Posted by Huiqiang Zhao on
Thursday, April 01, 2010
A lot of people say that the most challenging task is to manage people. People are constantly changing. After taking MBA 516 with Dr. Jennifer Marrone, I disagree with the statement above because people could be manageable if you use the right tools. Think of doing a team project with three other students who have different cultures and backgrounds, we spent a lot of time at the beginning to form a solid common goal. Just like the professor said, a good beginning leads to a good ending. Also, I have learned that expectation is a powerful tool to make the team succeed. Because I had expectation on my teammates, plus I was doing my job right and on time, they felt more responsible in completing their own tasks. Another thing I learned was our team embraced and capitalized on everyone’s strengths. We allowed a different person to take leadership roles through the quarter and it worked very effectively. For example, I was in charge of research; Teammate A was in charge of communication; Teammate B was in charge of PowerPoint presentation.
At the end of the quarter, we had a productive progress and relationship on this team project. I have understood that a good manager (leader) must have an ongoing conversation about rewards, performance and expectation in an environment where people are encouraged to recognize their peers, both on and outside your team. Leaders need to offer specific and meaningful recognition by telling employees exactly why you value their behavior or contribution. I am sure these valuable management tools will stick with me for a long time.
Written by Derek Zhao, Email: zhaoh@seattleu.edu