What You Should Know Before Implementing an ISO 9001 Quality Management System

Successfully implementing an ISO 9001 Quality Management System depends on developing a clear understanding of seven aspects of the program, including:

1. The purpose of a quality management system

The principles of quality management are:

Quality is achieved through conformance to defined specifications in terms of performance, price, and delivery and is not just limited to how a product or service looks or performs.

Customer satisfaction is achieved by understanding the customer requirements and using methods to ensure that these requirements are consistently met.

Controlling and improving processes are achieved through the use of documented policies, procedures, and continual improvement activities.

The ISO 9001 Quality Management System is a business system designed to make it easier for companies to comply with these principles.

The system establishes both the rules for identifying the customer requirements and the policies and procedures for providing organizations with the means for delivering products and services that comply with these requirements. It also creates a means for ensuring consistency, stability, and the continual improvement of the processes used in running a business. It's based on documentation and demands effective information management, operational discipline, and accountability.

The ISO 9001 Quality Management System was developed and is managed by an internationally recognized organization. The system was originally implemented in 1987, subsequently revised in 2000, and is currently used in over 130 different countries by over 350,000 companies.

2. The benefits of a system

An ISO9001 Quality Management System has the potential of providing several significant benefits, including:

Improved Profitability - Profit improvement results from more productive employees, better organization, better suppliers, better infrastructure, and systematic continual improvement programs.

Employees are more productive because the system establishes standards for hiring and training, requires employee involvement, and demands accountability.

Documented procedures create better organization, which promotes consistency and reduces the number of mistakes.

Qualification criteria, auditing procedures, and the use of performance measurements improves supplier performance.

Controls and policies placed on the management of the infrastructure including the buildings, machinery, tooling, software and hardware, and the general working conditions result in more reliable and better working conditions.

Corrective and preventive action programs and other continual improvement processes provide a mechanism for preventing problems from reoccurring, finding and fixing problems before they occur, and developing new and better ways of doing things.

If effectively implemented a quality management system can eliminate duplication and process variability, lower cycle times and inventories, and reduce both in-house and field failures.

Improved Customer Satisfaction - Customers benefit because:

Policies and procedures for managing process information, measuring instruments, and the verification and validation requirements result in better products.

Procedural changes and improvements in supplier performance result in better deliveries.

Changes in the way customer communication and product development are managed result in better customer relations.

Increased Sales - ISO 9001 certification is an internationally recognized accomplishment. It's a bragging right but more importantly it's a promotional opportunity. It opens doors to prospects that treat certification as a tipping point or a supplier requirement, and it's a means of letting your customers know that you comply with a set of internationally recognized management standards.

Improved Job Satisfaction - Job satisfaction improves because:

The system includes change processes that provide all employees with an opportunity to make a difference in how a company is managed.

There's comfort in knowing what you're responsible for doing, and

There's security in knowing that the system creates a more competitive position.

The instructions bridge interrelated responsibilities, which eliminates confusion and reduces conflict.

The key word to remember is "potential." The benefits don't come automatically and won't happen without a genuine commitment starting at the top, a system that is well composed and managed, and a long-term commitment.

3. The components of the implementation process

The three components of the implementation process are: 1) documentation, 2) information management, and 3) operational changes.

Documentation - On the surface it may seem that developing the ISO 9000 documentation shouldn't be that difficult. You must have a manual that includes a policy, objectives, scope, and the interaction of the processes; and you must have written instructions for:

1. Managing the quality system documents

2. Managing the quality system records

3. Conducting internal audits

4. Controlling nonconforming product

5. Implementing corrective action

6. Implementing preventive action

The standard also hints at the need for additional instructions, e. g. referring to the work instructions, section 7.1 states "shall determine the following, as appropriate," but technically, aside from the manual and these six instructions, anything more is optional.

The reality, however, is that in order to get the most out of a quality management system a great deal of additional documentation is required. A primary function of the system is to establish consistency and eliminate misunderstandings, which is best facilitated with clear and unambiguous written instructions. Policies, which are a pervasive part of any system, have absolutely no value if they're not in writing, and enforcing accountability is extremely difficult if the responsibilities are not spelled out.

Information Management - Extensive information management is another integral part of the implementation process. Just keeping track of all of the records associated with the quality system is in itself a daunting challenge. Then there are training records, records of all of the customer complaints, warranty claims, and past due shipments. There's also sales and purchasing records, traceability documentation, product development records, verification and validation records, incoming inspection records, and internal and external non-conformance records.

All of this involves gathering, managing, and analyzing information, which is an unavoidable requirement of the ISO 9001 standard.

Operational Changes - The final component of the implementation process is the operational changes, which are the changes needed in order to meet the procedural requirements of your system. These include such things as training, instrument calibration, housekeeping, product traceability, product preservation, managing nonconforming materials, auditing, and the implementation of the corrective and preventive action activities. It's not good enough to say what you're going to do, you actually have to do it.

System documentation and information management are the paperwork part of the system. The operational changes are the action part and represent the part of the implementation process that makes the system work.

Revenue Management Is A Sign Of Success

Nitty-gritty of Revenue Management

Revenue management first noticed and accepted by the airline industry. Many travel and hospitality companies have been focused to the "adapt or perish" hymn while moving towards revenue management. Today, revenue management processes and systems are implemented in number of industries, including manufacturing, advertising, energy, hi-tech, telecommunications, car rental, cruise line, railroad and retail. In the future, companies that ignore revenue management will be at a serious disadvantage.

Actually, revenue management is the concept of adopting the number of implementation of emerging and changing business strategy to revenue management, where you can generate additional revenue from 3% to 8 % and it resulting in possible profit increment of 50% to 100%.

Revenue Management is the application of exercised strategy that estimates consumer behavior at the micromarket level and make the most of product availability and price to maximize revenue growth. Revenue Management is about optimizes revenue from offered business.

Revenue Management is a solid management science that utilizes statistical and mathematical concepts, based on operations research and management science methodology and tools in changing marketing environment to provide information to:

. Precisely review prospecting consumer behavior under dynamically changing market environment
. Establish the most effective way to price and assign inventory to reach and every prospecting consumer, each and every day, formulate real-time modification as market conditions change, with the consumer in real-time
. Convey this information immediately to distribution and sale outlets which deal with the consumer in real-time
. Work as a decision-support reserve for marketing and operational purpose, containing but not restricted to: pricing, product development, advertising, sales, scheduling, distribution, human resource utilization and capacity planning.

Businesses worldwide are going under remarkable pressure by having giant capital investments occupied to their capacity/resources up to bottom line and to optimizing and recovered revenues from their fragile capacity, products and/or services. So, what can be done to execute RM effectively is very important.

How to reduce the execution pains and optimize the benefits?

In fast changing supply and demand circumstances, how do you handle your resources and price your products and services? The challenges are find out the following:

. How do you predict requirement for distinct products and services?

. How do you assign and set aside the capacity/resources for high revenue/profit customers and products?

. How do you optimize capacity employing as well as revenue realization?

. How do you rework capacity/resource allocations set up on demand on a customary basis to optimize revenues?

. How do you maximize overbooking to lessen service failures costs?

. How do you distinguish product arrangement to maximize revenues?

. How do you chase surplus capacity and propose discounts at the right time to speed up demand without mitigate revenues.

. At what time you change capacity/resources to compete long-term supply and demand?

Adopting the right method of revenue management

From a CEO's point of view, revenue management is serious as it allows companies to successfully direct the challenges of supply, demand and other issues. Revenue management is a course of action and method brings in to order a company, provides it a strategic benefit over the competition by allows the company to sell the "right product to the right customer, at the right price, at the right time." Revenue management strategies stable the tradeoffs amid revenues, capacity utilization and service failures. Revenue management has been shown in many purposes to offer strategic, competitive and financial rewards.

Revenue management systems and processes can provide marvelous strategic return. By implementing revenue management systems and processes, American Airlines observed more than a billion dollars in incremental annual revenues after airline deregulation.

Though RM concept is very simple but execution of revenue management systems has kept very difficult. The availability of current RM system are either in-house or vendor-related and are very costly and time intensive to put into practice and very complex to use in which they upset the processes and people during and after execution.

Unluckily, revenue management execution and applicability have not been focused appropriately and stay behind with two of the biggest obstruction for companies to entirely assign to and profit from such systems. Many users of current systems have objection about the "black box" method used in applying compound revenue management prediction and maximization models. There are many revenue management models available like hybrid class of revenue management, advanced pros revenue management system, Navitaire's Revenue Management System, Portal's Revenue Management System etc to achieve the additional revenue and are vary depending upon the industry in which it is applied. Before implementing a revenue management system any organization must study whether the methods can be useful in their business and the necessity in which, it can push further to develop.

Reducing the Execution Pain

So how do you reduce the pain related with revenue management execution and applicability? Here are some implications:

Open Systems (Internet, Intranet or LAN client/server platform): Companies should force collectively made to order Internet / Wireless application standards, protocols and platforms. By applying software and using open standards investment in IT infrastructure, it can be maintained and comprehended for long periods of time. Revenue management software should harmonize a company's accessible investment in the infrastructure. By leveraging accessible software/hardware/networking infrastructure, companies can reducing the cost of execution and prevent training or failure costs.

Framework flexibility: Components-based and completely integrated revenue management software solutions should be chosen and it should available with existing database and Web/application servers of software built on a flexible framework and can be easily integrated. To apply revenue management systems it should avoid monolithic proprietary systems that propose very little flexibility for ad-hoc decision support or future improvement and software that does not combine with the bequest systems well.

Execution of Phase: Revenue management includes composite estimation and maximization models. When executing such systems today, benefits cannot be completely grasped until all models are entirely incorporated. This could get cost of millions of dollars and more time. Companies should evade ideas that need two to three years and multi-million dollars. A phased approach that gives entry to essential revenue management metrics should be adopted. Although optimization models will be required to maximize supply and demand or maximize resource allotment, the real emphasis in first phase should be to make out and collect the precise data, obtain users comfortable with RM metrics, and apply and make small adjustment of forecasting models until adequate historical data is pull together. This will reducing predicting fault and set up self-assurance in predicting models to lead better RM applicability. Maximizing models should be executing in second phase or soon after. Revenue management systems and processes should address business problems and give activity that generates a path for maximization twelve months after implementing first phase.

Front-End Platform (as opposed to back-end transaction processing platform): In general extremely automated and closely integrated with reservation or transaction systems of companies executes revenue management system at a large. The systems are operating in the back-end and compel extremely practiced analysts to control and manage this method. An easy to use front-end to the compound revenue
management system can develop analyst productivity and get better results. Revenue management systems should agree to users to make what-if analysis to study the influence of parameter or input changes on the prediction and maximization model yield. It should be in such a manner it create any type of ad hoc report as users reflect and analyze.

Top 10 Management Problems in the 20th Century

The 20th century enterprise does not manage business reality! Business reality is defined by two entities:

- Results: The specific economic outputs from the totality of the business

- Performance Solutions: The invested capital specifically utilized to produce specific results

The enterprise must organize and manage results and performance solutions in order to organize and manage business reality.

The failure of the 20th century enterprise to organize and manage business reality creates unsolvable management, business, and performance problems. The 20th century enterprise defines both the performance solutions utilized and the results produced as performance. This flawed definition prevents management of business reality. So, instead, we contrive various other methods as overlays on the business and manage entities like departments, jobs, positions, functions, and processes.

We continue to overlay new methods and write thousands of books, but we have never solved the top 10 management problems in the 20th century enterprise.

1. Reorganizations: We have never organized the business. Instead, we organize people, positions, power, and politics and overlay rigid contrived organization structures on the business. The business must adjust to the organization. Business change makes it more difficult to adjust, until there is a major upheaval called the reorganization. We then contrive another arbitrary organization and repeat the cycle.

2. Accounting and Financial Management: Historically, the enterprise needed to protect cash and so set up cash and accrual accounting and financial management. Accounting and financial management retain this legacy and, consequently, prevent modern records management and comprehensive capital management. Accounting prevents financial records on costs, value created, and comprehensive capital worth. Financial management concentrates on easy-to-manage cash and financial investments and prevents management of high-worth capital that is "administered" or is labeled as "intangible assets".

3. Investment Analysis and Capital Development: The enterprise is unable to itemize and plan the benefits of capital development investments, and is unable to manage development of benefits and return on investments. Investment benefits are contrived estimates that cannot be managed. There is no management responsibility for the utilization of developed performance solutions, to ensure the return.

4. Administration: Administration performs functions, rather than producing results, and prevents proper capital management. The enterprise invests in capital that ends up being administered, rather than managed for beneficial utilization, continuing improvement, and a high return on the investment.

5. Performance Management: Performance is defined to include not only the actions of performing, but also the results produced. This means that performance and the results produced are mixed together as key performance indicators and in the various performance management methods employed. This definition of performance prevents the 20th century enterprise from managing business reality.

6. Business Complexity: Every new method, re-engineered process, implemented system, chart of accounts, etc. is an overlay on the business and adds to business complexity. Contrived entities are managed preventing understanding of business reality. New results and performance are added but are not managed as an enterprise whole, for improvement or removal when not needed.

7. Information Technology: Information systems and solutions are managed as technology. IT covers strategy, planning, business application, technology, and architecture management. This prevents one integrated enterprise strategy and integrated business capital and support. The diverse capital requires many capabilities to manage, creating the CIO problem. Applications are managed as technology rather than as business solutions, and business change ends up in the technical backlog.

8. Change Management: We need change management because we mismanage change. We do not manage the business, human, and management capital to be changed and utilized for benefit. Change is through disruptive projects, rather than as part of the routine. Change management services address symptoms and do not solve fundamental problems.

9. Corporate Governance: We try to solve corporate governance problems from the governance side by strengthening the problems in accounting, auditing, and compliance reporting. This is futile. The problem can only be eliminated from the corporate side, by organizing and managing business reality.

10. Alignment: Many methods have been developed and many books have been written on aligning strategy with the business, information systems with the business process, outsourced processes and internal processes, tangible assets and intangible assets, etc. This also is futile. We cannot align solutions with solutions. We can only align solutions with their input and output results.

The Evolution of Project Management

Importance of Project Management is an important topic because all organisations, be they small or large, at one time or other, are involved in implementing new undertakings. These undertakings may be diverse, such as, the development of a new product or service; the establishment of a new production line in a manufacturing enterprise; a public relations promotion campaign; or a major building programme. Whilst the 1980's were about quality and the 1990's were all about globalisation, the 2000's are about velocity. That is, to keep ahead of their competitors, organisations are continually faced with the development of complex products, services and processes with very short time-to-market windows combined with the need for cross-functional expertise. In this scenario, project management becomes a very important and powerful tool in the hands of organisations that understand its use and have the competencies to apply it.

The development of project management capabilities in organisations, simultaneously with the application of information management systems, allow enterprise teams to work in partnership in defining plans and managing take-to-market projects by synchronising team-oriented tasks, schedules, and resource allocations. This allows cross-functional teams to create and share project information. However, this is not sufficient, information management systems have the potential to allow project management practices to take place in a real-time environment. As a consequence of this potential project management proficiency, locally, nationally or globally dispersed users are able to concurrently view and interact with the same updated project information immediately, including project schedules, threaded discussions, and other relevant documentation. In this scenario the term dispersed user takes on a wider meaning. It not only includes the cross-functional management teams but also experts drawn from the organisation's supply chain, and business partners.

On a macro level organisations are motivated to implement project management techniques to ensure that their undertakings (small or major) are delivered on time, within the cost budget and to the stipulated quality. On a micro level, project management combined
with an appropriate information management system has the objectives of: (a) reducing project overhead costs; (b) customising the project workplace to fit the operational style of the project teams and respective team members; (c) proactively informing the executive management strata of the strategic projects on a real-time basis; (d) ensuring that project team members share accurate, meaningful and timely project documents; and (e) ensuring that critical task deadlines are met. Whilst the motivation and objectives to apply project management in organisations is commendable, they do not assure project success.

However, before discussing the meaning and achievement of project success it is appropriate at this stage to provide a brief history of project management.

Brief History of Project Management
Project management has been practiced for thousands of years dating back to the Egyptian epoch, but it was in the mid-1950's that organisations commenced applying formal project management tools and techniques to complex projects. Modern project management methods had their origins in two parallel but different problems of planning and control in projects in the United States. The first case involved the U.S Navy which at that time was concerned with the control of contracts for its Polaris Missile project. These contracts consisted of research, development work and manufacturing of parts that were unique and had never been previously undertaken.

This particular project was characterised by high uncertainty, since neither cost nor time could be accurately estimated. Hence, completion times were based on probabilities. Time estimates were based on optimistic, pessimistic and most likely. These three time scenarios were mathematically assessed to determine the probable completion date. This procedure was called program evaluation review technique (PERT). Initially, the PERT technique did not take into consideration cost. However, the cost feature was later included using the same estimating approach as with time. Due to the three estimation scenarios, PERT was found (and still is) to be best suited for projects with a high degree of uncertainty reflecting their level of uniqueness. The second case, involved the private sector, namely, E.I du Pont de Nemours Company, which had undertaken to construct major chemical plants in U.S. Unlike the Navy Polaris project, these construction undertakings required accurate time and cost estimates. The methodology developed by this company was originally referred to as project planning and scheduling (PPS). PPS required realistic estimates of cost and time, and is thus a more definitive approach than PERT. The PPS technique was later developed into the critical path method (CPM) that became very popular with the construction industry. During the 1960s and 1970s, both PERT and CPM increased their popularity within the private and public sectors. Defence Departments of various countries, NASA, and large engineering and construction companies world wide applied project management principles and tools to manage large budget, schedule-driven projects. The popularity in the use of these project management tools during this period coincided with the development of computers and the associated packages that specialised in project management. However, initially these computer packages were very costly and were executed only on mainframe or mini computers. The use of project management techniques in the 1980s was facilitated with the advent of the personal computer and associated low cost project management software. Hence, during this period, the manufacturing and software development sectors commenced to adopt and implement sophisticated project management practices as well. By the 1990s, project management theories, tools, and techniques were widely received by different industries and organisations.

Four periods in the development of modern project management.

[1] Prior to 1958: Craft system to human relations. During this time, the evolution of technology, such as, automobiles and telecommunications shortened the project schedule. For instance, automobiles allowed effective resource allocation and mobility, whilst the telecommunication system increased the speed of communication. Furthermore, the job specification which later became the basis of developing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) was widely used and Henry Gantt invented the Gantt chart. Examples of projects undertaken during this period as supported by documented evidence include: (a) Building the Pacific Railroad in 1850's; (b) Construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931-1936, that employed approximately 5,200 workers and is still one of the highest gravity dams in the U.S. generating about four billion kilowatt hours a year; and (c) The Manhattan Project in 1942-1945 that was the pioneer research and development project for producing the atomic bomb, involving 125,000 workers and costing nearly $2 billion.

[2] 1958-1979: Application of Management Science. Significant technology advancement took place between 1958 and 1979, such as, the first automatic plain-paper copier by Xerox in 1959. Between 1956 and 1958 several core project management tools including CPM and PERT were introduced. However, this period was characterised by the rapid development of computer technology. The progression from the mainframe to the mini-computer in the 1970's made computers affordable to medium size companies. In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft. Furthermore, the evolution of computer technology facilitated the emergence of several project management software companies, including, Artemis (1977), Oracle (1977), and Scitor Corporation (1979). In the 1970's other project management tools such as Material Requirements Planning (MRP) were also introduced.

Examples of projects undertaken during this period and which influenced the development of modem project management as we know it today include: (a)Polaris missile project initiated in 1956 that had the objective of delivering nuclear missiles carried by submarines, known as Fleet Ballistic Missile for the U.S Navy. The project successfully launched its first Polaris missile in 1961; (b) Apollo project initiated in 1960 with the objective of sending man to the moon; and (c) E.I du Pont de Nemours chemical plant project commencing in 1958, that had the objective of building major chemical production plants across the U.S.

[3] 1980-1994: Production Centre Human Resources. The 1980s and 1990's are characterised by the revolutionary development in the information management sector with the introduction of the personal computer (PC) and associated computer communications networking facilities. This development resulted in having low cost multitasking PCs that had high efficiency in managing and controlling complex project schedules. During this period low cost project management software for PCs became widely available that made project management techniques more easily accessible.

Examples of major projects undertaken during this period that illustrate the application of high technology, and project management tools and practices include: (a) England France Channel project, 1989 to1991. This project was an international project that involved two governments, several financial institutions, engineering construction companies, and other various organisations from the two countries. The language, use of standard metrics, and other communication differences needed to be closely coordinated; (b) Space Shuttle Challenger project, 1983 to 1986. The disaster of the Challenger space shuttle focused attention on risk management, group dynamics, and quality management; and (c) xv Calgary Winter Olympic of 1988 which successfully applied project management practices to event management.

[4] 1995-Present: Creating a New Environment. This period is dominated by the developments related to the internet that changed dramatically business practices in the mid 1990's. The internet has provided fast, interactive, and customised new medium that allows people to browse, purchase, and track products and services online instantly. This has resulted in making firms more productive, more efficient, and more client oriented. Furthermore, many of today's project management software have an internet connectivity feature. This allows automatic uploading of data so that anyone around the globe with a standard browser can: (a) input the most recent status of their assigned tasks; (b) find out how the overall project is doing; (c) be informed of any delays or advances in the schedule; and (d) stay "in the loop" for their project role, while working independently at a remote site.

An example of a major project undertaken during this period is the Year 2000 (Y2K) project. The Y2K Project, known as the millennium bug referred to the problem that computers may not function correctly on January lst, 2000 at 12 AM. This was a global phenomenon and was highly problematic because resolving the problem at one's organisation did not guarantee immunity, since a breakdown in the organisation's supply chain could affect the organisation's operating capability. Many organisations set up a project office to control and comply with their stakeholders regarding the Y2K issue. Furthermore, use of the Internet was common practice that led to the establishment of the virtual project office. The goal of this virtual project office was: (a) to deliver uninterrupted turn-of-the-century; (b) monitor Y2K project efforts; (c) provide coordination; (d) develop a risk management plan; and (e) communicate Y2K compliance efforts with various stakeholders. Thus, the virtual project office was a focal point for all the project works, and it increased the awareness and importance of risk management practices to numerous organisations.

Why Project Management?

There is no doubt that organisations today face more aggressive competition than in the past and the business environment they operate in is a highly turbulent one. This scenario has increased the need for organisational accountability for the private and public sectors, leading to a greater focus and demand for operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Effectiveness and efficiency may be facilitated through the introduction of best practices that are able to optimise the management of organisational resources. It has been shown that operations and projects are dissimilar with each requiring different management techniques. Hence, in a project environment, project management can: (a) support the achievement of project and organisational goals; and (b) provide a greater assurance to stakeholders that resources are being managed effectively.

Confessions of a Reformed Manager: Seven Principles for Becoming a Good Manager

Another one walked out the door. With him, $25,000 in recruitment fees, $3,000 in relocation expenses and a $31,000 learning curve went down the drain. Clients became uneasy, employee morale suffered and my firm's ability to recruit top talent was negatively impacted.

My management style was costing my firm money and it was exacting an emotional toll on me. Taking each departure personally, I was beginning to feel like a failure.

Like so many young managers, I had been bumped up into management because I was a good producer. No one had considered that production and management require two different skill sets, and that those skill sets are often at odds with one another.

I wanted to be a good manager. I took management courses, read a plethora of self-help books and hired a management coach, but I still hadn't hit on the right formula for management.

Totally ill equipped for my new role, I continued to make mistake after mistake.

It wasn't until I looked at myself that I got it.

First, I had tried to control my employees. Then, I had tried to motivate them, but only when I sought to inspire them did I become a good manager. It was a principle so simple that I had missed it.

Good management is not built upon behavior modification, manipulation or
motivation; it is grounded in intention. Instead of searching for the right combination of words and actions to produce desired behaviors, I began to put my employees' needs first and truly care about them as people. Together we worked toward the company's goals while meeting our individual needs.

Good management is not linear. Like the imagination, it is fluid, flexible and creative. While I found no set rules to becoming a good manager, I did discover seven principles that helped me grow into management.

Good managers know themselves. Good managers know their strengths and weaknesses, and they understand their management styles.

A clue to identifying our management styles can be found by examining our relationships with our parents. Once I looked at my relationship with my father, I discovered why my employees were unhappy. I had adopted his impersonal, authoritarian style.

Good managers share themselves, as well as their knowledge. When I train executives in presentation skills, I encourage them to be themselves. The best presenters are those who share their souls with their audiences, and good managers are no different.

Sharing our souls does not mean becoming close intimate friends with those we manage. It does mean, however, allowing employees access to our lives. Employees want to know their managers as people, too.

Share yourself, but don't share your moods. Employees crave consistency and calm from managers, especially in crises.

At no time do managers show their true colors more than in crisis. I ran red. Adrenaline surged through my blood when faced with crisis. While I was super-productive, I put the office in a hyper-frenzy. By staying grounded, I could get as much done without electrifying the office.

Good management is servant leadership. At its simplest, servant leadership recognizes great leaders are humble servants. Servant leaders manage from the soul and not the ego.

My job was not to do the job, but to get the job done right and that meant ensuring my people had the tools, training, encouragement and trust they needed. By serving them, I met my goals.

Good managers manage the whole person. I used to look on my employees as machines, seeing them only as a means to get the job done instead of the people they were. When I began to look at the whole person, I began to become a good manager.

Being a good manager doesn't mean liking every employee. While I have not liked every person I have managed, I have cared about each one.

As managers, it is important to recognize we cannot separate our employees' work lives from their personal ones anymore than we can separate our own.

I also learned how to utilize employees' strengths and support their weaknesses. No employee has it all. Our job as managers is to create personalized environments for employees in which they can thrive.

Years ago, I hired a senior consultant who was one of the most creative people I knew and had a Rolodex as large as a car tire. Still, she could not manage traditional public relations accounts.

After trial and error, she became "a marketing matchmaker" setting up strategic meetings between companies sharing similar marketing objectives. Her division quickly became one of the agency's most profitable, and she remained a loyal employee.

Good managers thrive on feedback. Key to becoming a good manager is 360-degree feedback. Good managers put ego aside, ask for constructive feedback and act upon it. One of the worse things a manager can do is ask for feedback and not act upon it.

At my old firm, employees filled out "How Am I Doing?" surveys on their managers. To encourage candid feedback, responses were confidential and compiled by an outside source.

From the feedback, managers were encouraged to select no more than three areas for improvement, develop a plan, and share that plan with their employees.

Good managers constantly check in with their intentions. Good managers focus on intentions over outcomes.

One employee had been with the firm for close to seven years. We changed her job description several times to present new challenges and capitalize on her strengths. But as the agency matured, it became apparent we no longer had a place for her.

Over lunch, I learned she was unhappy, and although she wanted to move on, she was afraid. That afternoon, we mapped out a plan that made sense for her and for the agency, set a completion goal of three months, and agreed to meet periodically.

Today, she is the director of marketing for a large professional service firm. She is happy and challenged and looks back on her agency days fondly.

When good managers make mistakes, they correct them fast. Even with the right intentions, we all make hiring mistakes. When we do, we need to correct them fast. Again, if our intention is pure, we can make this transition humanely and with a minimum of disruption to the operation.

Few are born great managers. But these seven principles -- know yourself, share yourself, practice servant leadership, manage the whole person, thrive on feedback, check in with your intentions, and correct mistakes fast -- helped me to become a better one.

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