astutely made the following distinction: efficiency involves doing things right;
effectiveness is doing the right things (see Drucker 1955). For Malik, the “assign-
ment” means the employee’s key task. As such, the term is more specific and
situation-bound than a pure job description, and goes beyond pure job design. The
assignment is the task with the highest priority at the given time.
For some employees the nature of their assignment is clear, and they work
accordingly. Managers must ensure others are aware of what their key tasks are.
They must focus on developing the assignment and providing a written description,
particularly in complex cases and during times of rapid organizational change. The
best employees must be entrusted with the highest priority activities, which is the
objective of effective assignment control.
A good example of involves the budgeting and goal-setting that take place near
the end of a business period. Six to 8 weeks before the end of the period the manager
must personally see to it that employees are completing their respective high-
priority tasks; he or she should also reduce the amount of routine tasks and less
important assignments for their best employees during this period. These activities
are delegated to the second or third best employee. According to Malik, in this way,
a sense of “shared commitment” is established, with each person helping the other
to accomplish important tasks. Effective managers train their employees to inde-
pendently recognize priorities and respond accordingly.
Fourth Tool: Personal Working Methods
“Personal working methods are extraordinarily important for managers; nothing
else affects their performance so directly and comprehensively. The results and
success of managers depend above all else on these methods” (Malik 2001, p. 325).
Talent, experience and expertise are useless if good methods are lacking, according
to Malik. Appropriate work methods also safeguard against burnout, as they make a
healthy work-life balance possible. The development of individual working
methods is hardly a waste of time; on the contrary, a great deal of time can be
saved as a result, the operational concept being: “Don’t work harder, work
smarter.”
The concrete makeup of working methods depends on many different factors.
These include the manager’s personality, the basic working conditions, the nature of
the industry, the kind of activity carried out by the organization, the corporate
culture, their position within the organization, the existing infrastructure, travel
requirements, their age, and their supervisor’s expectations. Therefore, it is critical
that working methods be reviewed at regular intervals. It is important to frequently
ask oneself: Do my working methods still fit my tasks, priorities and the conditions
of the enterprise?
From his own life experience as well as his professional studies, Malik has seen
the benefits of correct methods. With such methods, a person can accomplish more
and larger tasks without compromising their health, neglecting partnerships,
becoming a slave to their work and missing out on other aspects of life. Initial
questions like the following are important: How do I want to use 5,800 h per year of
time being awake? How much of my time do I want to dedicate to my occupation,
2.1 The Craft of Leadership 43