The work of management is divided into the activities around planning, leading, organizing, and controlling, and the job of a manager encompasses all of these areas. Anyone aspiring to move into management as a career should develop and display strong technical and functional skills. Become an expert in your discipline, and have a strong affinity for interacting with, supporting, and guiding others.
- Managers plan, organize, direct, and control resources to achieve specific goals.
- Planning involves the setting of goals and then determining the best way to achieve them.
- Organizing means allocating resources (people, equipment, and money) to carry out the company’s plans.
- Directing is the process of providing focus for employees and motivating them to achieve organizational goals.
- Controlling involves comparing actual to expected performance and taking corrective action when necessary.