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Leader vs. Manager

Leader vs. Manager
Leader vs. Manager – what is the connecting thread? Who is a Leader? A leader is always looked up to, by his followers as they are truly inspired by his personality, behavior and the power of his words and actions. The intellectual ability of a leader is definitely on the higher scale than a non-leader and also the perceptual ability and decision making skills are amazing. The main idea of pondering over leadership is that how the qualities of a leader make him more successful and how those unique qualities can be acquired by a manager of a firm to influence a group towards achievement of goals. What makes a leader unique? Every individual is bestowed with at least one special quality that makes him unique. A leader obviously is inherent with so many good traits and qualities that influence others and the best part of the story is that he understands his own potential and employs the right skills at the right time. It is basically a personal quality of character in a man that influences the behavior of others in a productive manner.     Top 10 qualities of an effective leader; A man of charisma-the followers should be attracted by his magnetism and willingly contribute to the cause Should have a clear idea of future plans-Here he differs from the manager who is concerned more about the productivity Should be action-oriented, dare to achieve the impossible Should be tough at heart -stick to his principles and not a victim to circumstances Should be  flexible, when it comes to the #welfare of his people Maintain integrity and humility Value-driven to gather trust Open and honest in his endeavors Creative-the ability to think out of the box Should possess sense of humor that makes him an affable person and even serious issues can be dealt with ease     Is Manager a Leader too? Is it necessary that a manger has to be a good leader too? Of course yes. By virtue of being selected for the post of the manger, a person cannot manage the show. Unless he possesses the true qualities of a leader he cannot pull the strings tight and lead the organization in the right track. Without the right elements of leadership, he merely becomes a care-taker enjoying his pay and perks. He will not be liked by his subordinates if he doesn’t have that drive to make a mark of himself as an assertive person and in due course of time either he becomes the entertainer of the firm or he loses his integrity, both of which is not good for the organization’s efficiency and productivity. Roles of an efficient manager: A manager has the necessity to prove himself in terms of planning, formulating strategies, successful completion of targets, increased production, increased sales, acquisition of more orders, managing his team without much conflicts and above all make the team to abide by and obey his rules. A manager to be a successful leader need not be aggressive to prove his point but tough and determined to get things done. Big corporate firms frame ‘systems’ which are nothing but templates of action incorporating all the elements needed for execution in a tailor made fashion. A manager has to now focus on the strategic elements of management since the technicality is being taken care of by the systems. What is the right management approach? Managers expect subordinates to nod their heads in approval to whatever they say. This not the right approach; there should always be a reciprocal relationship between both the parties as in the case of a leader and his followers. A give and take policy makes you more...
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Nature of Organizational Planning

Nature of Organizational Planning
Nature of Organizational Planning What is Planning? “Planning is an intellectual process, the conscious determination of courses of action, and is a continuous process of decision making with built in flexibility.”- Herold Koonz and Weirich Planning is the most basic and primary of all management functions on the premise of which other functions evolve. It would be appropriate to compare planning to the basement or foundation of a building upon which the entire system rests. Planning bridges the gap from where we are to where we want to go. Planning involves selecting the best objectives and deciding on the suitable course of action. When we talk about planning, control is another entity that tags along like inseparable two-sides of a coin. Without planning there is no control and without control planning becomes meaningless. NATURE OF PLANNING: Prime function of management: Planning is the key to all other functions of management like organizing, leading, staffing and controlling. Is a continuous process: Plans need periodic review in the wake of external environment and internal resource potential and thus is a continuous process. Is an intellectual process: What is to be done, when, who and how are the very important questions that loom before a manager before making every decision. He has to use his intellect in order to make the right plans before acting. Is all pervasive: It penetrates right from the top to the bottom level of management, but it is the responsibility of the managers or executives at the top level to make the right moves at the right time. Is flexible: One has to understand that flexibility is restricted when it comes to irretrievable costs already incurred in fixed assets, training, advertising etc. Is goal oriented: Planning starts with setting up of objectives and completely goal oriented.   TYPES OF PLANS: Purpose or Missions: Basic task of an organization. For example, teaching and research can be attributed as the basic function of an educational institution; the purpose of business is to produce, distribute goods and make a surplus. Objectives: These are the goals that have to be accomplished by the organization. Corporate companies chart out their production plan well in advance to meet the requirements on time. For this they break the objectives into short term goals i.e., for a quarter based on the sales forecast. This kind of planning gives clarity and direction for the production team to achieve the goals. Strategies: These are the set of action plans designed in order to achieve the future objectives backed up by long term perspective in the wake of environmental analysis and give direction in which the resources have to be channelized. Policies: These are basically the guideline books that direct the course of the organization’s function as what to do and what not to-do. They see to that the decisions made fall well within certain boundaries in order to ensure fair and equitable treatment to all the employees. HR policies govern all the functions related to pay, promotion and other disciplinary mechanisms related to the work force. Procedures: They are programmes designed to carry out the activities of the organization in a specified manner. The procedures for placing a purchase order, payment collection etc., Programmes: A programme is the sum total of goals, policies, procedures, rules, task etc., For example, new product development may be cited as a major programme while promotional campaign may be cited as  a supporting programme. Budget: No plan is feasible without a budget allocated to it. A budget is a numberised programme and more of a control device. Revenue budgets, expense budgets, production budgets to name a few. Zero base budget: This kind of budget does not take into account the previous year’s performance record or budget but treats every progarmme afresh and starts working from ground up. Each programme is treated as a separate...
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