Successful management entails looking at your market and creating employment and profit making opportunities that can support growth and financial viability. However, the idea of management is often misunderstood because managers focus on the end product instead of the process.

Near the end of the 1980’s, product quality became the zenith of management success. Reducing costs and increasing output became more important than maintaining employee motivation and resulted in dysfunctional work environments.

In recent years, management techniques have also been overshadowed by the spirit of entrepreneurship – the individual who flew in the face of conventional business and made millions.

Government involvement in industry has also changed the way businesses tend to look at management. Government agencies are now likely to step in when levels of prescribed ethical behavior are not achieved or other lapses in good business practices are exhibited. In addition, many smaller businesses do not recognize that they need to develop long-range plans because the number of people involved is so few it is assumed that all will take equal responsibility for decisions.

What is small business management? If you run a company with a small number of employees you may think that “management” doesn’t really come into the picture. You shoulder as much of the work load as you possibly can and then tell the employees that you have what to do about what is left over. Of course, you have to be available at all times just in case they have questions or in the worst case scenario – a mistake is made.

The fact is that all businesses, regardless of their size, need good management. Effective management is the key to the successful establishment and subsequent growth of any business. The only way you will ever find success and the freedom that comes with it is to develop policies and procedures that allow your business to operate so smoothly that it can almost run itself. How else will you be able to take that fishing trip or Caribbean cruise you have been dreaming about?