How can a manager attain his objectives

A manager is the one who is responsible for supervising and motivating

employees and for directing the progress of an organization. The role of a
manager differs from business to business. He can either be the person who
controls a business or someone who manage an athletic team. In a school, it can
be a student in charge of the equipment of the team.

According to the Harvard business review the ideal goal of a manager is to :

https://hbr.org/2003/01/management-by-whose-objectives

 To measure and judge performance,

 To relate individual performance to organizational goals,
 To clarify both the job to be done and the expectations of accomplishment,
 To foster the increasing competence and growth of the subordinate,
 To enhance communications between superior and subordinate,
 To serve as a basis for judgments about salary and promotion,
 To stimulate the subordinate’s motivation, and
 To serve as a device for organizational control and integration

The “ideal” process should proceed in five steps: 1) individual discussion with the
superior of the subordinate’s own job description, 2) establishment of the
employee’s short-term performance targets, 3) meetings with the superior to
discuss the employee’s progress toward targets, 4) establishment of checkpoints
to measure progress, and 5) discussion between superior and subordinate at the
end of a defined period to assess the results of the subordinate’s efforts.
Moreover, a manager should also be able to use resources fully and efficiently.
This can be done by maximizing of the supply of money, materials, staff, and
other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function
effectively, with minimum wasted resource expenses. The proper use of men,
materials, machines, and money will help a business to earn sufficient profits to
satisfy various interests i.e. proprietor, customers, employees and others. All
these interests will be served well only when physical resources of the business
are properly utilised.For example, in his landmark 1776 work The Wealth of
Nations, Adam Smith showed that a clever division of labor could make a
commercial enterprise vastly more productive than if each worker took personal
charge of constructing a finished product. ( https://hbr.org/2019/01/rethinking-
efficiency )

Another goal of a manager would be the growth and development of the

business. This can be achieved through proper planning, organisation and
direction. It helps in profitable expansion of the business and provides a sense of
security among the employers and employees. Growth is something for which
most companies strive, regardless of their size. Small firms want to get big, big
firms want to get bigger. Organizational growth provide small businesses with a
myriad of benefits, including things like greater efficiencies from economies of
scale, increased power, a greater ability to withstand market fluctuations, an
increased survival rate, greater profits, and increased prestige for organizational
members. Many small firms desire growth because it is seen generally as a sign of
success, progress. Organizational growth is, in fact, used as one indicator of
effectiveness for small businesses and is a fundamental concern of many
practicing managers. ( https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/organizational-
growth.html ) Since the ultimate goal of most companies is profitability, most
companies will measure their growth in terms of net profit, revenue, and other
financial data. Other business owners may use one of the following criteria for
assessing their growth: sales, number of employees, physical expansion, success
of a product line, or increased market share. Ultimately, success and growth will
be gauged by how well a firm does relative to the goals it has set for itself.
Furthermore, a manager aims at producing better quality of goods or services.
The better the quality the greater the loyalty of customers. If customers are
satisfied with one product or service he will not hesitate to buy it again and will
eventually recommend his friends and family to use the product. One good
example could be the Adidas brand or the Shea Moisture hair product. With the
durability, quality and uniqueness of the shoes provided by Adidas each customer
does not hesitate to buy the shoes even if it is expensive. And for Shea Moisture,
every girls with curly hair will definitely use and recommend the product since it
meets their expectations in attaining highly define curls without even damaging
their hair. Thus, it can be said that the quality offered strengthen the relationship
between the company and the customer.

In addition, the manager should ensure the regular supply of goods to the
people. It checks the artificial scarcity of goods in the market. Hence, it keeps the
prices of goods within permissible limits. Since the manager is the one
responsible to take orders, he must also be sure that the products he is ordering
has a high level of demand especially if he is ordering a big quantity as he also
needs to sell the stock completely. He must also analyse the demand for the
product he is selling and set price accordingly. For instance, if the demand of
Iphone XR increase, then the price of the the product will rise as well so as to
maximize profit. On the other hand, if the demand for Iphone XR decrease, then
managers should decrease the price of the product, so as to increase sales.

Besides the above statements, a manager should maintain the discipline and
boosts the morale of the individuals by applying the principles of decentralization
and delegation of authority. It motivates the employees through monetary and
non-monetary incentives. It helps in creating and maintaining better work culture.
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become
a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch, former CEO of
General Electric 1981-2001. One way to achieve the business objectives is to first
know the objectives of the team members. According to a 2012 study by The
Alliance (P. 44), “75% of employees say that they’re willing to use their own time
to further their careers and take on additional learning that would benefit them
at work.” This can be done by building a trustful relationship with them. 

Additionally, the manager is responsible of mobilizing best talents. The

employment of experts in various fields will help in enhancing the efficiency of
various factors of production. There should be a proper environment which
should encourage good persons to join the enterprise. The better pay scales,
proper amenities, future growth potentialities will attract more people in joining a
concern. The manager has the power to approve hiring a person or not. But if this
person is already employed and is earning a good salary, the manager should be
able to give him good reasons to leave his current job. For example, a manager at
panarottis pizza has Rs 2000 offer in every outlets in the country and this offer is
available to his family as well.

Another objective of equally importance to the others is to always be updated

concerning the latest technology and thus creating the best promotion for that.
Manager undertakes the research and development to take lead over its
competitors and meet the uncertainties of the future. Thus, it provides the
benefits of latest research and technology to the society. For instance, with the
use of proper research along with the help of technology, Apple was able to
create the Iphone 11 which include a redesigned camera interface uses the new
Ultra Wide camera to show you what’s happening outside the frame.

Moreover, the latter aims at minimizing the element of risks. Management

involves the function of forecasting. Though the exact future can never be
predicted yet on the basis of previous experience and existing circumstances,
management can minimize the element of risk. Management always keeps its
ears and eyes to the changing circumstances. One good example could be the fact
that a manager always try to check what competitors are doing. That is, if
competitors decrease price he will try to do the same thing without having an
impact on the profit level. Adidas and Puma are close competitors if Puma
decreases it's price, Adidas can try to make a promotion like 25% discount on
certain types of shoe edition or buy two get one free and this can help in de-
stocking at the same time.

Improving the performance also forms part of the manager's goal. Management
should aim at improving the performance of each and every factor of production.
The environment should be so congenial that workers are able to contribute their
maximum to the enterprise. The fixing of objectives of various factors of
production will help them in improving their performance. One way of increasing
performance could be the use of rewards. In call centers, for instance the
minimum number of cases to be treated is 60. If an employee makes 75 cases in a
day, he can receive a day off. This will then motivate the employee to work harder
than usual.

Finally, a manager should plan for the future. He needs to prepare a prospective
plan. No manager should feel satisfied with today’s work. Future plans should
take into consideration what is to be done next. Future performance will depend
upon present planning. So, planning for future is essential to every organisation.
The manager should be able to plan the future objective before attaining the first
one. For example at first he should aim at maximizing profit and at the same time
increase customer fidelity. Once done, he should already know what other goals
to achieve as this can also be done in the same time.