Share | 4 Common Mistakes Made by Business Managers – Have You Avoided Them?

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Managers are crucial to the development of every enterprise; it can even be said that they determine the direction in which the enterprise moves forward. However, if mistakes occur and certain errors in management arise, it can deal a severe blow to the enterprise, even leading to its demise. As a manager, it is understandable to apply some management knowledge in daily work. However, if one always tries to manage a company using management rules, it may lead to mistakes in management, resulting in negative outcomes. Myth 1: Problems are not allowed to exist. Some managers resolve to address all the problems within a company from the very beginning of their management role. But this notion itself is a serious mistake. At any time, every company will always have various problems; it is normal for there to be issues – it would be abnormal if there were none. Therefore, managers should allow problems to exist, especially those that are unimportant. There is a company with over 40 employees, and some of them feel that eating lunch outside costs a lot of money and takes up too much time. After hearing this suggestion, the general manager felt that the problem needed to be resolved, so he decided to have the company operate its own cafeteria. But after the cafeteria was set up, a series of new problems arose; the order in the cafeteria was poor, and there were even instances of employees fighting with the cafeteria supervisors. There were also issues such as embezzlement by the facility manager, as well as increased expenses due to the establishment of a cafeteria – many problems in total. As a result, the general manager spent even more time and effort trying to resolve these issues. There are more contradictions than before, and employee satisfaction has also declined. Therefore, a company should not unnecessarily lengthen its supply chain, as each additional link creates new problems; more links mean greater management complexity, and the new problems can be even more troublesome than the original ones. As a Western proverb goes: “When you try to dig the ball out of the hole, you only make the hole deeper.” ” Myth 2: “Two tigers cannot coexist on one mountain.” The development of a company relies on talent, and especially when a company has some outstanding talents, it gains a significant advantage, which is particularly important in the competition among modern enterprises. However, in its development, enterprises should also approach the allocation of talent in a scientific manner, taking into account factors such as the structure of the talent pool, its size, and mechanisms for maintaining stability. In particular, it is important not to simply pursue a large number of employees; rather, emphasis should be placed on the efficiency of those employees, as well as on leveraging their enthusiasm and creativity through proper pairing. As the saying goes, \"Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang.\" A good manager not only needs to bring out the potential of those obvious talents, but is also skilled at tapping into the potential of those less obvious ones; in other words, they know how to bring together individual \"amateurs\" so that they can play a role similar to that of Zhuge Liang. The head of the marketing department in a certain company is quite capable, but the general manager, out of concern for retaining talent, brought in another marketing manager in the hope of achieving double the results. Since the capabilities and skills of these two marketing managers are similar, they neither respect each other nor can get along, which leads to constant conflicts. As a result, the company’s marketing efforts do not show any significant improvement, and the conflicts between the two managers disrupt work operations; the general manager has to constantly step in to mediate between them. Later, under compulsion, one person was assigned to a position where they were not familiar with the circumstances and could not perform effectively, resulting in a waste of talent. Both of these marketing managers also expressed strong opinions to the general manager, which ultimately led to the general manager losing his position. This example shows that when it comes to talent, not only is a numerical advantage necessary, but attention must also be paid to its structure and hierarchy. Especially for management talents who are expected to take on leadership roles, it is important to avoid arranging them in a horizontal, flat structure; instead, efforts should be made to organize them in a vertical structure with different levels. This will reduce the parallel friction between them, thereby improving the efficiency of the talent. Myth 3: “Interfering in matters that aren’t one’s concern.” Some managers feel a strong sense of responsibility, which leads them to get involved in every detail of operations. Many of these managers even go to the extent of neglecting their own sleep and well-being, working selflessly and dedicating themselves entirely to taking care of various matters within the company. In the evaluation of management, it should be said that such a spirit is worthy of recognition and praise, especially when some companies are facing a critical moment of survival, and their top managers step in to take on responsibilities in such times of crisis. To save a company from the brink of collapse, it is impossible to do without this spirit and approach of taking the lead and paying attention to every detail. However, from the perspective of normal management practices, corporate managers should pay attention to and prevent such improper behavior as overstepping their authority in management. In most cases, it is important to emphasize that management should be carried out in accordance with the procedures agreed upon by all parties, so as to avoid the normalization and prolongation of such overstepping of authority. Whether in terms of an individual’s energy and experience, or from the perspective of motivating other managers to fulfill their responsibilities, overstepping in management can lead to many negative effects. A factory manager who is serious and responsible about his work not only takes the lead in carrying out various tasks but also often goes directly to the front line to supervise them; he frequently makes inaccurate criticisms of some frontline managers. Or arbitrarily change the decisions made by frontline managers. As a result, over time, no one in the company’s management layers took responsibility for specific tasks; all matters, big or small, were pushed onto the factory manager. He was also the one who gave direct instructions during the construction of the boilers in the factory, with the aim of saving costs and shortening the construction time. Unfortunately, the boilers exploded, and the factory manager was arrested and imprisoned. He did not receive any sympathy from others; although he felt he was wronged, he indeed bore both direct and leadership responsibilities for this incident, and it was inevitable that he would face legal consequences. In fact, in management, often not intervening is also a form of management; this is about distinguishing the boundaries of managerial authority. When things that don’t require intervention are interfered with, such mistakes are easy to spot; whereas when interference is exerted on matters that shouldn’t be dealt with, such errors are sometimes overlooked. This is especially true when superiors overstep their authority in intervening, as it is difficult to correct such situations. Therefore, senior managers should pay special attention to this issue when managing those beneath them. Myth 4: Replacing the past with “new methods” Some managers, in the process of managing their companies, are very enthusiastic about learning new management methods and approaches. This enthusiasm for learning is certainly commendable; especially as companies go through the transition to a market economy system, it is even more important to acquire management experience that is well-established in market economies. However, when engaging in such learning, it is essential to keep two things in mind: first, it must be compatible with our company’s system and ways of operation; second, it needs to gain the acceptance and consensus of the majority of employees. Without these two elements, the learning process is likely to go off track. For example, there was a period when there was a strong call for the development of corporate culture. It makes sense to believe that corporate culture can serve as a driving force for a company’s development, but in some cases, the construction of such culture becomes disconnected from the company’s actual development, failing to play a real role in promoting it. Dr. Davis of Boston University, an expert in the study of American corporate culture, once said: “Corporate culture is a very complex and subtle thing.” ”“Culture and strategy are essentially top-down matters. ”Therefore, the development of corporate culture must be in line with the company’s strategy and complement its management systems; it requires the understanding and acceptance of all employees, and above all, it must suit the actual conditions of the company. Therefore, before new methods and approaches in management are fully understood, especially before managers themselves understand them, one should not readily dismiss some past practices that are still effective. Source: Internet