What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager Essay Example

What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager? Essay What are the characteristics of a good manager? By Carolien Toor Introduction Over the years I have worked in many various businesses; large as well as small, from stressful to peaceful environments and during good times as well as bad times. What I learned, through my experience from the various firms I worked for was the role the manager had in the workplace and how it affected me as an employee. When set this task I started to reflect how my past managers acted and how they got me motivated. Some managers succeeded and stayed focused even under difficult circumstances, while others made the workplace a difficult and confusing environment to work in. Why did some manager succeed far better than others when it came to motivation, organising and being a good manager even under bad times? What characteristics had the successful managers, which the others ones lacked? This is what I found when determining what are the characteristics of a good manager. Characteristics develops from the company’s context What makes an effective and good manager? According to Cheryl L. Harris, â€Å"understanding the context of the organization is extremely vital to determining the characteristics of a successful manager†1 (pg 1) and that should correspond to what kind of characteristics a manager ought to have to organize and develop goals and strategies for the company. I agree that Harris have a point that before choosing a manager we must consider the appearance of the company and aspects of management styles. We will write a custom essay sample on What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What Are the Characteristics of a Good Manager? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Imagine if a manager, taking over Steve Jobs role as CEO of Apple, would introduce strict management style, new black suit dress code to the company. He’s characteristics would possible not fit to Apple’s ‘laid back’ culture. Also mentioned by Buckingham and Coffman2 â€Å"an employee’s perception of the physical environment is colored by his relationship with his manager and it is the manager’s task to build the company culture around the blueprint† (pg 4). This conclusion was drawn when investigating, in a large survey, mployee’s satisfaction, productivity and profitability at work in reflection to their manager. Managers, who communicated with the employees in crystal clear language and gave recognition for their work, were managers who had abilities to retain talented employees and built a strong workplace. Kathryn Vercillo3 lists self-motivation number one of the most vital characteristics, as a manager needs to understand t he basic goals of the business and develop own strategies to achieve these goals. I consider that managers who can recognise their own strengths and weaknesses and progress and develop these as well as ideas and strategies are managers who are very credible to develop colleagues and expand the business, since they see every opportunity to grow and learn. Crises- when strong characteristics appears and managers gets put to the test â€Å"In a crisis it’s far easier for the company to emerge intact if the CEO makes sure that all the employees know there is a crisis, what the management is doing about it, and what everyone must do to help. Louis V. Gerstner former CEO of IBM about clear and honest communication. (Who says elephants can’t dance, 2002, pg 285) There is a saying that when a man faces a crisis his true personality emerges. The impact of stress and uncertainty can make us act and think different than we normally do. Should not then the most significant features of what makes a good manager be most obvious and have the most importance on ho w to cope and handle a crisis? In the book Who says elephants can’t dance4 written by Louis V. Gerstner (2002), former CEO of the global IT service and product company IBM, tells us the story how he manage to save IBM from closure and make one of the most remarkable turn-around in business history. In 1993 IBM was a technical product company, selling computers but lost their relationship with customer, since the market kept changing and the company did not react. So when there is a crisis, it’s the manager’s job to inform the employees that there is a crisis and communicate how to end it with new strategies, new company model and culture. Gerstner described having that key characteristics such as flexible, excellent customers service and relations, outstanding leadership and communication skills and understanding in the company’s culture are vital qualities to move the company quick and fast in comparison to competitors, to motivate employees and create a strong relationship between customers and shareholders. Not only did Gerstner emphasized that the culture plays a necessary part to analyze how things get done in the company, but having the ability to see what was wrong with the culture and manage to adapt a new management style and culture in the company since 1970. As a successful manager, Gerstner managed turn IBM around (from having losses over $8. 1 billion 1993, till a profit of $ 7. 7 billion in 2003) thanks for outstanding leadership skills and being passionate about winning and push the colleagues not only to win but encouraging change. And I can only agree with Gerstner: â€Å"we love to work for winners and be a part of winning† (pg 238). Conclusion Looking back at the managers I have come across in my past jobs, the characteristics that good managers had that was highly appreciated by colleagues was having a manager who could guide, motivate, communicate, competitive, self-motivated and understanding the organisational context. Louis V Gerstner had some of the world’s most intelligent staff, knowledgably in all areas of their subject but without knowing the direction and vision of the company; the employees had no sense of motivation or vision on how to carry out their jobs. I believe one of the key ability of a good manager is being a team player and when a company faces hard times in the business one must work as a team, speaking the same language and being visible to your employees. As a conclusion of what characteristics makes a good manager I believe the workplace decides what characteristics a manager needs to have, and customers and the marketplace should decide what decisions a manger should take and how to develop its business. Bibliography Internet sources 1Cheryl L. Harris, Characteristics Of Effective Managers- Managerial Characteristics http://www. yramidodi. com/papers/managers. pdf 2010-10-23 2Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, First, Break All The Rules. What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Simon Schuster, May 1999) http://www. itcoaches. org/pdf/First%20Break%20All%20The%20Rules. pdf 2010-10-22 3Kathryn Vercillo, 10 Good Traits And Characteristics Of A Successful Manager http://www. hubpages. com/hub/10-Traits-of-a-Successful-Manager 2010-11-03 Books 4â€Å"Who says elephants can’t dance† Louis V Gerstner, HarperCollins Publisher, 2002

Movies about da hood essays

Movies about da hood essays I have elected to take a closer look at movies that deal with the ghetto social institution. There have been several movies that attempt to depict the harshness of growing up in predominantly black urban neighborhoods. The three films that I have selected are what I believe to be the top three films in this genre. They are Boyz N Da Hood, Menace to Society, and Juice. All of these films try to send a message about what it is like to live in da hood. The first film, "Boyz N Da Hood" marked the directorial debut of John Singleton, a gifted director. It seems as if he put his heart into making this film. There would be mixed emotions from many people about this film, but specifically you knew Singleton was trying to send a message about the low points, not really all points, of what went down in South Central back in the day. It starts off with elementary kids going to school, and encountering a dead body in an alleyway. Already you're somewhat shocked they aren't crying for mommy or anything. This is different from Bel Air, though. The main character in the story Tre, gets into a fight and is sent home. According to a deal he made with his mom(Angela Bassett), if he got in one more fight, he has to go live with his pop(Lawrence Fishburne.) His father lives elsewhere in south central. On his first day there Tre has to rake the lawn. He has friends, his best friend Dough Boy (Ice Cube), and Dough's brother Chris. Dough tries to pick a fight with some big guy and gets whooped. Later that day Tre and his dad go fishing, talk about how Tre has to try to get out of the hood, do his best to be the best he can. They come back home and Dough Boy gets arrested. We flash a few years ahead, Tre(Cuba Gooding Jr.) is now a senior, he's best friend's with Dough's brother now. Dough Boy(Ice Cube) has just been released from prison. Tre is doing pretty good at school, has a girlfr...

Significant influence that the 1900,1904,1908,1912 and 1916 Olympic Research Paper

Significant influence that the 1900,1904,1908,1912 and 1916 Olympic games had in the world - Research Paper Example At a political level, the games bring together people from many nations, with different religious, cultural and economic backgrounds. This makes the Games a mosaic of the entire gamut of human civilization. (Wallechinsky, 2004) This essay will pertain itself those episodes of the Olympic Games that took place in the early decades of the twentieth century. These episodes are quite significant in that they played an influential role in shaping social and political developments to follow. The rest of this essay will further elaborate on this thesis. The 1900 Summer Olympic Games was a very colorful event, given that it took place in the cultural capital of Europe – Paris. In the Olympic events of this period, there were no awarding of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. Hence, medals were awarded to the top three athletes retrospectively. It then emerged that France, the host nation won most of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, followed by the United States and Great Britain. Compe titions were held for a total of 20 disciplines. These disciplines included Archery, Tennis, Rugby, Swimming, Athletics, Sailing, Equestrian, Polo, Golf, among many others. (Kamper & Mallon, 1992) But most importantly, it included events for women athletes and in this respect can be viewed as a path-breaking event. ... (Wallechinsky, 2004) The next edition of the Games was held in the United States, which was at the time an emerging global power. Hosted by St. Louis, Missouri, this event cemented United States' status as an important imperial power in global politics. New sports such as Dumbbells, Freestyle wrestling, Decathlon and Boxing were introduced in this event. The host nation won a majority of the medals, followed by Germany and Cuba. Since many of the athletes were amateurs at this time, their long naval voyage across the Atlantic had sapped them of energy and fitness. This made the competition skewed in favor of host nation's athletes, who easily won on many occasions. Yet, Germany managed to upstage other European nations in the medals tally – a sign of its growing stature in Europe. The political relations between America and European countries was amicable at this stage. But it would turn uncertain in a few years time, as the United States and Germany would be facing off on opp osing sides during the First World War. (Crowther, 2007) The following edition of Summer Olympics saw the Games' return to Europe, with London being the host city. It is interesting to note that all the nations that played host to the Games during the early decades of the twentieth century were imperialist powers with global political ambitions. So the Olympics were not merely an exhibition of sporting talent, as there was also national pride and political prestige at stake. The number of participant teams increased in this edition. As expected Great Britain, the host nation, topped the medals tally, with 56 Golds, 51 Silvers and 39 Bronzes. It was followed by the United States, Sweden and France. The historical diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States, which

Reaction paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Reaction paper - Assignment Example It was very important to her, this act of maturity, so much so that when, after visiting her semi-comatose mother at the hospital, she went out for lunch with a cousin and remembered that she had left them at her mother’s bedside, she made her cousin turn the car back and rushed in to retrieve them. Conversation in June About Mothers by Hwang Sun-Won is just that: a group of people gathered together in June and talking about mothers. A man related how his son, who had always been a daddy’s boy, ran back to his mother when she called out to him, rather than flee to South Korea with him. He claims that mothers are absolute beings for their children. A man disagrees, relating how his mother eloped with a lover when he was very small, never to return, and how much he hated her. He recounts that when he was wounded in a war, and was about to die, his mother’s apparition came to him, but he rejected her – his hatred being that strong. However, the group states that in effect it was his mother’s apparition that had saved his life. Another man tells the story of a woman who was escaping to South Korea in a boat with a group of people; for fear of being caught by the North Korean shore guard, she threw her crying infant into the river. The narrator feels a de ep hatred for the woman, however, before the hatred becomes permanent, the man relating the story tells the group that the woman was lactating and when her breasts became swollen, she cut off her nipples herself with

My Chosen Ethical Framework Essay Example for Free

My Chosen Ethical Framework Essay In the field of Human Services a worker is faced with ethical dilemmas on a everyday basis. In some cases,a client may want to make choices that may not be in their best interest. As Harry and Mahoney (1999) stated the paramount goal of human service workers is to enable people to live more satisfying,more autonomous,and more productive lives, through utilizing societys knowledge,resources,and technological innovations. However, this is not always an easy task. The NOHS preamble states â€Å"Characterized particularly by an appreciation of human beings in all of their diversity, human services offers assistance to its clients within the context of their community and environment. Human service professionals and educators uphold the integrity and ethics of the profession, partake in constructive criticism of the profession, promote client and community well-being, and enhance their own professional growth. (Ethical standards for, 1996) However, as we look closely at this preamble we can see that it may cause its own ethical dilemmas especially in the field of addiction. What choices does a addictive professional make when the community and environment that the client lives in is filled with drugs,violence, and crime. It is not unlikely, for an addict to seek help,having no support because family has lost all trust, being poor, vulnerable,and depressed. They may not see anyway out of an abusive relationship and may have even contemplated suicide. They may be a single parent or both partners are using with the child in the home. It is in these circumstances that they do not have the self determination to make the right decisions. While the client has the right to self determination, the counselor has a decision to make like suggesting hospitalization or if there is children living in the situation contacting D. S. S, which violates the clients confidentiality. According to W. D. Ross we are faced with conflicting Prima Facie duties, because of the harm one is doing to themselves or others, we now have a legal duty to report it and violate our clients confidentiality, privacy and intervene for their own safety or the child’s. Therefore Locus-Aggregative Utilitarianism theory,under Teleology could be the only solution for me, because I agree with the philosophy of â€Å"maximizing the greater good amongst greater amount of people†. By using this ethical framework I have now protected the client or the child by removing them from a harmful situation, protected myself and I have protected my agency from legalities. In fact, it is this theory in which I try to live by in my everyday life. I have been married for over 16 years and have 3 children. I always teach my children that their actions they take affects not only them but the community as well. The community may be in the house or in society. To always look for the greater good in everything they do. I have been known to take people into my home because it benefited them. Of course, things didnt always work out right but it still didnt stop me from doing the greater good,So I am definitely, Locus-Aggregative in which maximize the greater good amongst greater amount of people and I dont see me changing these values as I enter into the field of addiction. I would also state that I would follow by Act Utilitarianism because I believe it is important to violate my clients confidentiality in order to protect them,their child, the agency, and myself. While I may lose their trust, if they receive the help they need then then I have done the greater good. Therefore, the preamble to follow the teleology would be as follows â€Å" Human Services is to provide the most good with the least harm to the client and all those who have been affected by their disease, offer assistance to its clients within the context of their community and environment (NOSH) when there is the least harm† â€Å"Addiction professionals,licensed/certified treatment providers,recognize that the ability to do well is based on an underlying concern for the well-being of others. This concern emerges from recognition that we are all stakeholders in each others lives the well-being of each is intimately bound to the well-being of all; when the happiness of some is purchased by the unhappiness of others, the stage is set for the misery of all. Addiction professionals must act in such a way that they would have no embarrassment if their behavior became a matter of public knowledge and would have no difficulty defending their actions before any competent authority.

Indian Killer Essays -- essays research papers

In Indian Killer Alexie uses a pulp-fiction form, the serial killer mystery, to frame the social issues facing American Indians. He populates the book with stock characters such as a grizzled ex-cop, a left-wing professor, a right-wing talk radio personality, drunken bums, thuggish teenagers and a schizophrenic main character who serves as the most obvious suspect in a mystery that never quite resolves itself. John Smith, the troubled Indian adopted by whites appears at first to be the main character, but in some respects he is what Alfred Hitchcock called a McGuffin. The story is built around him, but he is not truly the main character and he is not the heart of the story. His struggle, while pointing out one aspect of the American Indian experience, is not the central point. John Smith’s experiences as an Indian adopted by whites have left him too addled and sad, from the first moment to the last, to serve as the story’s true focus. The damage that had been done to John Smith was irreparable from the moment the story began. His death, while a gloomy ending for his character, is in many ways a release from his torment, as demonstrated by his rising from the point of impact and leaving his body behind. The value of John Smith is to serve as an extreme example of the damage being done to Indian society. The heart of the story is the experience of Marie Polatkin. Unlike the somewhat stock characters that make up much of the mystery element of the novel, Marie is a fully real...

A Month to Live

A Month to Live Everyone should live like today is her last day because no one knows if it will be her last one. If I knew I only had a month to live I would try to focus on things that are most important to me. I would spend a lot of time in prayer. God, who knows me better than myself, also knows I would have a lot of request. First, I would try to get all my business affairs in order for my family. I would want them to know about the life insurance policies, retirement benefits, and other matters they need to check on.I would make sure I told them about any details that were important to me such as funeral arrangements or burial location. I would also try to figure out who I wanted to have any of my valuable or sentimental possessions. This way I could give it to them before I was no longer here. Even though these practical details are necessary, I would spend little of my limited time concentrating on my worldly affairs because there are more important things to do.Next, I would take a little time to reflect on my life to see if I needed to make peace with anyone. If I knew I offended someone or treated someone badly then I would definitely want to make amends. If I was holding a grudge or thought someone was holding a grudge against me I certainly would want to make things right for both of us. I would want my friends to know how much they all mean to me. I would be sure to tell my family members how proud I was of each of them and that I expected them to continue to take care of each other.I would even like to tell my ex-husband that I forgive him for not being there to help support his children when they were growing up. Third, I would focus on spending time with my family, especially my children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings. We could sit and talk about our lives and all the wonderful times we shared. I would take my family on a vacation together. Just being able to sit and talk with them, seeing their smiling faces or reaching over to give them a hug, or just hearing their voices.Their laughter would make me very happy during my last month. Spending time with them is all I would want to do. Just as my life revolves around taking care of them, their happiness would be my main focus till my death. Finally, I would want a little peace before I leave this world. For example, I would like to sit under the trees remembering my life; I would appreciate the star, the sunset, and just the natural beauty of the world. I hope I would be able to think of my life and know I would not trade it for anyone else’s.