Managing to the Bones: Freeing the Manager Within

Someone once described a baby as a digestive apparatus with a loud noise at one end and no responsibility at the other end. This description also personifies organizations. Factors that have contributed to quelling such hard-to-control noises in the competitive corporate environment include the Internet, licensing, franchising, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and foreign subsidiaries. At the end with no responsibility, managerial accountability is fast becoming a staple at corporate luncheon tables. Yet the only way for a manager to be seasoned with accountability and great works is to first dish out the dessert free of flatulence.