The Japanese heeded first and best my point of view that people must be viewed as your colleagues and as one of your prime resources. It is only through such respect of the workers that true productivity is achieved.

People are a resource and not just a cost. The most enlightened managers have started to understand what could be realized by managing people toward a desired end or goal. Management is so much more than exercising rank and privilege; it’s so much more than “making deals.” Management affects people and their lives, both in business and in many other aspects as well.

ACTION POINT: Look at people as resources to be developed. Take steps to expose your people and yourself to the best ideas and see to it that they are trained in how to apply them.

Managing in a Time of Great Change