Controlling Essay #2

Controlling is the final link in the functional chain of management activities and brings the functions of management cycle in full circle. Once the plans are set and the delegating as commenced, a good manager monitors the performance of others. What a manager gets from monitoring their employees performances, he then compares what has been accomplished, to the goals that he has set. And, as a manager, you may have to hold employees accountable for poor performance and fix any problems that would hinder you from making your company’s goals.

The controlling function involves monitoring the employee’s performance to make sure goals are being met. Evaluate your employees on a one- on- one basis. Get them alone and tell them what their direct supervisor sees, whether good or bad. Give the employee the opportunity to improve upon the problem. You may find that the employee can give you an insight into a problem that as a manager, you can fix.

When I worked as salesperson at a clothing store, not only did your department have quotas on sells for the week, but the salespeople had individual goals, too. When ringing up items, the computer would track your sales. I normally did pretty well at meeting my goals. However, the times I did not, my manager would pull me aside and inform me. She would speak to me as a friend and motivate me to do better. Letting me know that I was effecting the entire department with low sales would ground me. I wouldn’t want to affect the department’s performance, so I would try harder.

Comparing the employee’s performances with what you or the company’s goals are is an effective way to find out what needs tweaking. Someone within the plan may need to be motivated. Someone may need some direction. And, in some instances, the goal may be the problem. Sometimes it may be an outside source as the problem. Are we