Management Is 10% Work And 90% People
You might have heard that saying at one point in your professional career and if not, you are hearing it today.
The saying, “Management is 10% work and 90% people” initially sounds derogatory towards management and it really isn’t meant to be.
In fact, many successful managers have used this saying in empowerment speeches where they are teaching leadership skills to their teams or when speaking at a university.
They call it the “secret to their success.”
But is this management rule of thumb really the key to becoming a successful leader, or is it just another catch phrase used by motivational speakers?
Of course, there needs to be a good balance when working within a team environment and the leader has to realise the importance of his people otherwise they could revolt and productivity could drop as the team begins to lose direction.
Being a competent management professional requires some finesse and the understanding that you can’t do it all on your own. Your people are the ones that get the work done and that make management’s decisions come to life.
Respect and Effective Management
For many, this all comes down to respect. A mutual respect of your people and them of you.
The very definition of management is “accomplishing work through others” and to do that, you have to show them the respect they deserve if you want them to continue doing the work you need done.
While much of this respect seems to be lost through the digital transition as people don’t really speak face to face as often as they once did, effective managers will take the necessary steps to ensure communication between them and their people is as real as possible and that their people know they are valued and a needed part of any project.
Now back to the “10/90 rule”.
While that might sound good and it could motivate any good leader to show his team how much we values them, is 10/90 really an accurate ratio?
After all, it isn’t easy and leaders often carry the weight of any project and it success, or failure.
Management deserves some credit as well as they have worked their way up the ladder and earned their position through hard work and dedication to the company.
Should we change the saying to “Management Is 40% Work And 60% People”?
What do you think?
Leave us a comment below and share your thought with other readers.
