Self-management: key to success as a manager

Self-management for the working manager must begin with a brutally honest self-evaluation followed by a stubbornly determined effort to change. In the process, it is necessary to put oneself in perspective relative to the management role and put management itself into perspective for what it really is and what its requirements demand of the individual manager. It is necessary to examine one's capabilities and one's likes and dislikes as they relate to the management role and do something about these as circumstances demand. Self-management also requires recognizing the essential balance between the individual as a manager and as a knowledgeable specialist in some occupation or profession. Improvement in self-management requires dramatic change in some habits and involves self-assessment of one's initiative, personal organization, and management of time. Lasting improvement in self-management is never absolutely complete; it will be a continuing part of day-to-day existence for as long as the individual remains a manager.