ARTICLE FOR THE vijay times BUSINESS PAGES (art_sent 10jan)

MANAGING: an act of MULTIPLEXING!

"CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME" is an old saying and Management Culture too begins at home. The qualities of a good manager starts from his minute to minute activity at home with himself vis-à-vis his family and its members; neighbours , extending to the office and the Organisation.

In the Wonderful characteristics of Indian Managers we do explore a lion's share of his Management Theory and concepts underpinning his Management Style at Home which has a definite reflection at his Office/Organisation functioning.

Here, we cannot talk only about successful Managers as there are many unsuccessful Managers having better Managerial Traits than those who are successful and vice-versa. Success is only a dimension of Managerial Trait. There are many Good Managers who are unsuccessful but yet managing efficiently, without popping up into the limelight!

Like me, you too could have come across a variety of Managers from their `Home angle':

THE HERO: It is always pleasant to watch this hero. Hero worship at Home as well as at Office! The Hero is at the right place at the right time and all his call-sheets are on schedule! Though all find the Hero's availability as scarce, no one regrets when he is present at the scene. The Hero is all powerful in every respect and takes a proper care of the situations before they bud and blossom. He not only concentrates on his floor, but on his home, and neighbourhood too!
As the Hero's yardstick is call-sheet based with a shooting schedule, he is a quick at decision making and good at organizing and implementation. The Hero is no doubt a parallel processor.
His attire, his style of approach and speech create an impact on his audience at home and at office. As the natural law goes, what he accepts, he never disowns. Small situational imbalances are overcome by our Hero with a deep skill of tackling. Certain great tasks get completed by the Hero's fans, with great speed and LEAST EFFORTS!

But Hero's performance stops once the Hero worship ends! It is like a flash or a trailor.

THE VILLAIN: The villain never accepts the defeat and he is always right! Though the villain layer runs throughout the story, his availability behind the screen is more, than on the screen. In the villain 's domain, he makes all others think more and perform better. His own thinking and performance leaves only a MORAL and not a complete SENTIMENT. In this case, people at home, neighbourhood and office like his absence than his presence. The villain arrives at the scene of the home or office, at the time most unexpected by anyone. He gives a twist to the story but he is considered always a negative factor.
The villain is a non-conformist and his discipline is to be indisciplined in any thing concerning him and whatever that matters with him.
If you evaluate the performance of the Villain in an office or home situation, others move the things fearing the involvement of the `villain of the piece'.

But this style can not be accepted or advocated.

THE JOKER: The joker in the pack' makes all the difference! Light-hearted, people loving, the casualty remains to be the Task at the hands of a Joker. Be it home related or Office related, the handling is same and the approach is the same. The joker always considers that he is an integral part of others' lives! But he loses sight of his own strengths and weaknesses and sometimes lives others' lives too!

The Joker does not cause any major moves in the activity except the sentiments and fun. Work is at the lowest ebb and the enthusiasm to enjoy at the highest! The Joker carries on the ordinary work with extraordinary people and also the ordinary results with an extraordinarily casual environment.

The Director: It is a real world of the 'one who makes things happen' A Director's Home and Office profiles are equally the same and he spares nothing to chances! As the Director drags his dreams through his ideas, the truth could be felt and the director's touch is admired! The Director Co ordinates; orders; abuses; begs; cries; acts; cheats; as the act is in progress. The ultimate maksad (goal) is to realize the dream and the plans!

The director's presence and also the absence are felt by his admirers and co workers. The Director develops talents and skills and above all he chooses the right person for the right role and expression! At the same time, he keeps a cute watch on the main theme, continuity, photography, results from the artists.

Good or bad, the Director owns the responsibility-be it home or office or business. His skills and acumen ward off disasters and saves the investments. But one negative quality of the Director is that he is always fascinated by his past success and growth. In Business, to day, past success is only a yard of rope and not a life-boat!

Who will fit in the best? Is a million dollar question. Though ideally it is very difficult to find the complete qualities of a director in a Manager, it will be interesting to grade these Four types of Business makers.

The Director **** The Hero *** The Joker ** The Villain *