The manager who supervised the building of the pyramids in Giza did not experience hard times trying to chase after his subordinates by email. So he had it easy, right? Who has those conditions nowadays, when there are teleconferences everywhere, emails flood into our accounts and teams are working remotely more often. The management-issues.com website offers a perspective that helps us realize that what we have today is not quite as bad we think. It is the perspective of building the pyramids - the greatest management project of all time.
Teleworking
Would it be possible to manage the construction of those giant pyramids from a distance? Although it is difficult to imagine, it could certainly be done. With the right tools and good planning, why not? It is not a self-serving idea because it can help us to get some perspective. Perhaps, thanks to this idea, we could reconsider how we manage our own projects, large and small, and manage them better in the end.
Pharaohs thought they were gods... sound familiar?
Pyramids were built for pharaohs, who considered themselves to be gods. Perhaps you feel that your clients or superiors have a very similar opinion of themselves. Of course, we all know it. This is something that hasn’t changed, even after thousands of years...
Everything must be ready on time and done correctly
Every sandstone block had to be in place on time – in the past and also today, metaphorically speaking. Imagine that you want to have them delivered by the UPS or DHL. You have no room for error or delay. So again, no change at all.
How to get them to finish their job: Motivating people
Yes, the pyramids were eventually completed. Perhaps things would be easier and quicker if people were passionate about the tasks they were bought in to accomplish. It might have been more difficult then, maybe today it is easier to achieve. People's interest in the success of what they do is the key for any success today. Today, we have more ways of inspiring them.
Documentation and reports
Reports and documents are usually charts and reports. No fun. How boring and depressing those can be compared with the paintings depicting supervisors, work processes, and other scenes from ancient sites. However, the basic rule remains the same: documentation is necessary. Documentation can be clear and concise. It just takes a little bit of genuine effort... but painting those paintings was certainly far more difficult.
-jk-