People In Management : Which Ones to Watch and Follow


Search:
Home \| Careers People In Management : Which Ones to Watch and Follow By: Eileen McDargh, Posted on: 2006-09-02 People in Management 1) Accountants Accountants are the second cousins of statisticians and librarians. They tend to be meticulous, orderly, cynical, short on humor, and long on precision. Not your typical fun folks. Bob Newhart used to joke about starring in a failed television series called "Frontier Accountant." Enough said? Accountants, like other strange animals, come in several varieties. There's the Certified Public Accountant (CPA), the Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and in Great Britain the Chartered Accountant, which is very much like a CPA. Accountants may suffer from persecution complexes and believe that they're unloved. They usually welcome friends from outside their function and can be good drinking buddies because they're often eager for companionship. Never try to outdrink an accountant, however, because most of them did brewery or distillery audits in their early days and have a high tolerance for alcohol. Deal with accountants diplomatically. They can be nasty when cornered. If you attack their figures in a meeting, for example, they may let loose a barrage of financial jargon that leaves nonaccountants too shaken to answer coherently. Instead, go one-on-one with the accountants beforehand. Ask them to explain their figures, and listen respectfully and eagerly. Nod your head a lot. You'll find that this will get you a clear and patient outline of what their numbers really mean. It pays to be nice to accountants because, aside from having lots of clout in today's bottom-line-oriented organizations, they also sign the paychecks. 2) Executives "Executive" is a nebulous term that implies power, status, and the right to take a three-martini, two-hour lunch. The label is often reserved for higher-level managers, but its use varies from one company to the next. When you get right down to it, anybody who dresses neatly and totes a briefcase looks like an executive, so the title is pretty meaningless. If you wish to you should feel free to adopt all the outward trappings of executive status. Nobody will object; most will be impressed. 3 ) Directors The company's directors are supposed to manage the top managers. The directors, in turn, answer to the stockholders, who technically own the company. Directors are paid well for being stockholder advocates and overseeing top management, but there's also a risk. Directors who rubber-stamp top management's requests without weighing all the facts and issues have been sued for malpractice by stockholders. Nevertheless, a corporate director has lots of status and plenty of perks, which makes the job worthwhile. Some of the directors may themselves be accomplished self promototers and salesmen in theirselves for you to learn from. That is how they got to be directors. 4) Chairman of the Board The chairman of the board is probably the most adroit bluffer in the boardroom. In addition, he or she has an above-average chance of getting publicly flayed if the company gets into trouble. The chairman writes a letter to stockholders that usually appears on the first page of the company's annual report. It's not generally realized that this letter (which patronizingly refers to the business as "your company") isn't audited or critiqued. Consequently, it may contain several outrageous statements about the company's past, present, or future condition. As a future management candiate you need to remember is that the chairman has a vote when directors cast their ballots, so the time spent briefing or buddying up to the chairman can pay off if you want to get pet projects approved. 5) Marketing People Marketing people are concerned with advertising, publicity, public relations, personal selling, customer service, distribution, and other things that are supposed to entice customers to buy and to keep 'em happy afterward. Marketing, like politics, is an inexact science. Companies have trouble knowing which parts of marketing work and which ones don't. If you want to be quotable in a marketing crisis, you might repeat Sir Thomas Lipton's comment about advertising: "Half the money we spend on advertising is wasted, but we don't know which half." The idea applies to marketing in general. All potential marketing management candidates should memorize the buzz phrase "consumer orientation" because that's the point of view that most companies have (or claim they have) today. Every activity in the company is intended to satisfy consumer wants and needs, including those grueling top management strategy retreats in Hawaii, Cancun , or the Grand Cayman Islands. Good future managers master the ability to defend these junkets with a straight face. In the immortal words of Malcolm Forbes, "There are more fakers in business than in jail." 6) Analysts The title 'Analyst" is confusing. To neurotic New Yorkers and Hollywood residents, it means psychiatrist. To a few people in the real (nonbusiness) world, it can mean chemist. In business, however, it's likely to refer to the sharper end of the accounting or finance department. This includes accountants who want to be something else and MBAs and others who are passing through the finance department on their way up the corporate ladder. In major multinational corporations people are often given the title of analyst when they're doing a good job but have run out of promotional opportunities. Analysts tend to be perceptive, ambitious, and perhaps a tad insecure. Nowhere is this more true than with bright people who work for major brokerage firms. These people assume that they'll make it to the top because they're sharper than the partners. Unfortunately, there'll come when their day of reckoning will come when the odds which like a Las Vegas casino are against them come into play. Observe and watch these management types in order that you can imitate and follow them into the land of perks. Article Source: http://www.allthebestarticles.com Art Fellon Management Team Associate Ace Employment Services Winnipeg Experience in the Employment , self help as well as employment document preperation . artfellon@yahoo.com www.aceemploymentservices.net Please Rate this Article Not yet Rated Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Careers Articles Via RSS! Additional Articles From - Home \| Careers Job Interviews - Tips To Review Before You Go - By : Darren Rebarnald Nursing: A Wide Range Of Employment - By : Dolson McArt Discover The Best Amongst Pennsylvania Truck Driving Schools! - By : Alex Morgan Paralegal Average Salary - What Determines It? - By : Alex Morgan Opting For Jobs In New Zealand - By : Thomas Keane The perfect job at only a click away - By : Nick Jimenez Background Checks and Volunteers - By : Backgroundcheckreporter Criminal Background Checks Help Employers Distinguish Criminal Pasts - By : Backgroundcheckreporter Employment Background Checks Now Help Protect Your Practice from Identity Theft - By : Backgroundcheckreporter Criminal Background Checks Concern Coaches in Peters, PA - By : Backgroundcheckreporter	Attention Writers! Articles Needed! Sign Up for a free account or learn more. Featured Author Eileen McDargh Members Area Submit Articles Member Login Submission Guidelines Publishers/Webmasters Top Authors Most Popular Articles Ezine Notifications Article RSS Feeds Link to Us Privacy Policy Terms of Service Featured Websites Wedding Party Shoes Wedding Party Mall Sports and Concert Tickets Pet Gift Site Questions? Contact Us Vote For All The Best Articles.com at Best Directory TopSiteList Sponsored by Fitness Inform Vote For All The Best Articles.com at Top Article Directory List Top Sites Never Stare At A Blank Screen Again!

AllTheBestArticles.com » Copyright © 2008
Terms of Service | Submission Guidelines | Contact Us | Link to Us| Privacy Policy