Self-managers don’t require outward influence or supervision to complete their jobs. They don’t deal with the issues of determining direction, but once they know the destination, they will get themselves there. If it was a road trip, the leader would determine the destination and the self-manager would (without being asked) get the maps, plan out a route, book hotels along the way, and ensure that he had the money to pay for the trip.

Like self-leadership, self-management beings with a mental aspect. Self-managers recognize the details that need to be handled. Self-managers recognize the qualities that make a team or themselves high functioning. In going about a project, self-managers concentrate on issues of time, finances, talents, energy, and relationships and how one can make the best use of these resources.

After making these determinations, the self-manager enacts his plan. The self-manager sticks to his plan but is also adaptable to any unforeseen events. A good manager is a team-first motivator; likewise, a self-manager is a self-motivator who is constantly reminding himself of the team goals.

Self-leaders don’t drift through their careers, they have definite goals of what they want to achieve and clear visions of where they want to go. Self-leaders are, consequently, always growing and improving as individuals and employees because they are always on the move. These characteristics show in your work and make you more desirable and valued at the workplace.

Self-managers are the most consistent and productive employees. A self-manager is a self-motivator, so production stays at a consistently high level. In addition, self-managers wisely allocate and spend their resources to maximize their production. Details that could have been obstacles are handled far in advance.

As you might imagine, companies covet these self-leading, self-managing employees. Not only will the employees’ production increase, executives will spend far less time articulating vision and motivating and can focus their energies elsewhere. One area on which they can now focus is on training you and equipping you with more skill. You don’t have to be led and managed—you’re doing that yourself.

• Self-awareness: What are your goals? What are your visions (personal or career-oriented) for the future? These are the questions of self-leadership. Define your goals and articulate them to yourself. As for self-management, consider your strengths and weaknesses, and ask co-workers and friends for feedback. Do you struggle with time-management? Staying under budget? Working with the rest of your team? What resources (tangible or intangible) are you not taking advantage of? Recognize the areas on which you need to focus.
  
• Self-direction: This is where you make your plan. Write out your goals and the hoped-for effects of these goals. Then determine some basic steps; remember, all you need to get moving is a direction and a first step. In the area of self-management, outline a plan to keep track of your progress in the areas you’re identified. If it’s time management, make a schedule. If it’s financial management, keep track of every dollar spent.
  
• Self-punishment/Self-reward: If you were leading or managing others, you would hold them to their jobs; do the same for yourself. If you are leading yourself down a five-year path, take stock along the way and reward or challenge yourself appropriately. If you are trying to manage money and you don’t make it, sacrifice a little—make it cost you. Hold yourself to the same standard to which you would hold a team you were leading or managing.
  

A self-leading and self-managing team takes responsibility and initiative for its own work. It requires minimal input from outside sources and once you get such a team moving, it doesn’t stop until the job is completed. This kind of team motivates itself, articulates clear goals and plans, and works well together. Any logistics and details are anticipated and handled neatly.

How does a team become self-leading and self-managing? Usually, it is the result of the kind of people that make up the team—self-leading and self-managing people transfer their skills to their team. In addition, these teams have been freed to do their work. Executives don’t micromanage these teams; instead, they trust that the teams will themselves eliminate the bad options and suggest optimal solutions.

Obviously, self-leading and self-managing teams pay huge dividends for the company. Executives spend far less time motivating and guiding these teams, but simply need to communicate a vision. Thus, energy and resources can be focused elsewhere. In addition, self-leading and self-managing teams work well together, so creativity flourishes and good ideas become great ideas. The team takes ownership in the project because they are leading and managing the project themselves.

Essentially, critical thinking is a manner of thinking that moves from the general to specific, ever narrowing the focus until the logic of both the questions and arguments come to the same conclusion. Executives and employees can also use this form of thinking to narrow the focus of a problem until one or more solutions become evident as both possible and logical.

Critical thinking and teamwork go hand in hand. Critical thinking used in a problem-solving mode, can take a team of coworkers from the brain storming session to the final solution through a process of ever-narrowing the questions and possible solutions until the group cooperatively agrees that they have arrived at a logical and satisfactory conclusion. During this process, each person in the group is asked not only to offer ideas, but also to be able to support those ideas through a workable rationale. Because people are asked to evaluate their own thinking and ideas, the process of hashing through what will and will not work is done individually. Then as ideas are presented, further narrowing of focus will lead the group to select from all the possible solutions.

The process of teaching critical thinking will take an investment of time and energy, but will deliver an increasingly significant, and consistent, work product. The time investment will pay off in dividends such as increased productivity, fewer relationship problems, a better quality work product, and higher morale among those on the team.

In order to incorporate critical thinking into a business plan, it is important to start from the top and work all the way through the ranks to those who are implementing the plans. Keep in mind that working cooperatively, while incorporating, and thus teaching, the use of critical thinking, yields an ongoing implementation and process. This is not something that, once taught at a corporate retreat, is then placed on the shelf with teaching packets from years past, never to be thought of again. Critical thinking is a way of looking at every aspect of the day, from checking the calendar and task list for the day, to problem solving and implementation of new and better ideas along the way.

The increased ability to be connected by technology also lends itself to the team approach in the office. No longer do managers need to wait for staff meeting to spread the word about a goal or deadline. A few keystrokes can send an email memo or instant message to the entire staff. Staff members are no longer disconnected from the office rhythm and pace when they are away from their desks thanks to cell phones, PDA’s and wireless internet on laptops.

By making use of this technology, while incorporating the cooperative teamwork approach to critical thinking, team members are freed to think more creatively, see problems as common to all members, and not something to be blamed on someone else. Team decision-making can now be a constant process, made possible by these ongoing technological connections.

By incorporating a strategy of critical thinking, connecting team members face to face, then placing common goals before them, management can ask these team members to work collaboratively. By giving team members the tools and technology to be constantly available to each other, each team member is able to focus on their part of the puzzle until the final picture falls into place by cooperative efforts from every member of the team.

Employees, not material assets, are a company’s real strength in today’s communication driven economy. By utilizing the group’s differences to bring expanded knowledge and idea power into the mix, managers are free to move from team to team, making sure each one is on track toward corporate goals. By teaching and relying on the use of critical thinking, this management style leaves the manager free to trust that in his or her absence, work is still progressing at an acceptable, effective rate.

Conversely, there seems to be no down side to this management style. When the team knows that management trusts their common knowledge and experience, they are empowered to convert that knowledge and experience into tangible benefits for the company and for themselves. The process of critical thinking improves problem-solving, increases creativity and builds mutual respect among employees, rather than creating an atmosphere of competition and mistrust. The cooperative atmosphere fostered by a team approach utilizing critical thinking contributes positively to the work atmosphere, thus reducing conflict and competition among employees.

Consider the automobile assembly line. Each worker is responsible for a particular component, and when each employee has contributed according to his or her own expertise, the result is a car. Each worker is responsible for a small, but significant part of the puzzle and without any one part of that puzzle, the final product is profoundly affected.

In the early 90’s General Motors created an offshoot company that changed the way cars are made. The difference was not so much in the actual manufacturing process, as in the way the company, Saturn, is managed. From the CEO’s office to the employees who sweep up at the end of the day, each person realizes they are an integral part of the team and that their opinions and ideas are valued. They believe this because management took the time to teach critical thinking and its place in the team approach to car manufacturing to these employees. Then they empowered the employees to use critical thinking along each step of the manufacturing process.

The Saturn team approach shaped itself into a corporate strategy giving power to each person on the assembly line. If any one of those employees sees a problem, they have the power to stop production until the problem has been resolved. Employees take this responsibility seriously and believe that each car that rolls off that line is their personal accomplishment. When a beautiful new car rolls through those doors, they all win.

Every business has the potential to incorporate critical thinking and cooperative achievement into the workplace. The time investment necessary to implement the process is validated by the increased benefits of employee participation, shared goals, and increased productivity.

The key speaker at the event will be David Sampson, deputy secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department. Sampson serves as the department's COO, managing the $6.5 billion budget, 13 operating units, and approximately 40,000 employees who help to promote U.S. exports and trade agreements.  He is also on the President's Management Council.

The event is free anyone in the public at large interested in business leadership.

Cooper's book discusses, among other things, what sort of management style will work best for the growing businesses of the next ten years. There may be a number of possible models for development, but Cooper emphasizes that either a group of self-employed professionals coming together and then splitting after a project or that of investors choosing their management are good designs for the future.

These two models are put forward by Hamish McRae - one of 22 authors, leading management academics, economists and industrialists - who are brought together by Professor Cooper to explore changing management and leadership styles in the 21st century.

Define Leadership

What are some of the different Leadership styles?

What characteristics do good leaders share?

How do I become a more effective leader?

What is Critical Thinking?

Can Critical Thinking be taught?

How can encouraging employees to use Critical Thinking to achieve corporate goals increase productivity?

How Can Critical Thinking make managing a business more effective?

What is self-leadership?

What is self-management?

Why is it important to become a self-leader and a self-manager?

How do I improve in the areas of self-leadership and self-management?

What are Business Ethics?

Business Ethics - Why do some people make unethical choices?

Business Ethics - Why are ethics important, even in business?

Business Ethics - How can I give my ethics a check-up?