Finding the proper relationship between management and employees is not always easy to navigate. It’s nice to have a fun, friendly atmosphere, but at the end of the day business is business. This article explains the most effective way to have the best of both worlds. Get the strategy here!
Business Week shares…
Power Thrives on Respect
One contributor likened the employer-employee relationship to a parent-child scenario: “You may hate me now, but you’ll appreciate me later.” In the business world, the greater good of the company sometimes necessitate unpopular decisions. But managers can’t execute them without a foundation of respect.
How do you earn respect as a manager?
Don’t abuse influence. As a manager in a position of power, you may begin to feel all-knowing. That’s exactly when you need a reality check. Be on the lookout for signs that your staff members are withdrawing, not communicating: “checking out.” If so, you may have tipped the scales to the power-monger side, and it’s time to move to center.
Set the tone. Remember the phrase “stop, look, and listen” that you heard as a child? As simplistic as it sounds, this applies to management as well. Acknowledging the ideas of your team and listening—not just passively hearing—will make you a better manager. “I’ll consider your suggestion” will help everyone become more engaged and productive.
Run a humanized workplace. A humanized workplace is a collaborative environment in which all workers put the good of the company before themselves. It is not a corporate playground rampant with bullying or sandbox politics. You can help lead the way to a respectful workplace that maintains a sense of family or community—a place where management not only tolerates but encourages fun and humor.
Set limits to complacency. There are times when your assertiveness skills will be called into play, particularly when you make decisions that don’t please the crowd or calm the complacent. Team members should see how stagnation hurts the company—and ultimately them. The better you build the bridge between “us and them,” or employee and employer, the more you succeed as a trusted leader.
Understand that no news is bad news. Far more than no feedback at all, an honest one-to-one performance review and ongoing communications will motivate an employee to improve. And it will gain you significant respect as a manager. No news is not good news when it comes to employees. This holds especially true today, when protracted unemployment jitters abound. Fear festers in the absence of information.
Change course when necessary. In an independent national study our company commissioned, 91 percent of workers said that when bosses aren’t afraid to change course after getting employee feedback, it contributes to greater job satisfaction and creates a more “positive, humanistic work environment for workers.” Other leadership traits such as a sense of humor, the ability to inspire others, and receptiveness and thankfulness received virtually equal votes. From 91 percent to 94 percent said they helped improve their work environment.
Stop being a pushover. If you’re not getting the respect you feel you deserve, examine carefully if you’ve been attempting to befriend your staff instead of managing them. If you’re trying too hard to be liked and showing no backbone, you’ll see projects coming in late and overall quality suffering. Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi summed up the coach’s role like this: “The leader … must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert.”
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