The Manager's Contacts: Demand or Choice?

The individual manager makes his job. In a few managerial jobs this statement is wholly true; in all others it is partially true. Yet the author's current work shows that few managers are aware of the ways in which they shape their job, nor do most of them recognise the opportunities for choice of activities that their job provides. Managers who do not appreciate what is distinctive about the way they do their job find it harder to appraise their effectiveness. They also feel locked in to their current pattern of work. This article is about a simple method for recognising some aspects of how one chooses one's pattern of work.