A manager’s effectiveness depends on four factors:

• The manager
• The manager’s job
• The people the manager works with
• The organisation

This was an eye opener for me. Being a good manager is not all about the manager, and the manager’s personality. Nor is it about learning a few management techniques. Managerial effectiveness is influenced by the demands, constraints and choices of all of the above.

Even the most organised and pro-active manager will struggle if they are constrained by their job, the people they work with, or the organisation itself.