Making Management Intelligent

It’s a new year and we are full of good intent, making resolutions we really believe we will keep. But many of us quickly fall back into the comfort zone of doing the same things we’ve always done. 



This has been well documented by thinkers and authors such as Malcolm Gladwell in his book ‘Tipping Point’. We often expect different results but we keep doing the same things, which Einstein defined as insanity. 

The reality is that to effect real and lasting change in anything is difficult unless you change your behaviour. And nowhere is this more true than in management.

I recently completed an Insights Discovery personality profile which was fascinating. As well as confirming what I already thought I knew, it also gave me real insights into areas I hadn’t previously been aware of. In particular there are sections on how to communicate with me, work with me and manage me. 

I’ve done similar profiles many times before but this time I thought about it more deeply. I thought about the experiences I’ve had in the way I’ve managed people and also the way people have managed me. Or maybe “mis-managed” is a better description. 

If we manage everyone in the same way, we are not being particularly bright. We have a way of working and we treat everyone exactly the same - irrespective of their personality and the way they think and respond to certain behaviour.

I’m sure you’ve experienced the micro-management approach of someone who literally sits on your back and asks you many times a day (or hour) for an update on a task. The drive people to deliver results but they are generally feared and mostly disliked. 

Another style maybe the ‘hands off’ manager who just lets you get on with it. This can work well for total self-starters, but some people need support and close co-operation to be effective. 

And that’s the whole point isn’t it - making sure that the right approach is used to get the best from people. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was reputed to have said “There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.”  That ancient wisdom is still relevant today and perhaps instead of making resolutions you won’t keep, take a closer look at your own behaviour. 

It may just be the smartest thing you do in 2013.