Process development

Self-management

Self-management is typically the most difficult type of management. We all have our own unique way, shaped by our genetic make-up and environment, of structuring the world around us and of leading ourselves. The challenge is that we are blind to the way we lead ourselves.

Self-management has become important as the work environment has changed. Increasingly, each of us has more and more freedom and responsibility to lead ourselves. It is natural that for some, self-management is inherently easier and, conversely, some face significant challenges in self-management. Often, even that completely natural way of leading oneself is not optimal for cooperation and relationships in the work environment or in one’s personal life. It is therefore important to first define what self-management means and how to develop it. This is what self-management training is for.

What does self-management mean?

There are several aspects to self-management. Perhaps the most typical self-management theme of all is time management. How can you, through managing your activities, free up your time for the things you want to get done and consider important? Similarly, it is important to manage yourself so that less and less time is spent on things you don’t need. Time management is often thought of simply in terms of tools such as calendars, etc., but in its entirety, time management is one of the most essential aspects of self-management. The underlying idea is that you identify the tasks that are important and meaningful to you and consciously manage your own activities to achieve them.

Another important theme in self-management training is the identification of your own style of action and interaction. You can only lead yourself if you recognise who you are. The approaches and tools that work for one person are, from a self-management perspective, useless for another. The best way to approach self-management is to get to know your own natural style of interaction and thinking. Only then should you look at which self-management tools would be most appropriate for you.

How to maintain self-management?

Poor self-discipline is the biggest obstacle to self-management for most of us. We can have good goals and purposes. We may even have the right tools, but self-management is wasted without self-discipline. Practising self-discipline is a personal process. You need to identify your own motivational factors and decide on the means to self-discipline. We all have the capacity to do this, but most of us need help, especially in the early stages of self-management. The most typical example from the world of self-management and self-discipline is lifestyle change, starting and maintaining exercise, giving up stimulants. The same laws of self-management also apply in the world of work. Identifying your own motivational structure and patterns of interaction, managing your own time and having clear tools that suit you are essential to bring about change. Paradoxically, self-management usually always needs external support in its early stages in order to succeed.

Self-management training

Self-management is one of the most important workplace skills of today and tomorrow. It’s not something that comes naturally to everyone, but fortunately it can be learned. In self-management training, participants learn to identify their own motivational structures and manage their time more effectively. Self-management training also helps participants to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in their own interaction style. Self-management training strengthens participants’ ability to work in a goal-oriented and planned way, reduces stress, helps them to better prioritise work tasks and to become aware of the cornerstones of their own time management. At its best, self-management training improves not only the participant’s work and working methods, but also indirectly the team’s and the organization’s work and productivity.

Read also about personnel management training.