by Olufemi Oyedele

Created on: September 26, 2009   Last Updated: September 28, 2009

The qualities of a good manager are the features common to successful and performing managers which will make managers inactive if they are not inherent. These qualities are abilities to plan, to lead, to organise, to delegate, to motivate, to communicate effectively, to co-ordinate, to supervise, and to control and forecast. Henry Fayol (1916) in his treatise, "General and Industrial Management" said that "to manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to control". E. F. L. Brech (1957) in his book, The Principle and Practice of Management, said that "management is a social process... the process consists of ... planning, control, coordination and motivation". The essence of management is to show the directions, unlike leadership which is to lead the ways.

T. Peters (1988), in his text, "Thriving on Chaos - Handbook for a Management Revolution" said that "five areas of management constitute the essence of proactive performance in our chaotic world: (1) an obsession with responsiveness to customers, (2) constant innovation in all areas of the firm, (3) partnership - the wholesale participation of and gain sharing with all people connected with the organisation, (4) leadership that loves change (instead of fighting it) and instils and shares an inspiring vision, and (5) control by means of simple support systems aimed at measuring the "right stuff" for today's environment." T. Peters highlighted empathy and ability to be responsive to customers of an organisation in terms of time, quality and cost of products and sevices delivered as imperative in managers.

T. Peters also pointed out innovation by managers so as to be able to have competitive advantage over other competitors as essential quality of a good manager. Partnership in the supply chain management of an organisation which was also corroborated by Michael Latham's report (1994), "Constructing the Team", a review of the construction industry commissioned by UK government and UK construction industry, and John Egan's report 1998, "Rethinking Construction", a review of the construction industry commissioned by UK government and UK construction industry, were also stated. Visionary leadership and control through showing examples were also stated as qualities of good managers by Peters.

Good managers must have ability to change ploy, tactics and practice according to dictates of changing business environment. In the present dispensation, with globalisation, information technology,

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