Management
The past few years have made me realize that an individual has the ability to handle several activities and to learn many new skills within a short duration. Before joining university I worked as a clerk in an insurance company. I had secured the job 8 months earlier through a friend of my parent. The only qualifications I had was a high school certificate and computer literacy. Therefore, needless to say the pay was not that good. However, I worked hard and eventually became accustomed to the norms. After a few months I saved up some money and joined a college where I took some accounting classes in the evening. This meant that I attended classes in the evenings weekends and worked during the day and
However, I always felt to meager in the work I did and felt that I could become so much more. The manager was extremely strict and on several occasions complained that the studies were affecting my job. He increased my workload and was always on my case. However, I pressed on since I was only there since I needed the money. My mother is a single mother and she had put in a lot of effort in educating me and my siblings up to the point I had reached. I was determined to help ease her pressure. Therefore, after much deliberation I decided that I would persevere whatever work conditions the manager imposed, so long as I was paid.
I used the contingency leadership theory in making the decisions I did. The environment and situations facing me could not allow me to quit on my job. I determined that I only needed to work for 5 more months before I joined university. This would enable me to save up on my tuition fees and hence ease my mother’s financial burden. I decided to change my attitudes. I bought a few motivational books and a basketball. I knew some recreational activities would do me good. For the next five months I was as busy as a bee. However, I was happy, content, and healthy. When the time finally came for me to join university, I was extremely excited. However, I left on good terms with the company’s manager and thanked him for having me as an employee.
When I joined campus I was mostly interested in joining sports and just enjoying myself. I only attended classes for lack of a better thing to do. However, by the end of the first year I was feeling disillusioned and lost. My academic performance was not bad, but I could definitely have performed better had I put in more effort. I had joined the basketball team, but by the end of the year I no longer fancied the game. During the long holidays I had a reality check. I appreciated the fact that I was away from my peers.
It gave me time to reflect on my life. I used a simple management principle: management by objectives or results. I took my notebook and made two columns on a page. On one side I wrote my objectives before joining campus. On the other side I wrote the result that I had achieved as far as that objective was concerned. This was much like a personal review or a performance appraisal for the past academic year. I determined that I had not achieved any of my objectives. I set new objectives. First of all I decided to get my priorities straight.
This meant that my academics would take precedence over any other activities while I was in school. Secondly, I decided I would try and get some funds since I was now dependent on my mother for pocket money. I started a tuition program whereby I taught some high school students every day from morning to noon. I must admit that it felt to regain the focus that I had prior to joining campus. I also decided that I would quit the school’s basketball team since I wasted most of my weekends playing. Consequently, I fell behind on my class work due to playing basketball. I was also mostly tired during the week due to too much physical exercise. I also decided to try and get some new friends. Good company leads to good morals.
Therefore, when I returned to campus I found the schoolwork to be easier than the previous year since I stuck to my goals. I also managed to improve on my grades. The same thing happened during my third year where I was among the top students in my class due to the simple guidelines I had set for myself. I developed a lot of interest in my course, and during the holidays I undertook internships in some companies that enabled me to gain experience in my field of expertise. This also gave me a good recommendation at the end of the internship due to successful completion.
After completing my third year I was glad to learn from a comrade that I could earn genuine money by doing some jobs on a certain website. This was a huge challenge since the job required substantial training. However, I decided that I could learn the job. Initially, I had a lot difficulty and failed to satisfy the job requirements. Eventually I learnt the job well and started earning some good money. I made enough money to pay for my tuition fees. I was also able to provide funds for my mother in some projects she was running at home. It felt good to be useful to those people who care about me.
Therefore, in the future I intend to continue using management theories in the various activities that I undertake. I have acknowledged the importance of planning and setting of objectives in any undertaking. This, I believe, will prepare me when I start my own business or firm or when I work as a professional in the organization in which I get a job. The management theory is crucial in all areas of life.
