Books about management may be the most ubiquitous of all business titles. But Daily Management by José Roberto Ferro and Robson Gouveia proves that we needed at least one more. Daily Management presents managers with practical methods that are grounded in deep principles and relevance required for the complex management challenges of the 21st century.
Lean thinking and practice have become embedded in the operational strategies and work routines of countless companies around the world. Yet practical advice about exactly how to manage on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis remains scarce. Managers face the challenge of executing the work of the business while concurrently developing dynamic capabilities required to not only answer today’s customer wants but also tomorrow’s. This ability to execute with consistency while also maintaining the agility to adapt to changing realities requires a revolution in management thinking and practices.
Managing with lean thinking creates conflict as it brings deep change, even as we seek harmony and balance. This is true whether we are making big decisions or facing the simple choices we are compelled to make daily. Should we take shortcuts to push product out the door, or take time to develop stable processes? Do we stop to do root cause analysis, or patch the leak and keep on sailing? Do you set aside time (capacity) to develop people, or can you develop people to create capacity? Even when such trade-offs don’t present themselves so explicitly, we often feel stymied when facing pressures that never seem to let up, and we may compromise one principle to advance another.
In fact, lean management is not about questions of “either-or.” Rather, lean is about “both-and.” Daily Management will give you the tools to sustainably execute while developing capability and adapting dynamically. Make sure all your managers have a copy of Daily Management, and place your own within easy reach for quick reference. You will find it to be an indispensable aid in meeting your challenges as a manager.
