I’ve been to business school.
After 2 years of studying and a plethora of exams I was awarded an M.B.A. I learnt about:
- Operations
- Marketing
- Finance
- Employment Law
Book after book after book. Some of it was fascinating, some of it was tedious but I got the letters after my name and it got me promoted.
I have worked for blue chip organisations
I’ve made soap powder and chocolates, I’ve sold debt and insurance. I learnt about:
- Performance management
- SMART objectives
- Appraisal writing
- The art of feedback
Course after course after course. Some of it was valuable, some of it was pointless but I got the positions on my C.V. and landed the next job.
But nobody taught me how to manage
Not once in twenty-five years has anybody really told me how to work with people. There wasn’t one lesson about
- Being clear about direction
- Creating a team
- Getting out of the way
- Not dabbling
Maybe I just went to a second-rate business school. Maybe I’ve worked for badly run organisations.
But I didn’t and I haven’t.
Why don’t we teach management?
Perhaps there is an opportunity for a learning and development course out there. I’d buy it — hell, my team might even buy it for me.
Author: Jonty Pearce
Published On: 10th Feb 2014 - Last modified: 13th Nov 2018
Read more about - Archived Content
