Developing this skill takes time, but you will surely get there sooner or later.
- Tactical Skills:The world is a cruel office with cutthroat competition! No matter how much you dream about working at your dream job, no place is perfect. Office politics is everywhere, people will try to pull you down at every chance they get, so what will you do in such a case? You will have to Manage! So, learn how to tackle things, difficult situations, and more so, difficult people. Try to impress them, flatter them, do their work, because yes-man-ship goes a long way in polishing your career. But, be warned – just this is not enough; your work should be up to date as well. You must ensure that nobody should be able to point fingers at you when it comes to your work.
We hope this list gives you some ideas about how to go about your job. As a student of management, your job profile will include meeting a lot of people that will help you along in your career. Somebody rightly said, “Management is 10% work, 90% people” … and yes, this is the crux of the art of management!
We are not saying work is not important. It is no doubt important. However, presenting that work includes people and you need to keep those people at an extremely high level. One more thing that you need to keep in mind is that, to tackle people you need to keep your temperament at a balanced level. Some people might annoy you, and we do not blame you for that, but you need to keep your calm if you want to reach heights. Keep yourself focused and only think about your goals.
Wish you Good Luck!