I have always dreamt of starting and running my own business one day and I believe the way to do that is to get a job in a management position in one of the best businesses in the country, and get management and business experience while creating a strong business and social network that will help me when I finally start my own business.

Using your courses and advice I recently got a job as a wholesale manager in one of the oldest and established companies in my country

But after I started my job I began to notice that there are a lot of problems in the company. There is no proper chain of command, there are no goals, objectives, plan or strategy that is officially developed and written.

There is no company procedure or guideline on how to manage or conduct day to day operation. Top management who don’t have any management education and are afraid to make decisions, staff who are underpaid and have little low motivation to do their job or execute orders. Owners so sensitive of cost that they don’t even want to provide their department with the required equipment, material or human resources to do their job efficiently.

Furthermore the product of the company is being crushed by competitors in the market while the management refuse to spend any money on promotion or accept new ideas and methods of marketing from their own experienced and educated staff.

So my question is how can I convince the management that there is a problem in the way the company is being managed currently if the management feel insecure or insulted by staff who present new ideas?

And how can I manage and do the job effectively if the staff I am responsible for are already underpaid and unmotivated? How can I convince the management that not all cost are bad if they are used to help staff to do their job effectively and create favourable environment for sales and marketing employees to do their job and bring in profit for the company?

Hope you will choose to answer my questions privately on my email or publicly soon

Congratulations on your new appointment, I’m very pleased that I have been able to help you win that.

You need to be sure your observations are correct. Not everything is as it seems. Management theory is important and helps us to understand how a business may be run, but some people, companies, sectors are les orthodox. So be careful of making assumptions.

How do you know that “there are no goals, objectives, plan or strategy that is officially developed and written”? Are you privy to what happens in the Boardroom? The management team may discuss strategy in great detail, but not commit their thoughts to paper.

In business the only thing that is King is Profit. If the business is thriving, then you may find it is run in an unorthodox way, as some owners and managers take a more entrepreneurial, and less scientific, approach to management.

And there is nothing wrong with that, if it works. Often it is successful in a small business, but as the business scales up, the cracks can begin to appear. That may be what is happening here.

The next points you make do seem to be worrying though. “No company procedure …. Top management who ….. are afraid to make decisions, staff … underpaid ….low motivation…”

And “Owners so sensitive of cost ….. required equipment, material or human resource to do their job efficiently”

If you are correct that “the product of the company is being crushed by competitors” then that would be reflected in the company profit figure and may explain why they are unwilling to spend money they may not have. This can be the start of a downward spiral.

Convincing management to address the problem can’t really come from you. You are new to the business, and unproven. You need to find out if the figures do indicate the company is struggling, and even then probably the most you can do is talk to your manager and feed ideas upwards.

This is a very common scenario in business. Many people in middle management feel they could do better than their managers. But they don’t always know the whole story or appreciate the pressures management may be under.

All you can do is perform your job to the best of your ability. Perhaps you could ask for a suggestion scheme, when employees can put ideas to management. If you plan your proposals carefully and can demonstrate the financial benefits of adopting your ideas, they may listen to you.

You and any of your colleagues are welcome to enrol on our sister Site
www.managementskillscourses.com

I suggest you try to get involved by showing an interest, chatting to management, making suggestions. But beware of looking like a young upstart who doesn’t have a lot of real world experience but thinks he knows the answer to what sis probably a n extremely complex situation.

Get involved, but be constructive!