Managers in today’s workplace are in tune to business and understand what customers need as well as what their employees need. They earn the trust of those around them, listen to others, and realize the importance of team building. Managers today are forward thinking and work to improve the organization as a whole by focusing on 21st century issues, such as the value of employees, importance of diversity, and the use of technology. Value Employees Effective managers help employees become successful by providing support, guidance, and feedback. They remove obstacles so that individuals can perform their jobs and feel good about what they are doing. Rather than telling an employee what to do, they provide coaching on ways to perform a task and find solutions that work. The result is successful employees who are well trained and competent. They feel appreciated and tend to be more loyal, reliable, and hard working. Respect Diversity Diversity means having representatives from different backgrounds, cultures, or demographics in a group. Diversity includes age, race, nationality, gender, mental ability, physical ability, and other qualities that make an individual unique. Successful managers realize that a diverse workforce has many advantages. Diversity can help organizations be more creative, be receptive to customer needs, and find new ways to complete tasks. Diverse employees can help a company create goods and services that may be new in the marketplace. New ways of thinking and looking at business are benefits of hiring people with varied backgrounds and experiences. Diversity also increases the pool of qualified potential job candidates, which can result in a more effective workforce. You Do the Math Numeric Reasoning: Real Numbers Real numbers are all whole and fractional or decimal numbers on a continuous number line. Whole numbers are numbers with no fractional or decimal portion. Decimals are numbers with digits to the right of the decimal point. Real numbers can be positive or negative. To add a positive number, move to the right on the number line. To subtract a positive number, move to the left on the number line. To add a negative number, move to the left on the number line. To subtract a negative number, move to the right on the number line. Solve the following problems. 1. 73 + –8 – 12 = 2. 5.87 + 4.956 + 2.011 + 4 = 3. 34 + 9 – 127 + 783 = 4. 112.058 + –93.237 = 5. 987 + 705 + 827 + 4 = Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com Managers in today’s workforce must be competent in the use and application of technology. What advantages does a manager have in an organization by staying up-to-date with technology used in the workplace? Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Principles of Management 12