When we hear the word management, we often think of offices filled with executives making decisions or complex charts that only a few can understand. But the truth is that management is much more present in our lives than we realize. It’s not something exclusive to big companies, nor is it just for the bosses. We all manage something in our daily lives, whether it’s time, a personal project, or even a family gathering.
But what exactly is management? How has it changed over the years? And most importantly: how can we apply it in our lives to be more effective in what we do? In this article, I won’t be giving a technical class full of theories (though we’ll talk about a few, of course). Instead, I’ll share some reflections, readings, and personal experiences about what it means to manage well, and how this idea has evolved over time.
What is Management and Why Is It Important?
To be honest, for a long time I thought management was just about organizing people to get things done. But over time, I realized it’s much more than that. It’s about how we use the resources we have to reach our goals, whether in a company, a project, or even in our personal relationships. If you think about it, everything in life requires some level of management. From something as simple as making a grocery list to coordinating a team at work.
The funny thing about management is that it often seems technical or distant, when it’s actually in everything we do. Have you ever had to plan a vacation with friends? Each person has their own ideas, budget, availability… That’s management! Managing different expectations and resources to achieve a common goal.
Personally, it took me a while to understand that being a good manager isn’t just about telling people what to do, but also about listening, planning, and, above all, adapting. Because the truth is, things don’t always go as planned, right? And that’s where flexibility comes in, something I learned the hard way—but we’ll talk more about that later.
The Evolution of Management: From Factories to Offices (and Beyond)
It’s interesting to think that what we call management began in factories, with ideas like Taylorism (Frederick Taylor, a mechanical engineer in the early 20th century, decided that work could be improved by measuring and optimizing every task). At that time, the focus was on doing everything as quickly and efficiently as possible, almost as if workers were cogs in a machine. For Taylor, people were supposed to function with the same precision as the machines they operated.
But something that always makes me reflect is how, despite efforts to make everything more efficient, we often forget about the human aspect. What happened next is fascinating: along came someone named Elton Mayo with his famous Hawthorne experiment, showing that people aren’t just numbers in a productivity chart. What truly motivated workers wasn’t just a raise or better conditions, but the feeling of being valued. This reminds me of my own experiences, where motivation doesn’t just come from achieving results, but from feeling that what we do has meaning, both for ourselves and for others.
Today, management has evolved. It’s no longer just about planning, directing, and controlling; it’s also about inspiring, communicating, and adapting. I think it’s important to recognize that being a good manager involves having empathyand understanding that not everything is black and white. After all, companies are made up of people, with emotions, fears, and dreams. That’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned: managing is, in large part, about understanding and leading people.
The Importance of Managing Change
One of the hardest things for me to accept is that change is inevitable. Whether it’s at work, in personal life, or in the global context, everything is constantly evolving. For a manager, the ability to adapt to change is almost as crucial as knowing how to plan. And this is where I feel many of us stumble (myself included).
I’ve had moments where I thought I had everything under control, only for things to change overnight. Whether it was because the project took a different direction or because the team didn’t respond as I expected. In those moments, you realize that managing well isn’t just about following a plan to the letter, but knowing how to change course when necessary.
I’d like to share something I learned during these uncertain times: planning is important, but flexibility is essential. As someone once said: “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” This has served me well in many situations, both professionally and personally.
What Makes a Good Manager Today?
I think one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is: What makes a good manager in today’s world?And once again, the answer has changed over time. It’s no longer just about being a good planner or knowing how to control a team; it’s also about being an empathetic leader, someone who listens and can inspire others.
In a world where remote work is becoming the norm, the role of the manager has completely changed. It’s no longer about checking if everyone is at their desks, but about creating a trust-based environment where people feel they can contribute and that their work has value.
Additionally, more than ever, a good manager today has to be someone who knows how to handle technology. Digital tools have changed the way we work and manage projects. Personally, I’m not a tech expert, but I’ve had to learn (sometimes the hard way) to adapt to new platforms and work methods. And while it can be frustrating at first, it has taught me something valuable: learning never stops. Being a manager today means being always ready to learn and evolve.
Conclusion: The Path to Success in Management
Through my experience and readings, I’ve come to realize that being a good manager isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a process, an evolution, both personally and professionally. Success in management isn’t just measured by the results you achieve, but by the ability to learn, adapt, and grow, both individually and as a team.
And if there’s one thing I want to make clear, it’s this: we all have the potential to be better managers, whether at work or in our lives. The key is to learn from our mistakes, keep improving, and, above all, understand that management is, at the end of the day, a matter of people.
Welcome to the world of Management.
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