AN ARTICLE BASED ON THOUGHTS AND RESEARCH.

AJALA ABIODUN

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Coming to the world of Management.

Copyright © 2007 by Ajala M. Abiodun

E-mail: sizzlamurphyz@yahoo.com

Phone: 234-803-477-2633.

Website:

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or

by means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or

by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the owner/publisher.

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 CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………..

Forward……………………………………………………

Coming to The World of Management

Something About Selling

What Objectives Do You Set For Your Business?

Anatomy of Business Terms

Anatomy of Business Terms (2)

Man-Age-Mentality

Every One is a Manager But...

What it Takes to Be a Manager

Coming to The World of Management (3)

Coming to The World of Management (4)

Coming to The World of Management (5)

Coming to The World of Management (6)

Coming to The World of Management (7)

Coming to the World of Management (8)

Coming to The World of Management (9)…

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Amazing Strategic Management!

Factory Poem.

FORWARD

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 DEDICATION

…To all Business Students, Graduates and Executive

…To my Team Members at the Classic Group (The Writer’s Club); Abel

Oregbele (NIMN), Ganiyu (OND, B.Sc), Kunle Popoola (ACIPMN)… let’s

keep the pen alive!

…And to my friend, my friends and my colleagues in and outside school.

Wishing you all a brilliant success in life .

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank God Almighty for His infinite mercy He keeps showing on

me. Without Him nothing can be done.

My parents and the entire Ajala family for all their support. God will

be with you all.

The Economist: 2007/2008 Unilorin: calculus, Jide (son of a book),

Bolaji Afolayan, Ojo Folorunsho, Amos Gbadewole, Seyi Aremu

(Researcher), Jide Amao… and; Seun Bodunde (Geography), Taiwo a.k.a

Prof. (Sociology)…

A big thank you to my Management lecturers, Dr. Gunu Umar,Mr

Aremu, and Mr Isiaka. Babaita, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

All those people that have taken time to read this text on the Editorial

board, Dailies and on the System.

Those text books (old & new) in the library, staff of the library, and

the photocopy person (Unilorin).

My gratitude also goes to; Hakeem Ajala(First Bank Ng), Kemi

Adesomoju, Kunle Popoola (ACIPM), Rotr. Shittu Waheed President

(D9130), Abass Adeshina (CEO, TSS & QUEST), Hon. Timothy Ejiboye

(B.sc), Gbenga Lawani Jnr, Zainab Okunola, Muyideen Salaudeen (ETB),

Ajala Adeyemi, Ajala Morufat, Robert Oguntimeyin, Mary Williams, Mr

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Ladi (PGDSM, Unilorin), Gbenga Emmanuel, Olamide Olawale, Halimat

Shittu, Biola Akinola, Basirat Adekunbi, Seyi Steve (B.ed Mgt), Shola

Oladejo, Faith Ayanda, Isiaka Abdulkareem, Andy Paul,…The world would

be different place if you guys were not here.

Lastly, to all the gods in management; F.W Taylor, a.k.a “speedy”

(1856-1915), Henri Fayol (1841-1925), Chester Bernnard (1886-1961),

Ansoff Igor, Theodore Levitt, and other authors whose work appeared in

this text.

And my passion driven through text; Peter Ferdinand Drucker.

And to you, you will succeed!

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 INTRODUCTION

This book is about the field of MANAGEMENT. The most

outstanding course in any University, College, or Polytechnic. The most

sweetest course on earth. The omega of all courses in the world. The reason

why we are earning and without it living could be somehow. Management

also account for the reason why most companies (especially banks) survived

the re-capitalization exercises imposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) Gov. Professor Charles Soludo. If every bank would deny this fact,

not banks where management is fully practiced. Banks like Oceanic Bank,

First City Group, Access, etcetera.

The main objective of writing this text is to correct some erroneous or

negative views that people seems to have towards Management and

Managers, especially in higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. And how

the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) can brand or re-brand this field

to the next level, like it counterpart in the field of Medicine, Journalism,

Law, etc.

I wrote in the chapter 12 of this book “how could a man destroy, what

he cannot creates?” meaning “how can a student blackmail a field, that

whether he like it or not, he is still going to practice?” and after their saying

that people that studied Business Administration, Management, Business

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Organization, Edu-Management, Organizational Behaviors etc. are not the

serious type. These set of people that claim to be critique to management

were found in large multitude in many companies on their ID tagged

manager of dis or dat… practicing field of management. Are they not aware

of what they are doing?

The motive of this book is not to attack anyone… as no course or field

should be regarded as superior to any field of study. We are only adding

spices to suit the taste of the book in other to make it entertaining.

Regardless of any course one is undergoing one should do it, with passion

and add value to humanity through it” said Uju Onyenchere (Benson &

Associates).

It was the story of Henry Ford (the great), my colleagues in the

library, and the societal talk among the corpers (NYSC) that really brought

the inspiration to write this book. These people are too great.

However, I believe this simple book would be an interesting text to

every executives, headhunter, professional bodies, business people, and

students. Especially those that have not yet believe that whatever they are

doing are powered by Management; be it leadership, networking, self

employed, etcetra

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 Excerpt: “…the story was told about Henry Ford and his

disciples… how his business fall and failed several times.

His belief was that there exit nothing like manager and

management… Please help me to tell our colleagues

from other faculties especially those that have grad… or

those that are in a small or large firm to mismanage… to

accept management as their career lord and saviors.”

Read more…

I’ve written this book in a straight forward, easy to understand and in

a story teller’s ways.

I appreciate your confidence in going after this book.It shows the

great person in you. Believe it, you will be great.

This is from me to you “Coming to the World of Management”

Thanks and God bless

AJALA ABIODUN

May, 2007.

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 1

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT

“He who has not learned to obey cannot be a good commander” –

Aristotle

During their life time in their academic institution most students

criticized managers and management. That there is nothing like

manager/management and that everything is common sense. “I sorry for

them”. They should go and ask the first Henry Ford.

Henry Ford set up his business with the belief that there is nothing

like manager/management. He sets up his business by making it a family

affair. He neglected the four (4) major management functions like planning,

organizing, directing and controlling. And then his business failed several

times.

One thing that pains me is that he died before he realizes the truth; just

like a sinner that die without giving his/her life to Christ…what a painful &

pitiful death.

Henry Ford, starting with nothing in 1905, had fifteen years later built

the world’s highest and most profitable manufacturing enterprises. The Ford

Motor Company, in the early twenties, dominated and almost monopolized

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the American automobile market and held a leadership position in most of

the other important automobile markets of the world

Yet only a few years later, by 1927. This seemingly impregnable

business empire was in scrambles. Having lost its leadership position and

barely a poor third in the market, its lost money almost every years or so and

remained unable to compete rigorously right through World War II.

The first Ford failed because of his firm belief that a business did not

need manager and management.” all it needed, he believed, was the owner

entrepreneurs with his ‘helpers’

It was Henry Ford II that brought a revival to the company in 1944.

He is the grandson to Henry Ford, just twenty-six (26) years old.

He came with different ideas and traditions and he brought in a totally new

management team and saved the company.He is a messiah among the

descendant of Ford’s that came to rescue the company.

Today, Management cannot be defined in the areas of Leadership or

Business without the success and failure story of Ford.

Dear readers, do you think management is nothing? This is but one

out of the trillion stories of those who think management is nothing and they

ended up being nothing.

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 In every areas of life Management is practice. Observable or

unobservable; visible or invisible.

We are living in a country where things are changing. And change is

but one of out of the uncountable definition of Management.

Every graduate thinks he/she can move just too any place with his/her

course/grade. It’s good to be proud of your course but your course would

bring you nothing if you limit your thinking to it. The first step of being an

effective student is broadening your scope of thinking and thinking is an

analytical aspect of Strategic Management.

I would like to challenge you right now if you are you a management

student and/or you think that management is nothing. Were you taught

Strategy in your field? If at all you are even taught it will be on dead wood

or on historical whatever on how to play lottery.

Despite the fact that most students denied Management. When they

graduated with 2:1 or first class or other grade they still have the ambition of

going for a managerial job like banking, telecommunications, insurance,

small business, etc. these are some of the visible and general Management

jobs among others…

Whatever you are doing is Management. If you are a journalist you

are doing an act of Management. In hospital settings there is Management

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(go to administrative and finance desk, etc.) Geographic Information System

in Abuja is Management. Forming a ministry is Management; there exist a

manager (superior) and the congregations are subordinate; without them the

church is nothing. You see Management is people! If you are a politician

you are doing management. You formulate policy, negotiate and resolve

conflict…

Let’s go on break…

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 2

SOMETHING ABOUT SELLING

“Nothing happen until somebody sell something”- “Nothing is worth

while unless it touch the customers” – DU Point CEO

In a conversation with a student of Anatomy. When I met him on the

mini ground. He said to me “he is proud of being a doctor: I asked him do

you believe that there is manager? He said yes!

There is no way he would finish from his course of study or

programmed without selling something. Unn…you see Marketing

Management®. For him to survive as a man, he must sell something. Sam

Adeyemi asked in one of his article in the dailies; “what are you selling?”

you can earn without selling??? You can’t even grow without selling! The

love of selling is the beginning of good life… As a Medical Doctor let’s

assume you opened up a chemist and display your drugs. You can set the

shop just for decoration purpose. The drugs in your shop need someone to

come in and pay naira for exchange of your items. It means you are selling.

Selling is something you can never be taught in your course. Except

through seminars, courses, tapes, through us and self development. And if

you are eager to learn it on your own, then Marketing Management ® by

Professor Philip Kotler are sold at affordable prices in bookshop. Sincerely,

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the love of selling is the beginning of good life I repeat. Selling is not only

limited to physical product. It also extended to ideas. Yes, you wonder how?

You can sell ideas. Most Doctors are selling ideas. This is what we called

services in Marketing Management. When a patient come to your hospital to

complain about emotional stress for instance, after paying for the hospital

card. What comes out from your mouth that makes the patient to say when I

get home I would adjust and he or she concluded with thank you, is service.

Intangible! The implication of services is that it doesn’t work all the time

especially in hospital settings due to high medical bills, banks (due to system

breakdown), etc.

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 3

WHAT OBJECTIVE DO YOU SET FOR YOUR BUSINESS

“Organization Succeeds in a competitive market place over the long run

because they can do certain things their customers value better than their

competitors.” Gary Piston-Robert Hayles, David Upton

Many people rushes into business or running an organization for the

love of money.

If money is your aim or target in the short run, you would surely be

found no where. Business exists for two (2) purposes;

- Service and later;

- Profit.

Underline the word ‘later’. The question now is what are you

offering? What impact are you having? If you can answer these 2 questions

perfectly then profit will flows with ease.

So set up your business for the purpose of being friendly with the

environment you are existing or operating. If you are found being harsh to

your environment then you would be drag down and then your business

would be discarded in the graveyard.

People would like to know what you can do for them, not what they

can do for you. The former goes with the later. What is in there for me? (W-

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I-T-F-M) is the radical partnership question asks by individual or enterprises

before reaching an agreement. Even in any human relationship.

Set up your business because people are out there that needs your

services or help. Because people don’t want to know how much you have

until they know how much you care… the term Social Responsibility will

always come to mind. But that should be at the growth stage of your

business. Try to implement S.R – because the resources like people, capital,

etc. that you are using in carrying out your business are not yours. They are

kept in charge of you, to kept and managed. So who owns them, the people

of course! That is, the people that surrounded the environment in which you

are operating.

Let us used Mr. Biggs as an illustration: the survival of Mr. Biggs in

Ilorin is meant possible through the patronage of people in Ilorin. If

assuming they’ve revolted that they do not need Mr. Biggs in their environs

– hostility would have been the talks of the day. Mr. Biggs would have to

distribute pen, books, posters, sponsor schools activities/programme, etc. all

in the name of S.R.

So from the illustration, we can call organization that focused on its

external environment by being a giver not a taker always (gold digger). They

are Mrs, which stands for Member Responsible Society as they are

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automatically into relationship or marriage with the public. It would have

been a negative remark if they are found to be Miss which is an acronym for

member irrespirable social society; it means they are not having any positive

or impressive impact on the community in which they exist.

I therefore urged every business Manager and especially the aspiring

one coming to us (our world) and those that are already there to be a member

responsible society as you discover your purpose of existence.

Finally, S.R is not a static aspect of business you would have to

embark on it from time to time. That is the easiest way of getting the public

to be aware of your organization, its products/services. Profit is a must for

you and with that you can put a smile on your employee, expand your

business horizon and shake your rivals in business.

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 4

ANATOMY OF BUSINESS TERMS

“Only trained eyes can see a good investment. Wherever it exists” -

unknown

Organization is just like any living organism. To me, it is an idea

drawn from biological sciences.

Organ is part of human (being) which consists of organ of smell,

touch, taste, etc and these brought us to those part in business world such as

planning, organizing, directing, controlling & motivating.

Planning is just like an organ of sight or seeing. Ask me how? For

what is planning? Planning is the ability to predict or foresee the future. You

can’t predict the future of your business if you don’t have a vision. A vision

is a focus that exist in your mind channeled toward achieving your Long run

goal. If any business/enterprises can’t plan its existing business, such a

business or businesses is/are suffering from Management myopic; a short

sightedness diseases facing many organization or public parastatals in the

public sectors like NEPA, NITEL as well as failed bank like Savannah

Bank, Trade Bank, among others.

Smelling in business term is a signal. A signal perceives or observe as

a symptoms of success or failure of business a good business manager

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smells a sign of good organization because of the control system he had put

in place.

“Organization is a means to an end rather than an end itself. Sound

structure is a prerequisite to organizational health, but it is not health itself.

The test of health business is not the beauty, clarity or perfection of its

organization structure. It is the performance of people”

- Drucker

To be continue…

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 5

ANATOMY OF BUSINESS (2)

Quality is about people not product. To learn from failure in other to

improve.- Phillip B. Crosby (Quality without Tear)

Organization like any human being are born one and definitely bound

to die one day*. Human fall sick so does organizations. Also, surprisingly, is

that organizations are also faced with diseases called organism or

organizites. Diseases that arises as a result of:

▪ Poor planning

▪ Over spending

▪ Bad Management

▪ Slow Decision Making

▪ Absence of action and so on

All the above mentioned and more are the causes of some

organization illness. They cannot be seen with the naked eye except through

the use of proper management or auditing technique…

They can only be cure by an organizational doctor called the Manager.

The manager is indeed an Organizational Doctor. He prescribes rules,

procedures, strategies, etc for effective planning. He can heal and he can also

damage the cell (organization) in which he found himself. He can heal if he

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participate effectively in management decision making and give

recommendation and he can damage – if he deliberately or in deliberately

fails to motivate his/her team in an organization or probably lacks critical

proper thinking.

Organization reproduces or breeds staff. These staffs might either be

good or bad one’s; handworkers or lazy fellow, etc. with respect to

reproduction; organization also man a relationship with her external

environment in form of marriage (business-environment relationship) it is an

act of give me I give you. This is how it works:-

Organization provide the need of the community and the community

in turn provide its people (employees, customers), materials (the input the

business used in running its business) capital, etc. which are necessary for

the continuity of the organization. If the organization broke the heart of its

external environment, then the people would surely search for another

partner’s else where and the organization might suffer or being take over by

its rival in terms of sales or loyalty.

The Organizational Doctor sees compensation/rewards or memo, a

normally or query to serve as drugs to any disease facing an organization.

For instance, if an organization is faced with low sales and poor

performance, the Marketing Executive could be send on training courses on

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how to increase sales performance and/or to acquire the knowledge of

psychology of selling, etc.

In this new age of e-business, the managers are moving from

understanding the nature and problems of the work to understanding the

people involve. And this signifies medical attention given to patient by the

biological or medical doctors.

People are the basis of organization. When productivity is low or sales

level refuse to rise. It means there is an organizites somewhere. The

Managers under these circumstances try to talk with the people involved.

This is what Jack Welch of General Electric practiced. He believes when

you make people happy, productivity is tending to increase. (Organization

Behavior)

This would form the basis of writing on managerial psychology or

applied personnel management.

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 6

MAN-AGE-MENTALITY

“Managerial position… to manage is not always easy” – Mark Wallace

English Commentator, Germany 2006.

Management is life. Management is everything. Management is you.

Management is me. Management is them. Management is we. When things

went wrong it is mismanagement…when things get right it is management.

Management is every good thing, without it, things are miserable.

Some one (an economist) once said that there is nothing likes

Manager/Management. In the ongoing world cup the coach who is

coordinating the players is called a Manager. For the fact that they are

working together in team; they are practicing Management. What every

Manager’s seek to achieve is goal. For this/these goal(s) to be achieved the

people (player) have to cooperate and put every resource (skill) to win.

Do you need further definition of Management? Then why not try and

go in front of a company and pour a waste or make attempt to urinate. You

would notice sign boards telling you don’t do this or that by Management.

Management ensures that everything we do in this country must be of

good conduct.

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 Also, wherever things went wrong in an organization everyone would

say Management (mismanagement is the reverse). When things are going on

fine they will say the management of this firm is really trying. Excellent.

Best. Just call it every good thing Management is life.

Irrespective whether you are a man or woman of any age, take a

course on management and you shall have a new mentality towards every

thing you do in life.

Succeed!

“imagine someone talking on leadership, attending business

submits, seminars, practicalising idea, exchanging object for naira; and

still claiming that there is nothing like manager/management”

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 7

EVERY ONE IS A MANAGER, BUT…

“gentle ears make for good management” – Brian Tracy.

A manager is a man blessed with scarce talent and this truly is a man

studying Management and putting it into practice.

With the new current of things in Nigeria, just any one can rise up one

morning and said he want to become a Manager either though self

development or hunting for a managerial jobs.

Every one of us plan, organize, control, directly or even motivate

either knowingly. Whether you are in Sociology, Biochemistry, English, etc.

you’ve all made a decision for being in the department. And what is decision

and what is planning? The latter come first, right. We also organizes our

book, direct people to act in one way or the other and we are given money at

home so as to motivate us to read; we even motivate others to do some act.

So what are you waiting for? Come and join the world of Managers

and manage for life…by being the next Bill Gates, Wale Adenuga,… You

want to find out how? That’s the reason why I said “everyone is a manager

but not everyone knows how to manage”. But dear reader in your own case,

come to me and let me show you how to manage effectively. Let me show

you:

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How to school in P.S without spending a kobo; and how to have a

stress free for a whole semester and you would still remain happy!

If you are interested in Managing, contact us right now…

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 8

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A MANAGER

“There is nothing absolute in management affairs. Seldom do we have to

apply the same principles twice in identical conditions; allowance must be

made for different changing circumstances.” – Henri Joseph Fayol 1841-

1925 (General & Industrial Mgt, 1916)

To be a manager, you must understand people and know how to work

with them and though them.

You must be willing and able to learn constantly; because you

function in a dynamic environment.

You must be able to be adaptive and innovative in that environment.

You must know when to be adaptive and when to be innovative. You are

adaptive when you are able to adjust to the conditions in your environment.

You are innovative when you introduce something new and when you

introduce new ways of doing things.

Today’s manager must strive to become world class. Being world-

class requires applying the best and latest knowledge and ideas, and having

the ability to operate at the highest standards of any place any where. Thus,

becoming world class does not mean improving. It means becoming one of

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the very best at what you do. You must continually ask yourself. How can I

improve myself to do better tomorrow than I did today?

As a manager you must do things efficiently and effectively. To be

effective is to achieve organizational goal to be efficient is to achieve goal

with minimum waste of resources, time, men, and materials. (Drucker, 1954;

Management: Task, Responsibilities & Practice) Some Manager fail in both

criteria, they practice one at the expense of the other. A Good Manager does

things effectively and efficiently.

The key Managerial skill is time or time management i.e. ability to

manage your Time and your Thinking. The effective Manager must learn

has to manage time, rather than be managing by it.

Self discipline and conscious attention are necessary, as it is a

definition of “work” that includes a lot of relationship building with a

variety of people.

Furthermore, to be a Manager you must have the ability to

communicate, motivate, and resolve conflict… how can you do this? By

attending workshop, training and seminars and somehow occasionally find

time to read books to help you do a better job. Examples of books that can

help you to be an effective Manager are;

▪ Business at The Speed of Thought – by Bill Gates

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 ▪ In Search of Excellence Tom Peters & Waterman, Jr.

▪ Life and Death in the Executive First Lane – Bill Gates

▪ The Practice Management! – Peter Drucker. Among others.

Remember, Taylor’s spirit lives on in the life of every Manager, we must

based all our ideas “Scientifically” and avoid the “rule of thumb” (old way

of doing things)

Also noted, are Financial Standard Newspapers (Study Right).

✓ Business Day ( Harvard Business Review)

✓ Business World

✓ Daily Independent.

✓ Books written by Prof. Pat Utomi of LBS among other notable authors

in Nigeria. Not to forget where to obtained scarce knowledge and

skills in Nigeria, Phillips Consulting, Lagos Business School,STI,Day

Star Leadership Academy, Drucker and Associates…

Mangers are Universal! Managers are on top!

Succeed!

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 9

“Fundamental to Henry Ford’s misrule was a systematic, deliberate and

conscious attempt to run the billion dollar business without

managers…never to manage NGO’s”

Drucker (Big Biz (1946) Two Years Analysis Undertaken at

The Request of Gm’s Top Mgt

Our working environment from banking, insurance, airline,

telecommunication, etc. have now been fully accepted by everyone and

graduates that management is the owner of all. Our preaching is not in vain.

They don’t need to be told to apply for any managerial post on net,

dailies, company, etc. They want to be called those fine and amazing names

or titles such as Marketing Officer, Brand Manager, Secretary, dis and dat,

etcetera.

I’m really happy for them for seizing the opportunity of their lifetime.

Do you know how many Fordelian that have gone or suffered in their

attempt to ignore Management? I need to explain what Fordelian means to

you.

Fordelian is a poetic word. In business prose we called it poetic

license i.e. a situation where by a business writer is allowed to use words to

32
suit him or herself. Like even though, such words might not exist in the

dictionary. What a blessing a poetic license is to a business writer!

Most company is it profit or NGO are recruiting in a large numbers.

When you go to most desk is either you find Agriculture, Biology,

Chemistry, Engineering, Linguistic, Geography, etc. controlling

administrative desk. These are the set of people that can command good

English. But if wasn’t written on their face (i.e. academic background). Hey,

you real manager what are you doing to showcase yourself. Don’t you see

our counterpart in the field of Medicine? Let’s make the entrance to this

field strict, without thinking instrument, we shouldn’t allowed any student,

graduate, job seekers to carry out a market test (acid-test) i.e. without a

course on Strategic Marketing Planning… without a training on Strategic

Management, we shouldn’t allow any man that used glasses and lack the

knowledge of Strategic Management to set vision for company (unrealistic

vision, impossible mission ands dirty values).

This people are the CEO of top company. The only way to detect

where they are coming from is to check their Managerial diction, their

business tenses, and their managerial cum business pronunciation. Few of

them according to one Executive and Human Resource expert Kunle

Popoola “would know what portfolio is and what it means when we said a

33
bank is well capitalized”. As for what portfolio means. They would always

think you are talking about brief cases or court cases. They can tempt or

frustrate the life of their employee. They can delegate task of 3 people to I

staff with the intention of doing him/her harm so that he can resigned the job

and go elsewhere. They are not caring and well coming to the people they

claim to Manage. They are the causes of the high rate of labor turn over in

most firm or company in our country. They believe people are not employee.

That employee is an employee that came to heal the wound and treat their ill

dog (or their bad company). Secondly, aside from portfolio, they still don’t

know anything about people and people Management. People to them are

the large crowd of market men and women. No matter how much seminar,

textbook, or MBA, etc. they attended on people they will still don’t know.

Because they are not ready to be submissive. Instead, they are oppressive

with the objective of promoting their argumentative essay on our subjective

field of business. What a proactive and negative behavior. (Now is the time

to make this course expensive).

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 10

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (3)

The previous Chapter coming to the world of Management is not

harsh. But we are trying to correct these follows. Although, most of them

have a edge of their own i.e. they owned their own business, they head their

family business. Who I am to challenge them? Other wise they would fire

you? Instead you better give them a Bag of Gold. Syndrome, Steven taught

me in his classic text Organizational Behaviors, concept and cases. We shall

discuss it in other up coming chapter or pages. Are you ready to read it?

Please don’t be in a hurry. Keep reading this. Back to the basic…

They are powered buy the clothing company, who provided them with

suit, even though they mighty not really know the real business attire or

clothing. They are offered or taught some simple but expensive certificate

training seminars. They use business terms fairly, but they are not aware of

may be they are out of style, out dated or fashion less.

They also confused Manager for Boss, Development for Training,

Manager for Executives, Business books for Motivational books, Leadership

for Management, Human Resource to Personnel Management. Networking

for Marketing, Branding for Packaging, etc. most of then are not aware of

35
the trends in business such as COO, Brand Etiquettes, Head Hunting, KM,

Gravitational Marketing, Branding, CSR, etcetera.

I would find a way of contacting Phillips Consulting Limited to open

their classrooms so that they can learn.

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 11

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (4)

“Henry Ford concept was not unique in industry. Certainly it was the

absence of management that caused the fall of Ford’s Motors Company.

Even at its lowest point” – Drucker

You’ve read the story of Henry Ford stubbornness in the opening

chapter Aside from his belief that there exist nothing like Manager and

Management, two offences abound i.e. mass production and colors.

In marketing literature, especially in early of production concept Ford

was told to stop producing in mass quality, he refused. Let there be a variety

in the product you manufactured… My Oga said the consumer will by it, in

as far it is black. He loosed sales to some of his competitors in business like

the General Motors (GM). Broad story…

I really hated him for his attitudes toward Management and Business

running. He was the first’s person to me to have speeded the virus of

disbelieving the course of truth (Management) and see how many people or

students that have inherited his belief.

Here is good news. Henry Ford is still one of the best Managers I had

ever know in my whole business life. Without Ford, business cases of failure

would not have existed… without Ford, people would not have known the

37
importance of instruction or suggestion. Henry Ford his prophet of his own

time. He is as well the disciple of Taylor’s. (Taylorism…) Today Henry

Ford quotes were widely accepted by those who known and eager to know.

How marvelous is it to have him as a model of plus and minis in business.

“Thinking is the hardest job, that’s why less people engage in it”

- Henry Ford

“Asking “who ought to be the boss?” is like asking who ought to be,

the tenor in the quart let? Obviously, the man who can sing“

- Henry Ford.

The above quote as explained by John C. Maxwell. I love the simple,

unpretentious logic of Henry Ford. He cut through red tape of human

politics, suggesting that leadership isn’t a matter of tenure or title, but

ability. The appropriate question is, “who can get job done?”

38
 12

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (5)

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently”

– Henry Ford

This write up seems like writing to attack our colleague from other

field or faculties. It wasn’t intentional. It was the direction that my pen, my

unexplained thought and people I came across are directing me to.

Also way back, they are the caused of their own attack. They used to

have the negative expression or opinion about the manager and management.

In the academic ground, they used to say; Business Administration is a

course for the unserious fellows/jam bites. That the course is as easy as the

Business-Studies we did in school, whereas, majority of them (i.e. the

critiques) cannot specify the job of a clerk or secretary or state the definition

of an office in a single or simple sentences. How can a man destroy what he

cannot create? How should a students insult someone he thought he would

never come to meet for help someday. They had seen business studies as a

small kid that would never grow beyond their junior class. To their surprise,

it germinated to commerce…from commerce to Business Administration

and from Business Administration to a giant tree with trillions, Zillions of

braches and still counting

39
 See the diagram bellow:- Management

Organization

Organization

Entrepreneur Dept

QC
Strategic Business Marketing
Industrial Engr.
Biz Strategic mgt
Law Biz
Geograph
y
Supply mgt

Warehouse mgt
Product mgt

Inventory mgt
IMC, Sales
Marketing, JIT
Project mgt

Purchasing

© copyright 2006

Branding Networking

40
 13

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (6)

“Most people get ahead in life with the time other waste”

– Henry Ford

Coming to the world of management must be strict and should be base

or merit. I wish NIM would be reading this?

Today I visited one News Agency, being a part of my research. I

asked the man in the office what they do in this outfit. He told me they work

with newspapers, and T.V stations and they used to paste news via internet.

Has can I be of help? He asked, am I a journalist? I said no.

I told him have a background in PR through volunteer organization.

He is a member of NIPR. He talked to me in a friendly way. He said for me

to be part of them. I would have to go and do a course in journalism afresh

or a postgraduate course in the field.

The reverse has been the case with the course of life ‘Management’.

Everyone want to be part of us. Majority who have totally different

academic background. Should I attribute this to the people in charge? Are

they after the money? Rather than form apart (strict membership). If we are

to arrest anybody or anyone that practices the field of management without

consent from the professional body, then we are arresting half or if not more

41
than the working population of Nigeria. Because everyone practice it.

Journalists are practicing it… they plan! They have a management team!

Even small food canteen has a financial plan and management. So what are

you telling me?

MBA is no more a valuable-stuff. NIM, they’re started calling it pure

water which is meant for Dick & Harry. I saw a corper sometimes ago

(Infarct, many corper) referring to NIM professional examination as being a

popular & cheap commodity. A must freedom of choice (Do me) while they

are in camp (NYSC). I think it’s time to re-brand Management. NIM has a

lot to do about these issues.

Is it possible for a Management student or professional to just

ventured into any professional course in Medicine or Law in this country?

Any way e dey happen. Even though he/she managed to gain entrance, do

you know how much it would cost him/her? The pay, the stress, and so on.

I thank gods in management that this write is apolitical. If not I don’t

know how many CEO or top Oga that would discard it. Any way, this is just

a movie not be taken too seriously, as we are still one. We are management.

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 14

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (7)

“Many organization such as Ford which fail to produce quality is what

prompted Ted Levitt (1960), to write his seminal article. Marketing myopia

using the American rail road as an exemplar” – Baker, M.J

Some CEO irrespective of their academic background when assigned

or given a managerial post can still manage efficiently. I didn’t say

effectively. If you take a look at this at this sets of people; they have taken or

attended the real course/seminar in our field, they’ve listen to bundle of

tapes, and most importantly they are not too proud, they are ready to be

submissive to learn.

Another set of Oga’s are good at disturbing the emotion of their

workers. They are influenced by those bosses in Indian Films. Instead of

being a header, they end up being a boss. They’ve read the wrong book in an

upside down manner. They’ve attended expensive seminar or working either

locally or abroad with the defect of long instruction and classes. “it is not the

duration that count but what is learned” – said Dr. Umar. They are not aware

of what we are taught in business communication that information overload

is a barrier to effective memory. They end up transferring the virus of too

43
much instruction to the people they claimed to be managing where as they

are only garb aging.

They would change…

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 15

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (8)

“Know what you are, what you can do and keep focusing on

improvement” – Eric Logan

The book that we read in business can directly or indirectly do have

negative or position influence on us. When this Oga started bouncing,

shouting and raking on his staffs, then I wondered what could have such

behaviors unto him? I detected 4 days after that their must be something

behind his action – and that something is that he has been baptized to be a

Machiavellian.

He is a Machiavellian. But what he wasn’t aware of was that people

would be leaving his organization and before he knows… it would be too

late. Because not everyone (employee, want to be treated badly. They want

someone that will treat them nice as started in OB* constitution.

Human by nature want both soft and tuff hand. Even Machiavelli said

“it is better to be feared than to be loved or to be loved then to be feared”. I

guess he was confused too. Instead of me to read and mode my action to his

book “The Prince” I rather go for McGregor Douglas “Human Side of The

Enterprise” which talked or wrote something about Theory X and Y.

45
 In his days, (talking about Nicolas Machiavelli), I don’t think there

exist anything like a big corporation, he has nothing tangible to sell, if not all

of his customers must have gone and say bye. He later conduct, that one

should “balance both”.

What Machiavelli practiced in the pursuit of power in politics is what

authors divert to business. Bad! Managers, especially new coming manager

want power in a rush. They want to be seeing as boss or Oga. They want to

be seeing as another Machiavelli on earth. They went quickly to grab their

own copy of the book. “Mafia Manager”. A harsh and difficult book to read

- yet straightforward, simple and meaningful.

There are 2 sides of being a leader in this modern time, through

books. One side is read the Mafia Manager which I guess makes you a boss

and the second side is to read a book like “The One Minute Manager” which

makes you a superior.

A manager who read the Mafia Manager’ would likely find him or

herself tuff and harsh to his subordinate. While a manager who read the One

Minute Manager would be nice and caring to the people or his subordinate.

Is this a book review? I think I stop and face business…

It’s is better to read both books in other to make things balance and

decide which character you would like to adopt.

46
 Most importantly, be an OB* fans!!!

Organizational Behavior.

OB is one of the most complexes and perhaps least understands

academic elements of modern management, but since it concerns the

behaviors of people within organization. It is also one of the most central...

its concern with individual group patterns of behaviors makes. It an essential

element in dealing with the complex behaviors issues thrown up in the

modern business world.

- Financial Times Mastering Management Serves

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 16

COMING TO THE WORLD OF MANAGEMENT (9)

“Without Institution there would be no management. But without

Management there would be only a mob rather than institution” -

Unknown

In the process of writing I came to realized that I’m short of what to

write. Should I go and look for more troubles? No.

Read on…

A friend mine went to one of this Nigeria bank in town to confirm and

make enquiries on their mandate form that they give to shareholders. He was

told that the account opening would cost N10, 000. He asked that can he

opened with N5,000?which the minimum balance. The guy on the

customers’ desk said it can not be done while the second lady said it is

V.A.T free and more or less like a current account because you will be issue

cheque. The third lady came from no where and said “we don’t want you”

“let him go”. My friend asked himself what’s wrong this girl, that claimed to

be a staff of this bank. He stops out of the entrance and the lady uttered an

expression in Yoruba, “look at his head”. Something prompted my friend to

take an entrance back to the banking hall. He went straight upstairs to ask of

the branch manager from the secretary. The secretary said, he can said

48
anything to him that the branch manager was busy or not around. Not to

make it a long procedure… he explained what had happened. Immediately,

they wrote a query letters. “You people just recruit wrongly. Just because

someone is a good of Agric, Biochemistry… you employed him or her to

come and mismanaged the business that doesn’t fit into his or her

profession” my friend expressed in an angry mood. All the managers in the

officer were called out to start begging. To his surprise, a woman with a

corporate outlook and well manner red confessed herself; “that she is a Bio-

chemistry graduate/student and that is not the way their behaviors” is that

they respect people. My friend said” this drama took up to an hour.

All the 3 staffs on the customer care were called with the ruffian girls

to the “Head of Operation” Desk.

It was the guy turn (i.e. the one customer on the customer service

Desk) to received his own angry talk. “You allowing a lady to be sitting

down on your led in the banking hall… even the girl were also chewing

gum” “this query was going to be prepared too”. Said find statement that my

friend uttered was “you people just shattered engineer to come and work in

your bank” to his surprise, the branch manager said along with 6 staffs said

we are Engineering Students.

49
 They brought account opening form for him, he refused. They even

begged him to take it for free, he said he wasn’t interested.

After skipping out of the banking hall, my friend later came to meet

the H.O.P and pleaded with him not to take the issue beyond the branch.

Although, he disagreed with him, but at least I think my friend has done

what he thought was right.

They’ve made the mistake of selecting the wrong head. The lady see

the banking hall as an avenue to display popcorn and believe like a coward.

I don’t know how to criticize the Engineer. I respected them so much.

Check it out:-
What makes them to be qualified

Course Duration
- Taylor, F.W
for a management Job.

Management Course
Notable Leaders

- Fayol
Engineer NIM, etc.
- Tom Peters
Computer Skills
- Sam Adeyemi Knowledgeable &
fast thinking
Others
Quality Control, Operational
research, & Other
Quantitative Analysis

Engineer (and Management) © 2006

50
 17

AMAZING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

(Dedicated to all MBA Students all over the World)

“Strategic Management is not a box of trick or a bundle of techniques. It

is analytical thinking and commitment to resource allocation” – Drucker.

My Strategic Management

You’re a amazing and wonderful kind

In my suit and my briefcase

cos when I think of the future

I always see the brighter side and the brighter side

Shining like the head of Ansoff

I know it’s going to be a brighter future

Come true, like the book of Philip Kotler*

When I think of how my

Organization have succeeded

In the past –

How I’ve beaten down business dilemma

It gave me an assurance of today

And hope of being a giant in my industry tomorrow.

51
Oh my strategic! When I look at the present I see

How proud I am for being a manager.

Oh Lord of Ansoff, chandler, & Potter

Thank you for giving me strategic management

To do right things

And also to do things right!

52
What is Management?

More than Managing people? Money and customers. Management is

the ability to think, influence and act strategically. To achieve that, takes

breadth of knowledge and vision and a willingness to innovate and the

courage to act.

- www.shul.ac.uk

Management is about human being. It’s a task is to make people

capable of joint performance, to make their strength effective and their

weakness irrelevant. This is what organization is all about, and it is the

reason that management is the critical, determining factor. These day’s

practically all of us, especially educated people, are employed to managed

institutions, large and small, business and non-business. We depend on the

management of the organization in which we work as it does on our own

skills, deduction and effort.

This course equips students to challenge assumptions, and make

informed business ‘decisions’ across organizational boundaries. It allows

student to pursue specialism.

53
 18

FACTORY POEM

By the Classic Team

(Dedicated to Frederick Winslow Taylor) (1856-1915)

Every one knows him

He is a man of principle

Who doesn’t take work for granted

neglected or uncompleted…

He looks at work and studied it

He is the first man in the world…

To apply thinking to work

He likes hardworking men

And dislike a lazy worker.

Many sociologists criticized his theory

By referring to him as Taylorism

Many psychologist have disowned

The motive of ‘economic man’

By replacing it without ‘social man’

54
Many industrialist have turned

Labor union to trade union

None of them can confront this Engineer

Till his death in Pennsylvania.

There is still a rebirth of his principle.

Oh speedy… Management misses you.

55
 AJALA ABIODUN is a Consultant, Manager, and

a Writer. He writes on Organization and

Management. He has written series of articles

including; Wardrobe Engineering: the Act of

Dressing for Success among other short stories on

business, and self-development.

IN THIS BOOK YOU WILL DISCOVERED:

▪ HOW TO AVOID SIMPLE MISTAKES IN BUSINESS.

▪ USING PROPER MANAGERIAL TECHNIQUE IN PLANNING

▪ WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

▪ WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MANAGER

▪ DISCOVERED THE STORY OF CRITIQUES IN MANAGEMENT

AND HOW YOU CAN USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

▪ AND OTHER MANAGEMENT FUNS

ISBN xxxxxxxx

56
 “Idleness Warps the Mind”

- Henry Ford

Other Books by AJALA ABIODUN

1. Wardrobe Engineering: The Act of Dressing for Success

2. Management: Stories, Movies and Writings.

57
 DRAWING BOARD/REFERENCES

Baker, M.J (1995) Marketing. An Introductory Text. Macmillan

Bates Man, S ( _____ ) Management.

Drucker, P.F (1946) “Big Business”. Two Years Analysis Undertaken at

The Request of GM’s top Management.

Drucker, P.F (1953) The practice of Management Harper & Brother:

New York.

Steve, “Organizational Behaviors. 9th Edition”.

58