Your Job Is to Advance the Business
2003; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 46; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1930-0166
Autores Tópico(s)Innovation and Knowledge Management
ResumoWhen John worked with plant engineers to optimize production process, he always asked, Who's boss here? The engineer would give a quick and confident reply, the Area Supervisor, or the Technology Manager. John would say no softly, and with a puzzled look engineer would offer up another candidate. Okay Plant Manager, to which John again would patiently say no. By then engineer's frustration had built and he would blurt out, all right it's got to be General Manager, to which John would reply, No it's material flow, and your job is to do what is needed to maximize that flow. In a broader sense, for those of us who work in an industrial organization, our boss is business itself and our job is to advance business. So, how can you as an individual advance business while advancing your own capabilities and career? What focus should you maintain, what attitudes are critical to success? I have been asked these questions in different forms over 30 years that I've been a part of chemical industry and I've arrived at a response short enough to avoid stigma of lecture status and concentrated enough to stick in mind of a serious questioner. That response is in form of five words: * Significance * Engagement * Process * Contribution * Reward Let me explain what I mean by these five words. By significance, I mean seeking out and concentrating on what is important to success of business. Peter Drucker talked about Theory of Business--the commonly held assumptions about markets, customers, market needs, competitors, technology, behavior, values, and dynamics. Add a focus on profit, cash flow and revenue growth and you have factors that get at heart of what makes business work and prosper. Significance means knowing and keeping in mind critical success factors for your business in every decision you make, every project you initiate and every interaction you have with coworkers and senior management. You should possess a passion for significance. Engagement means actively reaching out and creating productive involvement in significant aspects of business, and it means creating effective relationships inside and outside of business. Effective relationships require making effort to understand each person as a unique individual, learning what is important to that person and developing customized communication based on mutual respect. …
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