One of my most common uneasiness has been how to use my time in order to be more useful for the company. Thanks to my editorial work and my investigator spirit, due to the fact that I studied Physics and Mathematics at the University, and I obtained a degree in Business Administration, my uneasiness became obsession.
As an editor, I had reviewed more than 2000 managing books and I have always tried to find the magic recipe for the director’s success. I found out that there is no such recipe, because managing is not only a science, but art and humanism, not subjected to any formulas.
My next research was to find that to which the director must dedicate his time. In each book I read about the most important functions carried out by current and preceding general managers of several companies such as Jack Welch from General Electric; Andy Grove from INTEL; Carlos Ghosn from Nissan; Larry Bossidi from Honeywell; Michaell Dell from Dell; Michael Eisner from Disney; Bill Gates from Microsoft; Steve Jobs from Apple; Carlos Slim from Grupo Carso; David Packard from Hewlett Packard; Gordon Behune from Continental Airlines; John Chamber from Cisco Systems; Lou Gerstne from IBM; Herb Kelleher from Southwest Airlines; Howard Schultz from Starbucks; Lorenzo Zambrano from Cemex; Lorenzo Servitje and Roberto Servitje from Bimbo; and other less famous but not less successful, I found some clues about the tasks they really fulfilled.
With the previous information, I formed a list of duties that served as model for my own activities (and I must say my worries). In my companies trying to be common for any size of company, I cannot say I have found the perfect one, but I can imitate it knowing that it covers the main aspects of a director’s work.
I recognize that for many readers it would seem a small list of unavoidable duties; and to others, it would be a long one. This means that I have not the absolute truth, and that each director may create his own, according to his circumstances. If he does so, I would have achieved my purpose: to make the director think of what may turn him into a more efficient manager.
I would like to make clear that this is not an administration treatise, so the reader must not expect a whole treatment of each topic, but only reflections I order that the director completes his mental scheme with regard to his directive tasks.
At the end of the book, I am including a list of books written by general managers. Most of them are in English because I have them in that language. You may get them through www.theAmazon.com. It is possible that some of them had been translated into Spanish, although they might have disappeared if they were not bestsellers, or even if they were.
I only have to expect that this book is useful and to ask you a feedback about your own experience in order that I will be able to publish a more complete edition in the future.
For opinions and suggestions, you may write o the following e-mails:
lcastaneda@panoramaed.com.mx
luiscastanedam@yahoo.com
www.luiscastaneda.com.mx
