Being a good manager and having good business practices: what is the magic formula?

And the answer is: there is no magic formula. In these almost three months of taking the Management Practices class, many of my concepts regarding how to be a good manager were in check. One of the contents that added the most to me was the part about management ethics. It is something that seems so simple but that needs to be reinforced (and enforced, as much as possible) constantly in the company. The lack of ethics in the middle of the team is only possible with management aligned with correct values and habits (no relativism here, we all know what is right and what is not) so that the employees are so synchronized that there is no doubt when it comes to doing what is right and what is not. 

Another important thing I have learned along the way is to always establish a plan of action before achieving a goal in the company. This is vital in times of company expansion or when we need to implement significant changes, where the consequences of something poorly executed will impact everything else. For this, you always need to keep in mind this analogy: Imagine a ladder. The last rung on this ladder is your GOAL. It is where you will get to after you have climbed all the steps. And each step is a GOAL.

Finally, one of the things that were most significant in terms of teaching in this course - and also one of the posts that I enjoyed doing the most - was what concerns the position of HR and the openness that this professional must have when it comes to hiring a diverse team - not only in terms of knowledge but also race, color, ethnicity, religion - showing to the consumer and to the employees themselves the importance that what is different brings to the whole. 

It was wonderful, rewarding, and very enjoyable to do this journal! I'm not stopping here! Keep going, there will be more content to come! 

How communication management can be the key to your company's success

Communication management is the planning, execution, and monitoring of communication strategies. Therefore, it aims to ensure that the right information is available to the people who need it at the time they need it, through the most appropriate channel, so that the information arrives with as little noise as possible.

Projects have different communication needs, depending on the complexity, the number of people involved, the culture, the political moment of the organization, and the type of project. For example, the communication strategies used in the branding project of a supermarket are not the same as those used in the construction project of a nuclear power plant. After all, the number of people impacted is smaller in one than in the other, as are the consequences of these impacts. Also, the people involved in the project are completely different.

Communication goes beyond all areas of a company, connecting them. When this does not happen, the company is exposed to failures and risks that can delay deliveries, affect the budget, and decrease the quality of the results. In this sense, communication management serves precisely to promote alignment among stakeholders, avoiding loose ends in the company.

Communication management increases the chances of the message sent by the sender reaching the receiver with as little noise as possible, enabling more accurate decoding of the message and avoiding ambiguities in communication. It is important to talk about decoding because the receipt of a message does not mean that it has been understood.

How many times have you left a meeting feeling that you didn't understand anything? Or, in case you were the conductor of the meeting, have you had the impression that each person understood in a different way what you were trying to say?

So, have you got a basic understanding of how to manage communication in your company? 

Diversity and HR: The winning combination

Opening the doors of organizations to diversity reaches all factors of social construction: age, nationality, social position, and sexual orientation. In an increasingly globalized market, diversity in a company goes beyond respecting and accepting differences. It is fundamental to understand that a team with diverse profiles is richer in talent, improves the company's results, and contributes to business success. 

In a business environment where differences are respected, there will automatically be a reduction in conflicts and greater employee engagement. A Harvard Business study reveals that conflicts are reduced by up to 50% in relation to organizations that do not invest in diversity.

With better coexistence within the company and welcoming differences, it will also make employees feel safer and more welcome and may reduce the organization's turnover. 

Valuing differences improves the organizational climate, employees become more creative and release their potential. Also according to Harvard Business research, in companies where the environment of diversity is recognized, employees are 17% more engaged and willing to go beyond their responsibilities. 

In addition, companies that invest heavily in a multidisciplinary team, especially in a country where there is a multiplicity of races, religions, ethnicities, etc., fulfill their social role. The such investment brings good visibility in the community - in which the organization is inserted - and encourages other companies to do the same. 

Dealing with diversity in organizations is still a factor that generates many doubts and insecurities not only for businessmen but also for HR managers. Understand that working with employees with diverse profiles today is no longer an option, but an essential necessity for the success of your company.

Organizational structure - the path that begins with employee well-being

Organizational behavior is the study of three determinants of organizational behavior: individuals, groups, and structure.

Individuals refer to how individual characteristics impact employee behavior and performance. The group factor, in turn, is how the characteristics of teams, communication processes, and decision-making impact behavior and performance. The structural factor, on the other hand, concerns the relationship between individuals and the organizational system, its culture, hierarchy, and how this affects individuals and the company's results.

Working on organizational behavior is not only about setting up a diagnosis. Besides understanding the behavior of individuals, it is necessary to be clear about what attitudes the organization expects and, based on this, to find points for improvement, comparing the values expected by the organization and those practiced by individuals. The study of organizational behavior goes through the following factors:

Individual behavior

The study of individual behavior seeks to understand the goals, interests, competencies, values, motivations, perceptions, attitudes, and level of performance of an employee.

Group behavior

Here, the focus of the study is on interpersonal relationships and how employees behave together. Factors such as communication, collective decision-making, and coexistence are part of this analysis.

But that is not all. The study of group behavior also seeks to understand how teams work to achieve the company's goals, how they react to rules, and how disagreements and conflicts are resolved.

Organizational culture

The organizational culture is the corporate identity, that is, a set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that are shared and effectively practiced (it is not enough just to stay in the manuals). Culture creates differentials and even makes the company a reference in the industry.

Remember that ensuring a good employee experience is fundamental to increasing productivity and improving your company's image as an employer.

Organizational structure is the key to your company's success and I will tell you how to do it

A disorganized house does not function properly. This is an administrative lesson for companies because if they don't invest in an excellent organizational structure, they will have a hard time controlling demand levels, hiring employees at the right time, having a career plan that satisfies employees, or choosing good leaders. In short: productivity is compromised without a functional organizational chart. And this is not good news for entrepreneurs.

But what is an organizational structure anyway? It is how the manager will allocate people within the company so that their full potential is utilized. It is the division of positions, sectors, and tasks in different hierarchical levels. All this must be thought into taking into account the company's style, the field of activity, and the entrepreneur's objectives. Different organizational structures end up influencing the corporate culture as a whole.

To help, some steps can be taken to help with this process. These are the steps:

- The administrative scope of your business

- Choose an organizational structure that suits your company

- Build an efficient basis for communication

- Plan the demand for work and know the right time to fire or hire

- Don't leave it too late: set up an organizational chart from the company's very first steps

These tips will certainly help you

Do you know when to make Programmed and Nonprogrammed decisions?

Deciding with speed or with reflection? We are used to making this differentiation when, in fact, according to the experts, the best decisions are always made by tuning logic to emotion, and intuition to experience. And in the business scenario, certain decisions need to be made in a programmed or nonprogrammed way.

But first, we need to quickly understand what a decision is: deciding is nothing more than choosing among alternatives in order to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Programmed and non-programmed decisions are types of decision-making that guide all of our daily lives.

At first, we can say that programmed decisions are routine decisions. In other words, they are decisions about matters that have already been analyzed before. In this way, there is already a "standard" answer. In short, one of the ways to gain efficiency in a company is to relate these "standard decisions" to certain routine problems.

Nonprogrammed decisions, on the other hand, are common when the problem is new, or infrequent. Also, when the manager must analyze the data at his disposal (often incomplete) in order to make a decision.

In this sense, consider the case of a director of an automobile manufacturer. At first, he discovers that a competitor will launch a car model in his market and sell it at a price lower than the one his company is charging.

So before deciding what to do, the director has to analyze all the important information, doesn't he?

So the factors he would take into consideration would probably be these:

• Is the competitor financially strong?
• Is the competitor's brand known?
• Is their distribution channel comprehensive?

Therefore, he will then have to "think" the problem, that is, analyze the situation "in-depth". Thus, there is no way to have a "ready-made" decision for a new case.

This is the key to you deciding whether a decision is scheduled or not! And it is these decisions - and the ability to differentiate which ones to make - that will be part of a company's success and will define a good manager from a bad one.

Goal without an action plan: when you want to build a house but don't have a project.

It is natural when we are starting a business to visualize our short/medium and long-term goals and to conjecture upon these goals. Usually, they are our guide and make our prospect where we want to take our business and the best way to guide our employees, especially those in management positions, to achieve these goals. 

There is a CLEAR difference between GOALS, TARGETS and ACTIONS:

Imagine a ladder. The last rung on this ladder is your GOAL. It is where you will get to after you have climbed all the steps. And each step is a GOAL.

And goals are nothing more than Specific, Temporary Movements of Sequential Actions, that is, you achieve your goal and 'go' to the next one!

But what about ACTIONS? AH, they are the necessary attitudes for you to complete your GOAL. They are the basis for you to achieve your goals! Don't forget: ACTION is the BASIS for achieving GOALS. In other words, THOSE WHO ACT HAVE POWER.

And to act in the right way and achieve all the necessary goals, an action plan is indispensable. It will be the guideline of the whole objective. It will provide you with possibilities to get the ideas off the paper, put them into practice, and monitor the performance, learning from the mistakes in the process and adjusting along the way. 

Something that helps a lot in this process is KPIs: Key Performance Indicators. These indicators measure whether the objectives have been achieved and how the company has grown through them. As chapter 5 of the book states, "Goals and plans provide a source of motivation and commitment. Planning can reduce uncertainty for employees and clarify what they should accomplish. The lack of a clear goal hampers motivation because people don't understand what they're working toward. 

It is perfectly possible to create a business and scale sales, but having a goal and a plan of action is essential, not to say vital, for ANY organization.