Topic 1: What distinguishes those organizations that succeed from those that don't are good managers.  Good managers accomplish goals through and with the efforts of others and can adapt to the ever-changing environment around them.

Can you remember the best manager you ever worked for?  While working for this manager, you were likely more productive, efficient, and willing to go the extra mile.  Good managers can create commitment, loyalty, and overall job satisfaction within those they manage.  The difference between good and bad managers can spell success or failure for an organization.  Successful organizations today realize good managers are scarce and extremely valuable.  They are so desirable that organizations are willing to generously woo and compensate them.  So what defines a good manager?  A good manager is successful by careful planning, organizing, leading, and coordinating.

After Hurricane Katrina, we all witnessed the ramifications of inadequate planning.  That is why planning is the most important and critical of all management functions.  No matter what the type of problem one may encounter, planning is vital to achieving effectiveness and efficiency.  Planning provides direction, reduces the impact of change, minimizes waste and redundancy, and sets the standards to facilitate control (Robbins and DeCenzo).  It is a multiple step process that involves defining goals, establishing a strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities.  Strategic plans are organizational wide plans, they establish overall objectives, and position an organization in terms of its environment (Robbins and DeCenzo).  Strategic planning sets the stage for the rest of the o ...