To the Finish..

Remember a number of tasks that we have planned and left unfinished. Leaving it unfinished does not only hampers the task but also hampers our own selves. It slowly becomes your habit that you don’t even know about. This permeates into whatever you do in life be it in whichever hemisphere that you talk about – personal or professional.

There are a number of times we say there should be more than twenty four hours in a day though we very well know that it will never be.  

So given the twenty fours time frame we need to align our tasks and get it finished.

Some easy methods that we can take are:

1. List down all the tasks that you intend to do.
2. Prioritize it on the basis of urgency and align it with a timeline
3. Set a definite number of hours you will want to work for the day and then allot time slots from it to the tasks already laid out.
4. Dedicate all your efforts to get the work done. The day will demand that you get up early or work till late night, so do so, as it is not a normal day but the chosen date when you wish to finish your tasks.
5. Refuel yourself quickly with food or snack and get to work. Do not relax more than you usually need to recharge your physiological system
6. Do not disrupt your momentum – take small breaks but do not take breaks which are so long as to weaken your enthusiasm and the resolve to complete the work
7. Do not quit until your task is completed

It’s time to take out time!!

All set, daily routine broken down into the life’s priorities, buffered slots, weekend time for leisure and you can go on. How many times have we all done it? We have read articles about time management, setting small goals, but how many of us have actually implemented it and made the routine a habit.

Taking my personal example I always pledge to do exercise daily but I don’t usually get up in the morning though I know that it is important. So let’s work out something very realistic which can help us shape our lives and accommodate not all but many of our priorities and to do activities.

So let’s call this as – “Per Week Schedule”. What happens in a week? Okay, nothing much but cumulating all the upcoming weeks together, it definitely is bound to make a difference.

Let’s draft a weekly schedule and just concentrate on the week and think nothing beyond it currently. Also, the vital aspect here is not to overburden oneself with extremely rigid timeframes and accommodating all that one could possibly do to his fullest capacity. The point is to do the activity perfectly but taking baby steps and being ‘patient’.

Even though you can’t get up early everyday but do it twice or thrice, and do certain workouts. If you have interest in reading and writing or studying, select two days in the week and just go for it. The same holds true for every activity that you intend to do.

If you dedicatedly follow the schedule for a week, then it is likely that you may feel happy about the achievement at the end of the week and the more is the probability to replicate it in the weeks to come.

So plan it, stick to it, and finally replicate it!!! 

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Tesco -- A retail giant

Tesco is one of the world’s largest retailer. How did it become one and how did it sustain its position? What were the strategies that were followed? Let’s take a look in the below where I have summarized the case study of Tesco which was discussed in one of the seminar’s I recently attended.

Company History:

The first Tesco store opened in 1929, in London and by the end of 1930 there were over 100 mainly in London. Jack Cohen decided to adopt the model of “pile it high and sell it cheap” as was prevalent in US. Cohen’s emphasis on self service led him to pay more attention to suppliers and in effect ignoring his customers.

In 1980, Ian MacLaurin became the first non family CEO.

What did MacLaurin do?

1. MacLaurin closed many of the small stores and built larger more economical 30000 square foot stores in the suburbs.
2. Expanded till 200 superstores and had a centralized distribution system.
3. Advanced in fresh foods and its own label
4. From the innovation perspective, he made things very simple and copied whatever Sainsbury was doing.

Effect of the above: The Company performed well but was exposed in the recession of 1990 where Sainsbury was better off as Tesco had no differentiated offering to maintain the loyalty of its customers.

In 1992 Leahy (Director of Fresh Foods) was moved to marketing and he analysed that if Tesco continued to lose 1% to 2% of its shares per year then the company will be in bad shape very quickly.

Leahy focused on ---- WHY EXACTLY WERE CUSTOMERS LEAVING? He figured out the main reason behind the customers anger which was Tesco had been so obviously copying Sainsbury.

In March 1993, Leahy reported the following three things that need to be done:

1. Stop copying Sainsbury’s as a merchandising strategy.
2. Institutionalize listening to customers
3. Build a merchandising offer based on responding to what Tesco’s own customers wanted.

WHAT DID LEAHY DO?

1. Tim Mason, now Marketing Director coined the phrase “bricks I the wall” to describe the incremental approach to marketing: no sweeping innovation, just patient responses to customer needs.
2. Internally Leahy explained the strategy as slogan which said, “Tesco: The Natural Choice for Ordinary Shoppers” – Meaning the target audience now is low end users. Externally this was termed as, “Every Little Helps”.
3. In 1993, Leahy introduced the Value Line, low priced, basic items
4. “One in front”, they shortened the queue and hence the wait time.
5. In 1995 Leahy introduced the “Clubcard” which offered one penny back on every dollar
6. All managers had online access to the customer comments over the call center and the Tesco website
7. Focus Groups
8. Improved the hygiene of the toilets and installed refrigerators which were colored replacing the stainless steel ones which reminded the customers of hospitals.
9. Focus on Employees
10. Focus on growth by the following ways:

a.       By increasing the effectiveness of the existing UK business

b.      By finding new ways to deliver value to UK customers

c.       By accelerating the pace of international expansion

Being a “Good Manager”..

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We have all read in management books that a manager has the following qualities:

Planning

Leading/Directing

Organizing

Controlling

Coordinating

Monitoring

Then if these are the basic qualities that a manager should have then what does it take to be good manager.

Let’s probe deeper into what a manager role is. He manages people and processes in a nutshell. To manage a process is easier than managing people as dealing with people becomes highly non - mechanistic in nature as we deal with human behavior and psychology which is highly unpredictable at times and cannot be correctly estimated.

I have heard people saying that a person who can get work done from others is a better manager. In the same lines, I remember having read a book titled “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene where he states in law number 7, “Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit”. How far this holds true in the current scenario? Is this what a manager is intended to do? No. He, being at a responsible position should make it a point to always be an example before his team mates in terms of carrying out his responsibilities, be it managing people or processes.

A Good Manager should:

·         Effectively manage processes and be effective in handling multiple tasks.

·         Delegate work appropriately to the team members.

·         Listen to the subordinates, take suggestions, and take cumulative actions and decisions wherever appropriate and necessary.

·         Give autonomy, responsibility, and authority to subordinates

·         Acknowledge the members and thank them for their efforts be it big or small.

·          Let them know where they lag behind and make necessary actions to develop them professionally

·         Take their long term goal into consideration and develop them.

·         Be accurate on facts and figures

·         Never boast and be down to earth

·         Understand the company well in terms of overall functioning, strategy, long term vision and how his role fits in to the big picture

·         Work efficiently to contribute to the overall goal of company

Hence let's take a step forward to being a good manager.