Interview Example: In-Depth Discussion on Managerial Skills and Principles of Management

Introduction

I contacted the Managing director Desitech security firm, Mr. Edward Peters On 27th October 2017, for an in-depth discussion on managerial skills and principles of management. Mr. Edward is a Ph.D. holder in business management from Harvard University; he has a master's degree in accounting and holders a bachelors degree in Bachelor of Economics. He has been a manager for several companies including Sanlam real estate firm. He is currently a manager of Desitech and chairs the board of directors for the certified accountant's body. The reason why I chose him is that of his qualifications and years of experience as a manager in different capacities. He has managed firms that now enjoy the high standard and praises of how well they perform. He handles some employees including his subordinate staff. To be able to get as much information from him on managerial skills and principles of management I asked him the following questions

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In brief, how would you describe your management style?

Mr. Edwards answered that" for one to be a good leader one has to lead by example, as for myself I ensure that before I tell my employees to do a certain thing I must have also done it. I am among the people that get to the office earliest ad almost the last to leave. If I want my employees to arrive early, then I have to arrive earliest not because I don't have personal things to do but because I know one of the qualities of a good manager is setting the pace."

"The other way I can describe my management style is to take it upon myself to engage at a personal level with my employees, I get to understand their different personalities, and therefore I can be able to understand every one of them differently, such interactions breeds respect from all parties."

In your own opinions which are the most necessary skills that one must possess to be a successful manager

" successful managers are not just born they are created by the skills they acquire. For one to be a successful manager, one must be able to create an interpersonal relationship with the employees and his staff. A manager must be able to carry out his duties with dignity as well as show dependability from his employees and character. A manager must always be able to be depended upon by his employees even in the most difficult and challenging moments". A manager should be able to communicate effectively; he should be responsive to feedback given by his employees. He should be able to communicate via all channels of communication effectively." A manager must be versatile and practical for him or her to be able to make solid and good decisions, being versatile and practical comes with having an open mind".Mr. Edwards also reiterated that leading by example was one of the critical skills of being a good manager.

How do you handle conflicts and cases of indiscipline?

"conflicts are part of working especially where a large number of people are involved always make sure that I am objective In the conflict resolution process. I listen to both parties separately then bring them together and find common ground where consensus can be reached." "for indiscipline cases I try and understand the root cause of the indiscipline before undertaking any disciplinary action.

How do you evaluate the employees' performances?

"There are performance contracts for employees to track on their progress. I also require them to give me oral reports every week on what they have achieved so far. How they handle their work and the challenges they have encountered throughout the week."

How do you keep them motivated?

"trust and respect are one of the basic ways to keep employees motivated. Before you even go over and beyond to gift them and such respect and trust them it keeps them going day in day out." The other way I keep them motivated is by organizing retreats, parties and educative seminars that educate them. There are also bonuses for the best performing and improved employee."

What do you perceive as leadership in your view?

"Leadership to me is giving directional guidelines for the business and to employees too. It involves giving strategic guidelines to people who are expected to follow them. For success in any business, leadership and management must go hand in hand. In business, the work of the leader is to motivate and inspire while the manager plans and coordinates. None of the two can perform without the other as much as they are very different yet intertwined. Without leadership skills, one cannot be able to perform managerial duties."

What are the main challenges of being a manager?

"Managers are not without challenges, our line of duty has many challenges they include having to terminate employees contract. It is one of the most heartbreaking challenges of manager experiences. Confronting employees about their performances is the other challenge one can ever be sure about how it turns out. Being able to make the right decision as a manager is always challenging. One bad decision can cause a business or firm to go south very fast."

Reflective Essay

Without the fundamental principles of management, a manager cannot be able to carry out their duties effectively. Management entails a lot, and it is very challenging to manage a group of individuals who are diverse therefore managers require basic principles to be able to control their employees and handle organizational operations. From the interview with Mr. Peters, I had an in-depth understanding of the basic principles of management and how beneficial they are to any organization. From his years of experience, I had a very intense discussion with him on not only principles of good management but also on the qualities that make one a good manager. The interview was mainly centered on leadership, motivation, personalities, challenges, communication, and decision making.

From our discussion, Mr. Peters emphasized that management might be inborn, but in most cases, it learned through skills and a lot of effort. One does not wake up one day and become a successful manager. There are so many things involved for one to be a manager and not just a manager an enjoyable and successful manager. It takes years of experience, challenges learning and unlearning to be the best manager and to be able to handle any team in any organization. Managers have the sole duty to make sure that their employees are united as well as running the overall organizational responsibilities and operations.

From the information gathered from the interview, I learned that the best management principle is communication for one to be a good manager one must be able to communicate effectively with his junior staff. Proper communication and communication channels ensure work is done efficiently in any organization. Being able to respond to feedback from employees is one best way to communicate. They should avoid being defensive when the input is negative and points towards them. Through communication, a manager can learn their mistakes and correct on them. Despite managers being in a position of power, they should be able to come down to the levels of their employees and have an active communication o how things should be run in the organization. Communication done by managers should be authoritative yet friendly to be able to strike a balance between the two channels.

From the response given by Mr. Peters, I gathered that the other basic principle of management was creating an interpersonal relationship with the employees. Creating an interpersonal relationship with his employee ensures that there is a cordial relationship on how things should be carried out. A manager should be able to carry out his duties with much-deserved dignity and be able to show his employees that he is dependable whenever they need any assistance. I learned that having an interpersonal relationship enhances trust and openness from both employees and the manager. The manager can be able to be authoritative without employees feeling intimidated, and they can share their ideas with their bosses without fear of being reprimanded or attacked. Interpersonal relationships create a good working environment that is important for success in any business or organization. Building an interpersonal relationship is essential since it helps me exercise authority as well as a go through the person of their employees.

We also discussed how leading by example was an essential principle of management. For one to be a good manager one had to be an example to their employees. Setting the pace is necessary because employees can toe the line when it comes to doing things. If a manager can do sure staff within the organization, then employees diligently follow. In cases of getting to work early managers must ensure they don't arrive late for work just because they can, they should always lead their employees in getting to work earlier than the employees. When it comes to feedback managers must be able to take all the feedback from employees and not to take a defensive stand on the input. By doing these managers ensure that whatever feedback employees get they can make it positively and change on their bad behaviors. Leading by example always provides that employees take their managers as their role models and point of reference. It creates a culture of ethical behavior since no one knows who is emulating and imitating them.

During our discussion, we established that the best way to be an effective manager is the division of work and delegation. This is one fundamental principle of being a good manager and effective management of any firm. Being able to delegate work as a manager is a significant thing it ensures that, so much work is done within a short period and effectively. When work is divided among employees, it provides that their efforts and energies are only focused on one thing. Therefore, the results are surprising since the workers are not distracted and overworked. Division of labor ensures that people are held accountable for their deeds because the manager can be able to tell who worked on a specific area.

During the interview, we discussed how to keep employees motivated as one of the principles of management. I learned that one of the most important ways to ensure that employees are motivated is trust and respect. When employees are trusted and respected they feel that someone recognizes their presence and appreciates what they do. When the employee is appreciated or feel respected, they do their work diligently. Respects is a double-edged sword in management if employees feel disrespected they also don't give any respect to the manager nor the work they are supposed to do. They don't work because they want to but because it is mandatory. When one trusts employees, they work without the fear of being victimized or supervised. Trust makes employees autonomous and proactive to be able to come up with decisions and strategies that enhance the overall business growth of the organization. The other way to keep employees motivated is by ensuring that employees have programs that drive them like seminars, retreats and bonuses' a good manager should ensure that their employees do not lose the zeal to work because they feel demoralized and de-motivated. Managers should be able to keep their employees happy by appraisals, bonuses and ensuring their overall well being.

The other aspect of being a good manager is to be able to make decisions. According to the discussion we heard with Mr. Peters I learned being able to make decisions was one of the many challenges a manager's faces. Managers are entrusted with making decisions, and they are not able to know whether they are making right or wrong choices. A manager should be able to make decisions and first decisions especially when they are needed to very fast. Decisions made by managers especially...