Forget the Business School stuff, and the great speeches and works of the Fortune 500 pundits; here are The Big Five’ Management Principles that will pave your way to success in the Real World . . . .

1. Striking the right balance between productive flexibility and counterproductive impulsivity.  You need to develop the capacity to, in a limited amount of time, to (1) evaluate a situation, (2) determine the most probable best course of action, and (3) determine the speed with which you need to get to implementation. That doesn't mean, however, that you will always have the right answer, the right way of doing things, the solution as soon as you’re asked the question or are told the problem. 

. . . . .How you get there: Take classes that challenge you to develop your thinking skills.  Get involved in debate clubs, social action movements, and political campaigns. Take a lesson from the U.S. Olympic Tae Kwon Do team: play chess, play checkers, play poker, play bridge, play games of strategy. When you think about the great move you made and why it worked, or the move you should have made but didn’t, you are "banking" an element of strategy that just might apply to other life experiences down the road.  Remember, though, to leaven your strategic and tactical thinking skills with a healthy dose of humility.  Teach yourself to listen before you act, taking the time to think through the ultimate result of your first-thought reaction before you implement. Find the right balance (a balance that will be different for every decision) between the place where analysis turns to paralysis, and the place where fools rush in . . . .

. . . . .Biggest challenge -- Expecting the unexpected.  Learning how to deal with the unexpected, especially the stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with your organization’s purpose.

2. Developing a healthy, well-grounded sense of self-confidence. Work on developing a general sense that the decisions you will make will be the right ones. If they turn out to be partially or completely wrong, be flexible enough to alter and redirect without losing credibility or critical momentum.

. . . . .How you get there: Get good at something --  really good at something. Or, get pretty good at lots of things. Above all, get grounded in the one thing; preferably the thing that makes people like you. Learn to lead with this strength. Examine it, improve it, read about it. Look for others that have it. Keep your edge in what you do; constantly improve your knowledge and skills.

. . . . .Biggest challenge -- Gaining credibility. Learning to cope with who challenge or undermine you because they think they should have your job, because they that think you are incompetent, or just because they don’t like you.

. . . . .Second biggest challenge -- Accepting failure. The best leaders have all made mistakes, but they have also gotten very good at learning from those mistakes, and bouncing back even stronger than before.

3. Understanding people. It is critical that managers develop the capacity to anticipate reactions before implementation, thereby allowing them to increase the chances that progress toward goals is made.

. . . . .How you get there: Expand the scope and breadth of your life experiences. Understand there is value to everything you do. In your life, make it a point to do as much as you can, interact with as many different kinds of people as you can, and to work as many different jobs as you can. Above all, listen -- listen carefully. You will gain knowledge not only of what things are and how they work, but, in how people think, what is important to them, and what causes them to feel the way they feel.

. . . . .Biggest challenge -- Reading people.  Your biggest challenge here is learning what it is that makes people tick and think the way they think, and figuring out what makes them care about their job, their role, your organization. 

4. Business purpose. In the end, draw a straight line between the issue, the task, the problem, and the reason why your organization exists (e.g., to make money, to teach, to preserve natural resources, etc). Does the line get to the business purpose? Are you truly focused on the overall mission? 

. . . . .How you get there: Listen to the boss, the leader, the owner. Early on in your position, meet with this person and ask the tough questions: "What are your priorities"? "What is important to you?", "How do you determine if you, personally, have done a good job?". Also, listen to the old-timers. Ask them the same questions. Then ask them about who has succeeded, who has failed. Find out why.

. . . . .Biggest challenge -- Figuring out the politics. Every organization has them. As much as you despise the game, you have to play.  For some, the organization's mission is the game.  For others, the game itself is the game.  Learn how to relate to each type of employee, and learn how to relate to both sides of the same employees, if you intend to win the game.

5. Relational skills:  Ultimately, all organizations are nothing more, or less, than the people that make up the organization.  Managers who relate well to others all up and down the organizational chain are the ones who are most effective, successful, happy, and valued.  If being effective, successful, happy, and valued are important to you, then consider:

 . . . . .• Becoming a better speaker.

 . . . . .• Becoming a better Good writer.

 . . . . .• Going the extra mile for others, so that you consistently exceed their expectations.

 . . . . .• Making a point of demonstrating that you care -- all the time (even on "bad" days
 . . . . . . . . especially on "bad" days).