THE NUGGET
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
- John Quincy Adams
EAT-IN
All employees are human beings, with human feelings, and their efforts cannot simply be switched on or off like a light bulb. They need direction from their supervisors.
A few top officials in any organization are given the task of directing the organization’s activities and the work of others. They are called directors. What are these directors expected to do and why should a few direct the masses?
Directing the work of others is a demanding task .More so if this is combined with directing the course of organizational growth. The experience, temperament and maturity needed, are not easily attained by many people. This is why only a few have succeeded to climb to the level of director in any organization. However, for our today’s thought, directing the work of others is also the task of first line supervisors.
Therefore, we will consider directing as a managerial function rather than a CEO function.
A manager is expected to achieve goals through people. He must therefore, be good at leading and directing both the people and their work. Directing requires focusing people’s skills, time and energy on organizational goals. This function involves staffing, communicating, motivating and coordinating work groups.
The directing function of management is challenging because it involves people, the organization’s most valuable and complex asset. Effective management of this function is crucial to an organization’s success.
The core function of human resource managers is directing. To be successful, managers must motivate and direct their employees’ energies towards planned goals; must communicate and discuss goals and strategies and must make sure that their employees are working together effectively. It is the scarcity of resources that makes the managerial task of directing crucial.
Directing also includes succession planning and promotional recommendations. Institutions are growing species; there must be plans and resources directed at ensuring their survivability.
TAKE-AWAY
You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration
- James Allen