thinking/critical

Employers have a responsibility to thoughtfully employ the functions of management. If you can’t name what the four of them are, you probably are selling your employees short. Employers have a responsibility to have educated, demonstrable skills in the functional areas of their business. Does this mean they have to go to college? There are lots of ways to get an education. While I am a strong advocate of college education, I also recognize that an ambitious and disciplined learner can learn everything they need to know through careful selection and study of references and learning experiences. But there is no excuse for relying on home-grown knowledge. That’s just hubris.

In a small business its tempting to get so focused on one thing – a website, a specific customer, a project – that one forgets that all the functions of management have to be tended to at all times. In a large business the same risk exists. The solution to the risk for large or small business is surprisingly similar. Systems have to be designed to ensure all the elements of the business are served at the right time and by the right people.

Open source is not free. It’s kind of like the casinos of old. The food was practically free. It got you in the door. But the cost of the rest of the experience had a lot to do with your skills and self-control. If what you are good at is designing software AND designing business operating environments, and you are also good at new product development project management and managing software developers, then open source may be a good option. It’s still not free, but it’s definitely flexible. If your business is so unique that no other business models apply, open source may also be a good option (this, by the way, is extremely rare).

Jeff Immelt (GE Chief) evaluates all his management personnel on five “growth traits.” These traits are clear thinking/decisiveness, inclusiveness, expertise, imagination/courage, and external focus. You don’t have to have all five of them fully developed to move up the GE corporate ladder, but you have to have the potential for all five of them, and you have to be willing to not only work on all five, but to be intentionally surrounded by people who will force you to work on all five.