Acknowledgement

Eliciting the phrase as an acknowledgement is the most  difficult task for a manager. Try sending a read receipt, requesting a  confirmation, it is always a miniscule percentage of people who respond  for acknowledgements. This is the lifeline for a manager. To make sure  communications reach all intended recipients and the recipients have  accepted it the way they want it and the way it is expressed.

Oft the information is consumed in 2 seperate streams - Processing for consumption or Processing for Expression. Choosing to do either or both depends on individual personalities and contexts. Driving the messages and channelizing them for an acknowledgement is the hallmark of the managerial profession.

Nods, blank gazes, wriggles, frowns, smiles give us a reality check to our expressions in live setting. It is with same zeal that we need to look for comments, queries, phrases, words that gives the closure to the exchanges.

Typically "call to action" is how experts advice us to complete our communication. While call to action evinces responses from the minority, it is the hard work of reaching out through multiple mediums that makes the acknowledgement come through from the majority of recipients.

To this need, management as a profession will long be alive and important in execution.

Uncovering Layers in Problems

When there is a problem, it is imperative to check the formulations that created it and layer the solutions with possibilities to arrest further such problems. As in health, any problem is a combination of failing pulse in multiple dimensions. Than fixing the symptom, it is important to cover across the spectrum to have a lasting resolution. Just as in a medical formulation, the solution needs to have potions that address various parts to a problem.

 Most problems occur in more than one composition. Few common ones to address are:

1. Structure: Most often, looking at structure or creating one in paper, you can expect, guess and pre-empt the extent of problem. It could be

1.     Differences in peer responsibilities,
2.     The level of access to information,
3.     Different roles but same responsibilities,
4.     Reporting relationships, etc

2. System: While structure is an arrangement and an assortment of pattern on the ground, systems are the arteries and roads through which the people dynamics, navigation, conversations and work takes place. You can bear with a structure with cracks for some time, provided you give a system to close the loops and gaps.

 As in,

1.     Are there open ended gateways that shoots the ball in wrong direction or leaks the ball before it is passed on to others,
2.     What are the unmanned getaways that are utilized to escape often
3.     Are there open and broken bridges that allow the ball to be dropped,
4.     Are there distinct turfs that operate independently and the chances of cohesion are being weakened,
5.     Does personalities dictate policies or policies applied to individuals on merits
6.     Are there common base ground to play the game and set of accepted rules to adhere
7.     Has there been a harmony between messages and actions

Till the systems work as a well-oiled synchronized engine, you have the most difficult task at hand.

3. Service: As long as the “Value” of the service is never understood in business, personal, commercial, productivity and career longevity terms, it is difficult to rally the groups around a simple dot. Service relates to people, stakeholders benefits and approaches that can make it exciting and fun along the way. If we don’t think towards accomplishments in more than one parameter in delivering a service, the “Value” of service never gets truly appreciated.

It is common knowledge that we do a service for a client and the client sees a benefit with the offerring. That is good for the client, but for you, it is important to realize self importance of delivering and doing the tasks to be concious of the results.

4. Strengths: Beating cynics is not an easy suit. There are fault lines everywhere. Every structure, system has limitations, every service has scope for improvements, every decisions are laced with personal information and unique conditions.

  It is therefore the strengths inherent in the structure, system and service that can propel beyond the cynical view that the place is laced with contradictions, people racing ahead with powers, comparisons over little matters concerned with work, other issues pre-occupying performances.

 How else have you uncovered problems for lasting resolutions ?