managing people is an art

Managing people is an art. it becomes a complicated art, when you move into a new place which has a different working culture !! i had been working in tiruppur apparel industry for almost 18 years and moved to chennai with a high self esteem....

the work atmosphere in my new job has been quiet interesting as it involves the art of managing people and get the job done from them than doing all the basics by yourself... it is more challenging because i am still tempted to do most of the basic works by myself , assuming that giving it to my team would lead to trouble shooting at a later stage... though i would love to concentrate more on marketing and allowing my team to do the merchandising, i still by my nature do both ...

the merchandising part which is more of trouble shooting and planning, is a great art and generally it involves a lot of field work... the constant touch with the place of production and frequent visits alone make the job more successfull. every day, it requires an assumption of where things would or could go wrong and make plans accordingly. it requires a skill to gell with the production team without making them feel the pressure of on time delivery with quality. it requires logical thinking without jumping into conclusions of what others say.

marketing is not just getting orders... it is a wonderfull mixture of taking orders and providing an excellent service. the skill of marketing depends a lot on his knowledge of when to say no. while he can not keep on taking more and more orders, he can not compromise too much on quality and price as well. services like constant follow up of production plan and updating clients with latest trends, colours, styles etc.. will make the customer feel very comfortable and confident.

so the act of merchandising and marketing together involves lot of day to day affairs and getting along with lot of individuals who act on their own ways and characteristics.... this brings to my mind the famous words of J.R.D. TATA. " if i have any merit, it is getting along with individuals, according to their ways and charecteristics. At times it involves suppressing yourself. it is painful but necessary.... to be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection " . the garment industry depends a lot on outside factors as well as too dependent on so many issues including weather and water. with great respects to the words of J.R.D. TATA, i hope some day i will master this art !!!