W J King’s unwritten laws of business -subscribed to by all managers, but practiced only by the really good ones.

63 years ago an American engineer called WJ King wrote a guide to good business. Now his management principles have been republished to acclaim from the likes of Jack Welch and billionaire investor Warren Buffet, who says: ‘This is really one of the best books I’ve seen’.

WJ's basic commandments are:

1. Every manager must know what goes on in his or her domain

This does not mean that you should attempt to keep up with all the minor details of work assigned to subordinates. Your involvement should never impede operations. Nevertheless, the basic fact remains that the more information managers have, the more effectively they can manage their business.

2. Do not try to do it all yourself

You must delegate responsibility even if you could cover all the ground yourself. It isn’t wise to have so much depend on one person, and it’s unfair to your staff. Executives and managers should have their business organised so they could be away at any time and still have everything go smoothly. The most common excuse for hogging the whole job is that employees are too young or inexperienced. It’s part of your job to develop your staff, which includes developing initiative, resourcefulness and judgement.

3. Put first things first in applying yourself to the job

Since there usually isn’t time for everything, it is essential to form the habit of concentrating on the important things first. The important things are the things for which you are held directly responsible – and if you aren’t sure what these are you’d better find out mighty quick. Assign these responsibilities top priority in budgeting your time; then delegate as many as possible of the items that will not fit into your schedule. It is a good general rule never to undertake any minor project or work that you can get someone else or some other department to do for you.

4. Cultivate the habit of boiling matters down to their simplest terms

Some people seem eternally disposed to “muddy the waters”. Or they “can never see the forest for the trees”. Make it a practice to integrate, condense, summarise, and simplify the facts. This sort of mental discipline, getting to the heart of the matter, is one of the most valuable qualities of a good executive.

5. Don’t get excited in emergencies – keep your feet on the ground

Most crises aren’t half as bad as they appear at first, so make it a point not to magnify a bad situation. Do not ignore signs of trouble and get caught napping, but learn to distinguish between isolated cases and real epidemics. Hazards rate an immediate, aggressive response. Nevertheless, the important thing is to get the facts first. Then act as soon as you have enough evidence from responsible sources to enable you to reach a sound decision.

6. Meetings should not be too large or too small

It is true that large meetings frequently dissipate the subject over a number of conflicting or irrelevant points of view in a superficial manner. But this is almost entirely because of the competence of the person leading the meeting. A considerable amount of skill is required to manage a sizable meeting so as to keep it on the proper subject, avoiding long-winded digressions or reiterations of the arguments. In any meeting the important thing is to face the issues and dispose of them. All too often there is a tendency to dodge the issues, postponing action until a later date, or “letting the matter work itself out naturally”. Matters will  always work out “naturally”, but this represents a low order of management. Count any meeting a failure that does not end up with a definite understanding as to what is going to be done, who is going to do it, and when. This should be confirmed in written minutes.

7. Cultivate the habit of making brisk, clean-cut decisions

This is, or course, the most difficult and important part of a manager’s job. Some managers have a terrific struggle deciding even the minor issues, mainly because they never get over being afraid of making mistakes. Decisions will be easier and more frequently correct if you have the essential facts at hand. It will therefore pay to keep well-informed, or else to bring out the relevant facts before attempting a decision. The application of judgement can be facilitated by formulating it into principles, policies and precepts in advance. You do not have to be right every time. It is said that a good executive needs to be right only 51% of the time. It is futile to try to keep everybody happy. After all parties have had their say, dispose of the matter decisively even if someone’s toes are stepped on. Otherwise the odds are that everyone will end up dissatisfied. Do not allow the danger of making a mistake to inhibit initiative to the point of “nothing venture, nothing gained” It is much healthier to expect to make mistakes now and then.

8. Make it clear what is expected of employees

It is not enough for you to simply hope for certain behaviour or performance from your subordinates – more often than not you will be disappointed. Successful managers clearly set down goals and expectations with their subordinates, then follow up with monitoring and support.

9. Promote the personal and professional interests of your employees on all occasions

The interests of individuals coincide at least in principle with the company’s. Clearly, it is to the company’s advantage to preserve the morale and loyalty of its employees. These are tremendously important factors in any organisation. They are founded primarily in confidence, and reach a healthy state when employees feel that they will always get a square deal, plus a little extra consideration on occasions.

10. You owe it to your staff to keep them properly informed

In the catalogue of raw deals, next to responsibility without authority comes responsibility without information. It is very unfair to ask people to acquit themselves creditably when they are held responsible for a project without knowing its past history, present status, or future plans. An excellent practice is to hold occasional meetings to tell employees about major policies and developments in the department and the company.

11. Do not criticise a subordinate in front of others, especially his or her own subordinates

This will damage both prestige and morale. Also, be careful not to criticise someone when it is really your fault. Not infrequently, the real offence can be traced back to you. Be fair.

12. Show an interest in what your staff are doing

It is discouraging to employees when the boss seems to show no interest in their work – he fails to ask about it or comment on it. A little goes a long way – so make the effort.

13. Never miss a chance to commend subordinates for a job well done

Remember that your job is not just to criticise your people and intimidate them. A first rate manager is a leader as well as a critic. The most important part of your job is to help, advise, encourage and stimulate staff.

14. Always accept responsibility for your group and those in it

Never pass the buck or blame any of your employees, even when they have let you down. You are supposed to have full control and you are credited with the success as well as the failure of your group.

The Unwritten Laws of Business

W J King (Author)

James G Skakoon (Editor)

Republished 2007