Blogs on General Management

Sitting at home with nothing to do? We all are aware that the COVID-19 has taken the world by a storm. With the fear and the number of people affected rising every minute, many countries and daily lives have come to a standstill. Health Ministries and Governments with a view of keeping their citizens safe have taken decisions to temporarily shut down schools, colleges, cinema halls and even offices. Staying indoors during the times of this outbreak is advisable and safe. But who likes staying at home all day, isn’t that boring? So how about using this time to learn something new, instead of spending your precious time binging on your favorite TV show again for the nth number of time. Equip yourself with knowledge that will not only upgrade your skills but also add extra brownie points to your CV. Let us help you! Have a look at some of the options below to find out how you can make your time productive.   Learn a new technology: Newer technologies are speeding their way into the world today. Artificial Intelligence, Python, Blockchain, BIG Data, Virtual Reality, Cloud Computing and the list won’t stop. They may sound technical but learning them isn’t that difficult. There are several online courses and certifications both free and paid that can help you learn these from the scratch.   Prepare for your next job interview: Nervousness and a bit of fear are inevitable during an interview. But if you are confident and well versed with the possible questions you’ll be asked, you certainly have a competitive edge. You can refer to some of the finest books from Job Interview Questions series. Vibrant Publishers offers over 75 job interview books in this series dedicated exclusively to IT sector.   Take up work from home internship: An internship gives you a hands-on experience of your technical knowledge, along with the opportunity to get to know the real industry closely. So why miss the benefit of working from the comfort of your home during this time of quarantine. And a few extra pennies of pocket money is always good, isn’t it?   Work on your Vocabulary: Fluent English is always impressive, so why not use this time to polish your vocabulary. Also, good vocabulary is a must for most entrance tests as these tests have a vocabulary section. So, if appearing for an entrance is what you are planning, then this could be on your to-do list. Or perhaps you could learn a new language!   Learn basic management skills: Learning management skills is never wasted, these skills can come handy in both professional and personal life. This is the best time to acquire skills that are otherwise outside of your purview of studies – basic management skills like accounting, finance, marketing, operations, project management and supply chain management. Best way to get a grip on these is to get your hands on the Self-Learning Management Series of books by Vibrant Publishers. The books are compact, concise and easy to understand – replete with real life examples one can relate to immediately. Remember to stay safe and take every precaution to keep yourself and your loved ones away from this threat.

Most of us are working from home – and wondering how best we can utilize this time, not only for personal fulfilment but also for taking some career enhancement measures. The best way to do this is to enhance and upgrade your management skills. You can either hone your soft skills or functional skills. Vibrant Publishers’ Self Learning Management Series helps you to upgrade your functional skills in management. Brush up your Marketing skills to win over both internal and external customers: Whether you are an executive eyeing that managerial position or an existing manager looking to brush up on your marketing skills – you need to market to internal as well as external customers. Tools like SWOT analysis will help you in the more challenging aspects of a managerial position and will strengthen your negotiation skills. Marketing Management Essentials provides you with a thorough understanding of the relationship between strategy and marketing. This enables better decision making skills based on the business environment and overall company strategy. The book is replete with real life examples so that one can relate to the concepts easily. Financial Management skills to take prudent decisions for every situation: The financial aspect of any business is one of the most important. No matter which function you handle, if you are a manager or an entrepreneur, you will need to keep track of finances, accounts and cash flow at the least. Most business owners struggle in this aspect because they are not finance and accounts savvy, by training. Three books from Vibrant’s stable – Financial Management Essentials, Cost Accounting and Management Essentials, Financial Accounting Essentials will equip you with strong basic fundamentals of financial management and accounting. You can learn costing, break even analysis, cost allocation and control, cash flows, income statements and more such fundamentals essential to having a grip on business finances. Manage any Project like a Pro: As employees first move towards management, they typically take on management of critical projects. With Project Management Essentials acquire project management skills that help you manage the complexity of modern projects, right from planning to execution to closure. Get equipped with the latest in Operations and Supply Chain management: Supply Chain management is the function which is said to be the defining function of the future. Moreover, in these troubled times, it is this function which develops the maximum roadblocks, and one needs to think of newer ways to navigate them. Operations and Supply Chain Management Essentials uses a hypothetical company and the consumer product they make, to explain how the various functions within the Supply Chain intertwine so that you can contribute to bring the best finished product to life for consumers in the market. Be ready to take on the challenges of new demands, changing preferences, and unforeseen circumstances. Each of these books will help you in your quest to better your career prospects, no matter which level of management you are in. You can order these books from our or from Amazon either in the paperback or e-book format.

Often the words “Leader” and “Manager” are used synonymously but there is a difference between the two. The primary difference between management and leadership is that managers hold recognized positions of authority in the organizational structure whereas leaders may not. A leader can be anyone in the organization, but they frequently hold managerial positions. As you may have encountered, not all managers may qualify as good leaders. When this happens, people tend to follow orders not because they are motivated but because they are obliged. Managers hold positions in the organization that give them line authority to compel employees to follow their directives. Their main goal is usually strictly aligned with meeting organizational goals and objectives. Managers are accountable for their own activities as well as the activities of those who report to them. Inherent to their role, they are given the ability to judge employee performance and promote, reward, correct, hire and fire employees accordingly. People follow leaders not because they are compelled by formal authority from the organization, but because they feel moved to do so. People choose to follow leaders due to the leaders’ personality, principles, and behaviours. Leaders are passionate about their work and as a result they dive into their work with full force. They care about others especially those who follow them. They want others to feel the passion they do, so they invest their time into helping others to be successful and satisfied in their work. One way to distinguish between a manager and a leader is by the traits they possess. Below are the important traits of both managers and leaders.   Traits a manager possesses: Accomplish a vision: Using a roadmap for their team to follow, a manager successfully implements a strategic vision. A talent for directing: Anticipating needs and course correcting where needed on a day to day basis is critical to a managers’ success. Ability to manage processes: With their role, managers have the authority to implement rules, standards, procedures and processes. People Centric: In order to build the trust, loyalty, and productivity of employees, managers stay up to date on their employees’ needs and check if they are being met. To do this, managers practice active listening, engage employees in critical decisions, and make every effort to meet any sensible requests for changes.     Traits a leader possesses: Ability to see the big picture: Leaders see the forest for the trees. They know where they are going and how to get there from where they currently are. They engage others to help them identify the course of action to take, to get to their desired state. Trustworthiness and reliability: People follow leaders because they are honest and have integrity. Believing in their leader motivates them to journey down the path the leader lays out. Stimulation: Leaders can stimulate or inspire others to see how their day to day work affects the bigger picture. Communication Skills: Leaders communicate well and so often so that their team knows the current happenings, future endeavours, and possible hurdles in the future.     How do you know if you are inspiring others to follow rather than ordering them to? Calculating Value v/s Generating Value: Since managers are heavily focussed on meeting organizational goals and objectives, they tend to count or calculate value rather than try to create it. Leaders are free of this obligation, therefore they put their energies into creating value. Are you calculating value or creating it? Circle of Influence v/s Circles of Power: Managers have subordinates which lead to their circle of power where their employees are compelled to follow directions given. Leaders have followers which creates a circle of influence where people are intrinsically motivated to follow. Of the people who come to you for guidance, do many of them not have a reporting relationship with you? If yes, then you are a leader. Leading People v/s Managing People: Managers control employees with their organizational authority or power given to them in order to meet goals and objectives. Leaders inspire, motivate, encourage and enable others to give back to the organization without control or power. Are you controlling your employees or encouraging and enabling them to do their work?     This is an excerpt from the book- Principles of Management Essentials you Always Wanted to Know. To know more about the principles that govern management today, grab a copy of the book now.