Effective management starts with self management

Each manager is his or her own best resource. As with any resource, managers should put effort into the development and improvement of that resource. A conscious effort to continuously improve personal resources will increase a manager's ability to effectively manage the efforts of others. These personal resources include initiative, integrity, organization of time and resources, and coping strategies. An individual's ability to practice initiative in their profession is only limited by their attitude. How do you answer the following questions: How much do I like my job? Do I have the desire to improve the skills and the abilities that will allow me to perform my duties more efficiently? How can I best achieve the goals expected of my department and me? In short, you will never improve your ability to manage unless you get moving! Don't wait for occasional pushes from above. Become an active and enthusiastic contributor to the development of plans and goals. Integrity is essential in establishing trust and loyalty between managers and their staff. Integrity is displayed to the department through honesty, consistency and fairness when dealing with operational problems. Most managers have an honest desire to learn how to manage their time, but don't have the time for it. In other words, we are so busy working inefficiently that we don't have time to become efficient. By organizing your space, you begin to organize the effective use of the time you spend in that space. Remember that your office is space, and space is a resource; demonstrate that you as a manager are concerned with the effective utilization of all organizational resources. Management is not for everybody. Some individuals may be better off realizing this early in the process. If an individual feels that management is their field, they should establish as much control over themselves and over the work place as they can if they hope to perform effectively for the long run. Some stress can be a positive motivator, but if the stress is unrelenting, if managers finds that they are chronically on the verge of anxiety, depression or panic, stress can also lead to personal ineffectiveness or eventually even physical or emotional illness.