Management functions

In order to accomplish a goal, manager use his/her power and influence as well through various function. There are many theoretical opinions about it, but generally they are talking about: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning
Deciding what needs to happen in the future (today, next week, next month, next year,
over the next five years, etc.) and generating plans for action.

Organizing
Making optimum use of the resources required to enable the successful carrying out
of plans.

Leading/Motivating
Exhibiting skills in these areas for getting others to play an effective part in
achieving plans.

Controlling
Monitoring - checking progress against plans, which may need modification based
on feedback.

Different level of management should do it. Even though you are not manager by position you must make it. Because everybody needs management, isn’t it?
You cannot check progress without plan, for example. Or making a plan without feedback, as result of your controlling. So now, as a Manager how is your School running? Is your plan running well? Any idea to motivate your staff?
If you find that goal is far to be reached, think again about these functions.

When leads come

When leads (prospect customer) come to school what do you usually do? Before answering my question, let we think from customer side. If we are customer (even just leads) go to course mostly because of we need to ask information and want to be treated gently. Right?

Ok, that's what we give to our leads then. Smile and greeting. Asking what you can do for hes? First impression, gesture, and your product knowledge is very important in this case. You have to be honest on it. Because customer today is smarter. Don't try to over promise under deliver as bad politician. Because your promise is your positioning. Under delivery in practice mean customer disappointed.
Do you know how it feels, don't you?

Handling complaints

Everybody has experience with complaints. It just about why and how we handle it.
Why customer complaints must be cause they unsatisfied with our services.
Next, how we handle it.

Still, give your sincerely smile. Then listen. All you have to do is listening, and try to give your empathy. Write down their problems and use your rational thinking to separate emotional and logical during conversation.

Don't try to interrupt and say they are wrong, or even just to inform your company rules.
Speak only if they ask for it or necessary.
Just listen, pay attention, and patient until it finished. Mostly it will reduce anger.

After the fire is gone, slowly answer. Give your customer solution. If you cannot, promise hes, you will do it as soon as possible. Or the dragon will continue...errgh!

Paranoid

Sometimes we got crazy about to keep student number. After peak season end, soon the low season will come. It naturally happens. As any other season, dry and rain. Eventually, we don't want these kinds of season wave our business, do we?

Management, through its quotes saying: nothing is unmanageable. Sound pretty good, if not bombastic. Question: how?

First, we can start from our waiting list. Start calling them again. To do this your school must be good on filling, which is simply open your database.

Second, advertise special offers. Back to school mostly remind old customer to the experience they got. Experience could be good and bad, school can measure customer satisfaction by this program, are they re-buy or not?

Third, by keep you paranoid anytime. Maybe some of us disagree with being paranoid. Too negative. Don't we have the better life to be?
And some say yes, such as me and Andrew Groves, former CEO Intel who believes only paranoid will be survived.
I think the better way to keep student number big and bigger is by maintain old customer as good as our promise to leads. The paranoid here means always try to find solution hence keep their eyes on you. Difficult? Yes. Because we have to compete against ourselves. No mistake and always give the best. How dare customer leave you then?

Price vs Experience

Are you thinking of new competitor since price adjustment? And the way to generate it?

Mostly, price is base cost + mark up. Some people make it very low cost while the other one very expensive. I suggest you to being realistic. Estimate your school need now and its development in the future. Should you think price must be adjusted, why not? All it takes is info, improvement, and experience.

Info. Information about when and how much the adjustment must be well known by customer. Staff training may be needed to ensure they know how to answer questions or complaint from customers.

Improvement. Your price is higher, and customer demand the better services. Unless they will leave you and find the cheaper one. No worries. Service improvement is one, and if you can give the other improvement such as academic, building, cleanlines that a kind of bonus for them.

Experience. Do you believe that school already given good experience to customer? If not, pull out your merchandise for free.
Jeff Bezos from Amazon.Com said he isn't worry of competitors who give 5 % off, but those who give experience a lot.

Market is now and then changing. We can develop and buy product/services. But the experience could have been otherwise.

Javanesse leadership

Java island, for decades bring the big influence in Indonesia. Not only because of the state capital is here, but also culturally dominant. In education, Ki Hajar Dewantoro, also well known as national hero shared his leadership :
1. Ing ngarso sung tulodo .
In front of the group, we share the vision and lead by example. Your people won't respecting you if they only have direction.

2. Ing madyo mangun karso .
Sometimes leader arise from the middle class. If you in the middle, be creative! joining the community activities, share the common values and step by step inspire them to move forward.

3. Tut wuri handayani. Leader otherwise could be follower as well. The good follower indeed. From behind you step in with consciousnes to watch and analyse where the group heading on.

Leader is a leader, wherever he/she is. No matter our position, we still able to dedicate our knowledge, services, and values to others. Everyone, everywhere could be a leader. Finally, it just a matter of choice. To be or not to be ?

Add not only Copy

School nowadays generally offer the same programs. Moreover, in country which english is not their mother tongue, it studied starting from elementary even kindergarten.
Mostly the reasons are facing globalization era, easier to learning earlier, hence english becoming primary subject. Indeed, in Indonesia this is one of subject to be tested before students graduated.

When there are so many competitors, how to be different since you sell the same subject ?
Again, we can learn from javanesse educator, Ki Hajar Dewantoro. Just call it, 3 N.
1. Niteni, first things is watching. Learn from the market leader what they sell, and how was it.
2. Nirukake, copy. Explore them all so then make you able to do so.
3. Nambahke, add. This is the most important things. Do not only copy. Doing so will not bring you to the top. Because the market later on will know your camouflage marketing.

Give the best things your competitor did, and mix it your additional values. That's Ki Hajar call: nambahke!

Skhole

What first came up to your mind, when you find a word: school. Building, certificates, uniform, fee, teachers? That's school nowadays. According to The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary, school came from Latin terminology, skhole, scola, scolae or schola which is have the same meaning: leisure. At that time someone skhole to everyone, anywhere, anytime, and about anything they want to know. The parents sent their child to guru who good to something. It's fun in leisure. But day-by-day skhole becoming complicated, expensive, and a must. If we don't have money our children cannot have proper education, they don't have certification to work, and really take a long-long times to study.

Do you find that school still fun enough today?

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