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100 WAYS: #2 Be a Hands-on Manager
– March 9, 2010
A good manager must have mastered the concepts of responsibility, authority and accountability.
Responsibility is the given factor which the other two concepts depend upon. A defined responsibility determines the obligation to the company, the duties the manager must perform and the actions that must be taken. Make sure each manager understands his or her job expectations.
The authority of the manager must be linked with his or her job functions that are necessary for high performance. There are three danger points implicit in a manager's position of power:
- Authority gaps within a manager's area of responsibility.
- Reversal of a decision by a higher manager.
- Insubordination.
Inefficient managers delegate responsibilities and tasks then fail to hold people responsible for timely, accurate and quality jobs. Managers must learn that repeatedly correcting an employee's mistakes is not efficient and is not what they are paid to do. However, managers, just like their subordinates, need to be held accountable for their actions/inactions. Employees do properly what is inspected - not what is expected.
It is just as important to have a Hands-on Manager. The manager, whether a CFO, CEO or warehouse manager, needs to understand the ins and outs of the company. Get the manager into the field, shop, store, back office, front desk, kitchen, factory, warehouse and accounting department to find out how it is done.
Walker Coburn
318.429.2109
wcoburn@hmvcpa.com
Walker is a Senior Auditor in our Shreveport office. He received his Bachelor of Administration in Accounting and a Masters of Accountancy from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. Prior to returning to his hometown of Shreveport and joining Heard, McElroy & Vestal, Walker worked for KPMG in Jackson and Memphis, and more recently as a financial reporting advisor for FedEx Corporate.
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