Management Classes - Assignment Example

 I really enjoyed the assignment as it made me meet really great people who started from the bottom in their work but are currently on the success path in their careers. I learnt a lot from the interviewees the first being that in order to succeed, one needs to be persevering in whatever they are doing. This is because success is a process which takes time and dreams and hard work before it can fully take place. With perseverance however, one will be able to undergo this process and emerge successful in the long run. The other thing I learnt is that in order to succeed in a business, one needs to start with a business plan. The two interviewees did not start with a business plan but this is one thing they would change and something they discourage aspiring business people to have in mind. According to the them, a business plans enables an individual focus on the future goals as one has already planned for them rather than just enter into a business blindly. A business plan is also very necessary when it comes to securing financial aid through loans from banks and other financial institutions. Lastly, I learnt that in order to be successful, one needs to have people skills. These are skills to facilitate interaction with people be it employees, clients or potential customers. It is the perfection of these skills that will facilitate successful engagement in team work as well as ensure the ultimate business expansion in future. I have learnt in management classes that a leader needs to always be organized. The organization starts with having a plan which is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). This is the same thing that the two interviewees mentioned that has facilitated their success as well as will make them much more successful in future. Their planning is specific and time bound on where they want to be in the next five years. It is measurable because they have the means to do so and the experience not to mention a team to assist them in their plan. It is also realistic and achievable as they have the education acting as their guide as well as people skills to make it happen. Communication classes taught me the importance of effective communication and especially in leaders. The interviews have brought about this aspect very clearly. In order to attain the current level of success they have, these individuals have had to engage in a lot of effective communication with others as well as seek feedback to gauge their progress. The communication in this case is not only verbal but written as is evident from their administrative work that involves replying to mails and memos. Lastly, psychology teaches the importance of understanding the behaviors of others in order to interact well with them. This is important in team work as is mentioned in the interviews. Working in a team requires learning the personalities of others as well as try to integrate all these personalities into the team and ultimately attain success within the specified time. In the course of the interview, one of the interviewees was very adamant about team work. She insisted that she worked only with a team if it was absolutely necessary which was not very often. This was quite the opposite of the perspective and life story of the other interviewee who admitted to liking working with a team and did it all the time. What was surprising about the statement was the fact that most people indicated that team work is very effective and reduces the burden of the workload for each individual. The fact that different people will bring in different perspectives as well as solutions to a problem makes team work really good in any business. Her reasoning however which I found relevant was about the main weaknesses of a team work and which is that the different personalities clash most of the time leading to the decision making process taking longer at times than is necessary. There are also times when the different personalities weigh down others and especially if there are many people with extraversion personality on the team. Working independently according to the interviewee leads to the work being completed way ahead of schedule, taking less time and less stress in dealing with different people. Team work should only be taken as strategic points in a plan and not be engaged in at all times and especially by the administrators who hold the highest caliber in the office and who can also intimidate the rest of the team members. This assignment was indeed a cliché eye opener for me. I have always aspired to have my own business but I have been having issues and fear pull me back. The lack of a mentor which I have discovered in the course of the interview as being very important is what I will start working on as a way to put things into perspective. Very many pointers to not only me but to others aspiring to be entrepreneurs in future have been deeply entered into throughout the interview. Not many people really pay attention into having a business plan drawn up before they start their own business. They do not view it as a requirement but it is necessary as it provides the goals and objectives of the business as well as facilitates in the future success of the business. I have also liked the assignment because the interviews were very open about their past, present and future with no biasness to favor them. This type of honesty and integrity is hard to see or even hear nowadays. One of the most important keys to running a successful business is to always be truthful and have integrity to self and to others. With these personality traits in addition to all the other pointers discussed in detail above, one will be on the right path to success but all this is in addition to attaining the relevant educational qualifications. Read More