Diversity MBA Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 50) Managing Yourself for Success By Herbert C. Smith, Ph.D. Management as a business discipline is a relatively new practice in organizations. Peter F. Drucker is generally considered to be the thought leader of modern management. He’s authored more than 35 books and hundreds of articles on the subject. His ideas have had a significant impact on the framing and shaping of people in organizations worldwide. At the core of modern organizations are talented people. They have always been and will continue to be the key asset for institutions. In our recruiting practice, we maintain that the most important and valuable asset of any organization are human resources. Our objective is helping people to be successful and understand the concept of self-development as an important tool. Managing yourself for success is the critical next step for personal, academic and career enhancement. It begins with knowing yourself. For the first time in history, we live in a period of exceptional opportunity for managing yourself for success. The rise of online universities and education programs, the acceptance of entrepreneurship and business start-ups, the growth of small, family-owned businesses, the break-up of global conglomerates with exceptional separation agreements and compensation packages, all contribute to the opportunity for individuals to take new intelligent risks, fund new ventures, and establish multiple careers. Today, if you have the knowledge, guts, determination, ambition, and fundamental smarts, you can rise to the top of your preferred choice of work regardless of where you began. It’s important to understand that available opportunity requires that you take total responsibility for your growth and development. Many individuals still believe it’s the duty of the organization to manage the careers of people who are employed. Not so. You have the responsibility for being your own CEO. You should begin today to carve out the place you desire in the organization. You must know when to change course. You must keep learning, growing and being productive for the rest of your life. Imagine; college graduates today have more than 50 years of work life ahead of them. How long will you contribute to your own development? To become and remain a high performer, you must become comfortable with yourself, know where you fit in the organization and trust your instincts as you develop a deep and genuine understanding of who you are, what you know, how you learn, what your strengths are, your values and where you can make the greatest contribution. Managing yourself for success requires a focus on achieving pure excellence. You will have to continue to reinvent yourself. You will have to make something some different out of yourself. It isn’t enough to just find a new job or new ways of doing things. Decide today to take charge of your future. Knowing what you have done well will prepare you for understanding what you have learned and how you perform. In charting the course for managing yourself for success, here are 10 points that may prove helpful. ■ 50 w w w. d ive r s it y mb a ma g a z in e. c o m http://www.diversitymbamagazine.com
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