Management Principles of Pursuit of Happiness - Term Paper Example

In any business, money is the language people speak, even in the business of families. When money is not smooth-flowing, members of a company or family could break apart, leaving broken relationships. This is a common mistake made by the untrained or novice businessman, foreseeing a great future in a business without making careful studies of the feasibility of an enterprise before investing in it. In the case of Gardner, he bought all the machines he could and though he worked hard to sell them compounded with good communication skills, he still lost his wife.

However, serendipities could happen when perseverance is present as seen in the life of Gardner when his selling of the machines led him to places which brought him to the success in stockbrokerage. Gardner proved to have keen eyes for success when he looked enviously at a stockbroker’s car and asked him what he did and how he did it, showing qualities that are essential to successful management. He was not only observant but he had a way of expressing himself without reservations, he had good communication skills.

Honesty was one he could have never thought would be the very key for his having a chance in his dream job as it is shown in his confession to the interviewers that he tried to make up a great story why he went to the interview dressed like a garbage man. Although choosing appropriate clothes is as important as the product in every business, Gardner was able to persuade his interviewers that he could do the job by selling himself first, his abilities and capabilities. Although he was a leader of a basic unit of society, his family; he seemed to be unsuccessful managing it, failing to keep his wife to work with him in their pursuit of the happiness they both longed for.

Despite the trials they have been through, he stood to the discipline of never hitting a woman or leaving his son, borne of a desperate need for the father he never knew. This became his personal motivation, to stay with his son and not give him the chance to have a piece of the abuse he experienced in the hands of his stepfather when he was a child, and to work hard to give his son the care he needed as his wife left them for New York. Birthed from such a need, the high-paying job of a stockbroker became to him a challenge and a motivation as he had the opportunity to grab the job, with it not needing a college diploma to qualify as an applicant.

Crossing the bridge to take the training as a stockbroker became painfully difficult when he learned that the six-month long training is without pay. Faced with the dilemma of raising his son alone, he had to stand firm, making sacrifices to be able to accomplish every task that was set before him. This is where Gardner’s planning and strategic management skills became evident when he had to work while training and at the same time attending to his parental responsibilities. He managed his time pretty well, studying in the train and working while taking his leisure time with his son, juggling his various responsibilities and making wise use not only of his time but also of all resources available to him.

Moreover, when he was in the training scene, Mr. Witter became one of his motivations, praising him for his wit and hard work, driving him all the more to be productive. He was a natural strategic planner, valuing every tick of the clock so that he even estimated an eight minute productive time he had, from refraining to drink, and hanging in between calls. He was a team-player,