Emergency Management 9-1-1

Now that you have read this book, I hope it has brought you new meaning in becoming a better manager and leader. You must learn to address issues more than once; reinforce them more than twice and you will reap the rewards three times over. You must be willing to invest the time required to learn the intricacies of your job. Secondly, you must learn to accept and respect the knowledge of others. The person who has the fountain of knowledge must be identified, praised, and nurtured as...
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Now that you have read this book, I hope it has brought you new meaning in becoming a better manager and leader. You must learn to address issues more than once; reinforce them more than twice and you will reap the rewards three times over. You must be willing to invest the time required to learn the intricacies of your job. Secondly, you must learn to accept and respect the knowledge of others. The person who has the fountain of knowledge must be identified, praised, and nurtured as an invaluable asset for your personal growth and development. You should not be a clock-watcher. However, you must learn to work smarter and not harder. Always be cognizant of others'' shortcomings and faults. Ask yourself these questions:(a) What would you have done differently if the same set of circumstances were on your business plate? (b) Would you have been more successful in handling the situation? (c) Were you too critical in evaluating the results of the person making the decision? Evaluating yourself and the circumstances will assist you in formulating a plan of action to address and resolve issues before they occur. Successful supervisors, managers, and leaders know the importance of treating employees and customers with dignity, honor, and respect. This is a sacred rule in building a team and fostering good human relations. How many people do you know that are more satisfied with their working environment than their pay? This individual will remain with a company because of his or her supervisor''s great people skills. It is imperative that you consistently display authentic and humanistic concerns for your employees. They are your keys to achieving success, and without them, you will become an army of "none." It would be wise to remember that threats do not produce long-term changes but merely generate survivability skills. You must understand the business process of retaining a qualified and motivated workforce to reach goals and produce profits. Great supervisors, managers, and leaders must produce a plan of action that reflects some realistic and achievable goals. Those who fail at this endeavor will become lost, frustrated, and demoralized in the business world. Since you cannot purchase a pharmaceutical smart pill, you must create your own method for living in the moment and projecting your future course of actions. You must remain in the arena with your employees and maintain a professional relationship with them. Smart managers understand they must document their work results. This is another critical aspect of managing your career and being effective. You should keep a daily journal to reflect your actions, achievements, or completed projects. At the same time, you must capture other issues that are troubling and must be addressed with management. These are mind stimulators for you and afford you a snapshot back in time when, and if, needed. Your notes should be short, identifying people involved, time, dates, places, events, actions taken, and resolutions rendered. Some people call this their CYA (cover your ass) or SYA (save your ass) notes, while others see it as documentation solidifying events. Regardless, you must be willing to live by my motto: "In God we trust-all others must be monitored." Bottom line: you are recording your work history, accomplishments, shortcomings, and other related issues. Remember, you cannot pull out an undocumented conversation from your file cabinet, but you can produce the documents surrounding those conversations. Please be aware there are those within your management structure who will attempt to feed you chicken crap and try to convince you it''s chicken soup. You don''t have to be blessed with the gift of discernment to understand this ploy. It is what it is. Then there are others, at all levels of management, who are ashamed of the past and afraid of the future. You cannot allow these individuals to stifle your creativity, growth potential, or control your career. It is better to move on than become a slave to their managerial strangulation processes. In other companies, you might find many upper-level managers attempting to save poor performers by sending them to advanced management or executive seminars. This can be a great investment if the decision makers hold attendees accountable for applying newly acquired skills when returning to their work unit. Otherwise, it is a waste of frigging time and money. Employees will see this as ineffective, and the company will have no return for this costly investment. Management must hold everyone, at all levels, accountable for their actions, meeting expectations, and end results. In conclusion, you have to realize you cannot fix stupid people and their stupid decisions. However, with enough documented facts, you will be in a better position to influence smart decision makers, to cast out stupid people, and improve your working environment. Documentation pays great dividends in the end. Be a winner and not the loser who fails to capture and document his or her workplace encounters. It is very important to focus on important issues. Don''t waste your time focusing on little ants when you have a big herd of elephants bearing down on you. Don''t allow the people, the place, and the paperwork to bury you. Stay ahead of the power curve and be ever aware that knowledge is power. Remember, being smart, staying smart, and being a positive force are vital components in becoming a successful manager and leader. Applying these managerial skills reflected in this book will help your career and the employees trusted in your care. Always keep yourself humble and treat employees with dignity, honor, and respect. You can only succeed when your employees do. When you fail to employ good human-relations skills, your employees will control your career growth and achievement results. It is time for you to make or renew your commitment in becoming a better manager and leader. I would also encourage you to have others read this book. Who knows, it may stimulate them to do some deep soul-searching and become a better manager, trending toward becoming an outstanding leader. You must always bear in mind, this book''s title-In God We Trust, All Others Must Be Monitored-must become your conscience in all endeavors. We all make choices. However, as leaders, you must ensure you choose wisely.