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| Business Management |Winston ChurchillW.K. KelloggWinston Churchill: House of Commons, 4 June 1940.With a rousing speech like that and with the “let’sget on with it” face that Churchill always wore, whowouldn’t pick up the Union Jack and follow him intobattle?But was Churchill a good manager? Evidencesuggests that he was not. In fact Churchill’s failures weremonumental. His military decisions, such as those hemade at Gallipoli when he was First Lord of theAdmiralty, were questionable and his economic analysisand forecasting were anything but visionary. ButChurchill had great passion for the British Empire and itwas this that energized him, his speeches, the Britishpeople and ultimately the rest of the Allied powers.A leader dreams and motivates. A leader needs to:• Inspire trust and loyalty• Recognize team commitment and applaud it• Be able to give credit rather than accepting credit• Be able to take blame instead of assigning blame• Establish an ethic• Lead by example• Be passionate and charismatic• Be an original thinker• Have self-confidenceWhile leaders innovate and motivate change,managers take what exists and make the most of it.Here’s an example of a leader who combined bothleadership and management skills. W.K. Kellogg, whowas trying to find a bread substitute for people whowere hospitalized, invented Kellogg’s Corn Flakes‚ in1894. He had the vision and the motivation and througha fluke he invented something he recognized as havinggreat potential not just for patients but also forconsumers at large. He changed forever the way peopleeat breakfast. Dry cereal is more convenient thanporridge because it needs minimal preparation. It can bestored without refrigeration, unlike eggs and bacon. It’sversatile. You can add a sliced banana and some fruit,use granulated sugar or brown sugar.It’s one thing to come up with a new idea but it’squite another thing to realize what needs to be done tofollow through and implement the idea. Early on in thehistory of the company, Mr. Kellogg’s management skillsprompted him to innovate marketing techniques such asdiscount coupons, free samples, and children’s artcontests. As the company grew, Kellogg no doubt reliedon a team of managers to grow the business. Goodmanagement led Kellogg’s to develop the recipe forKellogg’s‚ Rice Krispies‚ Marshmallow Treats‚ in the1940’s. What better way to sell more cereal than to turnit into a type of cookie?Good management in business maximizes outputby wringing the most out of what’s available in order tokeep existing market share and attract new markets.A good manager will:• Buy into the dream• Respect ethics• Be organized• Understand how to plan• Be able to assess employee skills• Understand targets• Be able to solve problems• Promote efficiency• Control processes• Be logical and rational• Be collaborative and approachable• Be consistent and positiveMost people have a combination of these qualitiesand skills in varying proportions and they use themselectively according to the circumstances. For example,at work you may take on the role of leader because youare the regulated professional in your environment andyou have to set a standard and motivate people toexcel. At home you may need to use your managerialskills more. Working mothers know all about beingorganized and efficient, as well as solving problems. Inyour church, synagogue or mosque you may take onmore of a support role. But how effective are you? Thereare lots of self-analysis books and websites available toassist you in deciding on areas requiring improvement.Although the bulleted lists above are by no meansa complete list of qualities, you can use them as a start.Go down the checklists and estimate your skills andabilities. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the most), howmuch of each of those qualities is present in your workpersonality? Perform the exercise again but now imagineyourself in an environment outside of work. You’ll likelybe surprised to find that the number assignment willchange.And now that you’ve done a self-assessment, arethere qualities in yourself you’d like to change? Are therenew leadership or management skills you’d like to learn?Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or yourprovince’s Small Business Bureau. They often haveexcellent seminars that will help you self-actualize andbe better able to move your career and your professionforward. And, as always the OAC office is glad toprovide resource and mentorship where possible. ISI26VISION | jul_aug | 2007