There are no real short cuts to good management.
Good management takes time. It means a lot of reflection, measuring and re-implementing to get things done efficiently and effectively.
Testament to this is the number of management books, sites, blogs and articles on the subject.
The problem is:
“Who has the time in this day and age to read everything, research the right stuff and then implement it?”
“There is a business to run, you know!”
“I would much rather get the gist of what I’m supposed to do and get on with it.”
Still, a lot of managers I have worked with want the quick fix. The problem is while they are looking at what goes on around them and want to fix that, the problem is mostly internal. It’s the management themselves. This isn’t because they are bad people or even incompetent. Management today has so many pressures on them they simply don’t have the time to stop and think, and yet they feel they have to do it all.
But thinking and reflecting is most what they need to do. Think through the problems, identify the cause and then takes steps to deal with the problem. And, fundamentally, when we find the problem is us, it isn’t always easy to accept.
But what if we had a to do list with some underlying concepts to gets us to a new level on the mountain of management? Some process that would help us make progress, give us some breathing space and improve the business, maybe incrementally, at the same time.
That is what Project 99 attempts to do.
Over the next 99 days I will post a practical and do-able set of actions for any manager wishing to get the best out of their people and deliver sustainable results for their business and/or business unit.
So why is this different?
Perhaps it is and perhaps it isn’t. Fundamentally, management is simple. It is the commitment to that simplicity that is the challenge. I have become a fan of David Maister lately and his latest book “Strategy & The Fat Smoker” sums this up eloquently. And that is: we all know what to do, we just don’t do it! (Or, we do it but not regularly and not often enough.)
(Note: I may refer to David Maister a lot, as I will with other authors. At this stage there is no affiliation with David and the others. If this changes (I don’t expect it to) I will advise you.)
I am no different to you. I have tried many of the activities I am going to write about and I know the ones that work. Well, they work for me. However I am still learning and always will be. I do believe that by implementing the tasks and activities about to be outlined here you will be a better manager. Your staff will produce more, more effectively and managing people will become easier. I’d better put in a disclaimer that things may get worse before they get better. I’ll explain this in the early part of the project.
There are many management theories abounding as they always do. Some are fads and will spring up from time to time and then die off. Underlying all fads though are the timeless truths that just fundamentally work. I’d like to focus on those for you and as we do this I will be conducting them too.
While the theme is 99 Days to Be a Better Manager, there will be 33 posts. Each post will be 3 days apart. This simply because you cannot properly implement everything every day. It just isn’t going to work. Even 1 activity every 3 days will be a challenge, however there is also the value of momentum. Plus we are all big people and can assess when we are ready to move on.
Some will find one post every 3 days very sloooooow! 
To allow time for things to be implemented and then bed down I am also adding posts called Rest Days. These Rest Days are designed to reflect on the previous 5 activities and assess how they are going. They are not actual rest days where we do nothing!
Along with many of the posts will be forms and resources available for you to use as you will. Feel free to download them and edit them to your liking. If you do “improve” a resource I would love to know about it.
As much as I can I will add further links at the bottom of posts that will allow you to quickly gain access to other resources that may reinforce the day’s activities or simply for your benefit. Please feel free to suggest sites, articles and blogs that you find useful.
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About Me
I am a manager just like you. If you go to the About page I have described my own profile and challenges there, just so you can get a feel that I am not sitting behind a desk thinking this stuff up. I have good days and bad days like you. I have challenges and surprises out of nowhere like you and my staff are spread across Australia so I cannot easily have a “catch up” with them all face to face as often as I’d like.
Errors and Omissions
I am a freak for spelling errors but never seem to be perfect. If you find errors in any of the posts please let me know.
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