Me, Myself and I - The Manager

Owning or running a business can be tenuous work as the key in being a manager is responsibility. The manager helps keep the coherence between the different departments and if you are the manager of your own business then the responsibility of all business transactions fall solely or mainly onto your shoulders.

Being a manager requires you to have a certain type of personality as the job really is demanding and requires you to have some sense of management in order to succeed. These requirements are namely; being decisive, punctual, organized, communicative, and great leadership skills. A business can be liquidated in a matter of months if the manager in charge is constantly missing meetings, deadlines, very negligent, not punctual and so forth. It is evidently clear that being a manager is a responsibility that is not to be taken lightly.

The primary role for a manager includes:

Problem solving between their own and various other departments (if a vast number of departments exist), and keeping coherence and communication flowing at all times.

Hiring and firing staff members according to the needs of the company. The main concern for any manager is to keep the company running for as long as possible, while also making sure that the employees are happy.

Making sure that the company and its employees are working in a manner that is following the company's objectives and goals. That could be done through internal surveys such as asking employees where they see the company in say 5 years, and how can they make that dream a reality. These give the manager a rough idea on what the employees think about the company and how can they better the day to day running of the company.

Making sure that all the requirements for the day are done, like checking the stock, making purchases, dealing with customer complaints, etc. If the things on the days agenda are not attended to, then the company is likely to fail. That is why the manager has to constantly be on top of things.

Some managers also have the responsibility of making sure that the company's budget is being spent in a manner that is beneficial to the company, and employees are not abusing the company's equipment through such things as excessive use of the phone for private matters, stealing supplies, etc.

To be a manager means to be in charge and to be able to solve problems as they arise as soon as humanly possible. You have to be able to work in a sort of partnership with your employees and remember that all the things that go wrong in a company are usually blamed on the manager. It is definitely a challenging position to have, but if it is your company that you are managing then at least you have your finger on the pulse. You will be aware of what is happening at all times and at the earliest possible convenience and therefore problems won't go unnoticed.