A Thin Line For Management

To set some light on my background I am 21 years old, therefore I have only had six years of working eligibility. I have worked since I was 13 when I worked for a local golf store on an assembly line putting together golf clubs, I worked at such a young age so I could buy myself a cell phone. After I turned 15 I started working at Chris' Pizza Village, which was then Michael's Pizza and I have worked there ever since. I am the store manager capable of performing all operations in this store excepting the ability to own it. The owner though a real butthead has leaned on me to work hard so he doesn't have to since the day I became a manager. Regardless good job or bad job I've never heard a simple good job from him.
People go to college to work hard in the future and never be cogs in the machine of the corporation. As a manager all this time I have a distorted view on what a cog is or why they are even needed sometimes. But you have to realize when talking about a cog in the machine youre talking about a person who can't or just hasn't stepped up to the challenges needed to move. Whether it's because it's not their time to or they aren't qualified they don't earn the spot of manager.
My blog, however, is finished talking about the cogs because instead I want to take the back of the management that has to deal with them. When you are a manager it is expected of you to perfectly meet the needs of your superiors and your inferiors and that is just impossible. In the sad fact of life, according to the views of a "cog" every good manager would be fired from his/her job for sticking to the best interest of the workers on the ground floor, however the smartest and most successful manager would be hated for sticking to the best interest of his superiors.
A better way to start this would be: A person graduates college and finds a good steady job, this person works their butt off and eventually they get noticed. This person is particularly popular with his co-workers and he really enjoys their company. He gets promoted to management and now he does not just have to work on the task at hand, he now must decide which task is best for the company. As he makes the top class proud he moves up and eventually has achieved what his hard work should have earned him, but in order to build his wealth and become a more powerful employee he has to do what he is told. Now the floor workers begin to hold a grudge and next thing you know his friends basically say high up job or me, which option would a man with a family to feed, or a dream to fill choose? So now you have your cogs and this once personable manager becomes out of touch with his workers. Who's fault is it though? Management can be fired just as quickly as the rest of the workers but how do they stick around so much longer?
In this world you have to be ready to step on a few toes on the way up the ladder. If a man walks around the streets and gives a five every bum he sees he'll be broke within the month, same goes for a manager. Everyone has to be disposable so you won't be. A manager must deal with the faults of his employees while balancing with the demands of his bosses. Not everyone can have what they want and this life is too short to pass up your opportunity to make someone else content.

Team Leader or Theory Y?

I always enjoy taking an assesment of myself and the Blake and Mouton managerial grid was no exception. I readily grabbed my pencil and paper and plotted the answers as honestly as possible. I have to admit that when I tallyed up the scores, I was surprised to find that I was a Team Leader. I guess I work with people better than I think I do... Nonetheless it was interesting to gauge the questions that I had to answer. I tried not to give answers that were conflicting with each other.

When I read about my results it occurred to me that Theory Y was quite similar to the quadrant of Team Leader. What does that mean? Team Leaders balance people and task in a way that is beneficial and practical. I admit my scale was 6.4 People and 5.8 Task, a far cry from a perfect 9. I think that this is a general ideal model, even if a person had a perfect score he or she would still have a diffucult time in this work-a-day world we all live in.

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

This was a very interesting questionaire for me because I would label myself as a team leader from the four differing sections. I would say this because I enjoy working with others and can still focus on the task at hand and work to accomplish it to the best of my abilities.

After I took this quiz, it appears that I was correct and did indeed get labeled as a team leader. As I was saying I mostly expected that because as much a hard worker as I am, I can't help but worry about others. In this realization I decided I am a large percentage of a people person. On the other hand when given a task I prioritize and organize the most suitable path to finish it. I enjoy getting places on time and fulfilling tasks but I also enjoy other coworkers and company while working. I believe to have a good blend of both team leader and authoritarian to combine both a sincerity with others, yet the ability to manage and accomplish.

Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid

After taking the quiz, I was determined as Team Management. I find this to be very fitting. As a pool manager this summer, I had a staff of 25 lifeguards. One of my main concerns and focuses was to ensure that my employees were happy. I knew if they were happy with their job, they would work hard and enjoy being at work. Even though I strived to have happy employees, I never let the goals for the summer get out of sight. I found this type of managerial style worked for me. It was a successful summer and my higher management was thoroughly pleased and asked for me to return next summer.

I also had my roommate take this test. It was just as accurate on him as it was on me.