I read a recent blog post by author and leadership expert Erika Andersen. The title of the post was “Why It Feels So Terrible to Be Managed.” Andersen shared two recommendations but one has stayed with me: Be the manager you’d like to have.
How often do you wonder why your boss does the things he or she does? Why does the person show his or her anger and yell at employees? Why doesn’t the boss speak to employees in private when upset? Why doesn’t the boss recognize employee accomplishments in public and show gratitude for everyone’s contributions? Why doesn’t the boss advocate for team members when annual reviews take place? Why doesn’t the boss communicate all aspects of a project instead of just one aspect of the project?
Often, people become supervisors, managers, or leaders without proper training. As a result, they don’t have the tools to be effective. They may be great at their jobs but they don’t interact well with their employees, so they don’t create positive work environments. And then, they wonder why they have high turnover.
Well, Andersen has provided the secret for new supervisors, managers, or leaders: Change your behavior immediately. Be the manager you’d like to have. If you normally check the clock to make sure your employees are seated at their desks at a specific time – but you would hate it if someone did that to you – then change your behavior. If you hold meetings that run too long without an agenda – but you hate that type of meeting – then change your behavior and create agendas and set time limits for meetings. If you have favorite employees and constantly go to lunch with the same group – but you’d hate it if people left you out – then invite new people to lunch every day.
You can make a difference immediately. Give it a try – you have nothing to lose but much to gain!
Here’s the article by Erika Andersen:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2013/01/16/why-it-feels-so-terrible-to-be-managed-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/
GUEST POST BY DEBBIE LASKEY, MBA
Debbie Laskey has 15 years of marketing experience and an MBA Degree with a concentration in International Marketing and Management. She developed her diverse marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the non-profit arena, and the insurance industry. Currently, Debbie is a consultant to small businesses and non-profits in California, and specializes in brand marketing, social media, employee engagement, leadership development, and customer experience marketing. Since 2002, Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition and has been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Branding Experts" to follow on Twitter.