Provide evidence and 700–800 words of critical reflection on your professional experience in at least two out of the following four areas:
• managing and leading people;
• managing finance, budgets and systems;
• managing customers, marketing and business development;
• Managing operations, purchase & supply, and product design & development.
In my opinion, leadership is a set of skills that drive businesses. Most business owners are usually leaders as it is they who dream about the business in the first place, then later put in place strategies that actualize the dream. Leaders should inspire people to work together to achieve a predetermined set of objectives by consoling, motivating and working with the people they lead to keep them focused on achieving these goals.
Managers on the other hand drive the business and operationalize the ideas predetermined by the leaders. They establish systems, operating procedures and policies etc. that drive a business to attain its desired goals. In my career, I have managed a variety of employees and realized that in order to get work done, I had to take note the following factors:
Personalities – These are usually influenced by cultural, racial, religious, sexual, and educational backgrounds to mention but a few. It is important to understand an employee’s orientation in the above aspects in order to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of each individual employee.
Age - I also realized that age plays a big role in people management. Young employees are usually keen to learn, are more flexible and are still at that stage of their lives where their minds are open therefore making it easier to couch and mentor them into what you desire, whereas older employees have almost already decided on how they think things should be done and may be a little difficult to mould though they may be more experienced.