Management is a Profession

Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary defines a profession as “...an occupation or vocation requiring training in the liberal arts or the sciences and advanced study in a specialized field.” Dictionary.com defines a profession as “...a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science: the profession of teaching...”. 

Management is a Profession.

It has a defined body of “specialized” knowledge. It has specialized tool and techniques. It requires certain skills of its practitioners. These management tools, techniques and skills are equally applicable, useful and effective across industries, activities and cultures.

Management is a Profession.

It's practitioners and their skills are as transferable across industries as those of the medical, engineering, security of legal professions. The skills necessary to successfully plan, organize, staff, support and control a half-billion dollar software development project are the same necessary to successfully run a half-billion dollar power plant construction project.

Management is a Profession.

And yet, it never ceases to amaze me how many otherwise intelligent people in other professions fail to get that. Often the same people who accept that an electrical engineer, a human resources specialist, a lawyer or even a CEO can be effective in any industry refuse see accept that effective project managers can be effective regardless of the type of project or the industry in which they practice their profession.

For some reason, these folks fail to realize that management is a profession in and of itself and that it is just as likely that a project manager who is effective running a half-billion dollar software development program will be just as effective running a half-billion dollar power plant construction project. I've seen companies turn highly-skilled engineers into untrained, ineffective “project managers” simply because these individuals “know our business”. The fact that they knew nothing about putting together a coherent plan, had never developed a budget, did not understand how to control costs, and really hated dealing with people didn't stop these companies from setting up their nominal manager for certain failure.

Management is a Profession.

Professional managers are trained to plan and schedule complex projects, coordinating the work of myriad different professions to successfully complete the project. Professional managers are skilled at identifying, avoiding and mitigating risks in all areas. They are trained to develop detailed budgets. They understand how to direct and control the work of others; to reduce costs and earn the company a profit. Professional managers are trained to find, organize and motivate other skilled people to achieve the company's specific goals and objectives.

Professional managers understand the importance of communicating clearly. They are skilled at reading, understanding and negotiating practical, workable contracts that eliminate problems, rather than contribute to them. They help guide other professions in developing the standards and specifications needed to effectively define the amount and quality of the work to be done. Professional managers are able to get folks in diverse different professions to understand each others' terminology, skills and professional needs.

Professional managers are experts at building solid customer relations and they know how to repair customer relationships that have broken down. They provide a buffer between upper management and the operations personnel tagged to “get the job done”.

Management is a profession...and professional managers are critical to the success of virtually every commercial, and most non-commercial organizations in the world today.

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I'd love to hear what you think. Feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me at: TomFawls@Council4SmallBiz.com.