Development Of Management Skills PDF

Development of Management Skills (MGMT 411) – Part 1-2 Dr. Fawaz Alharbi 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 1 Building Trust and Confidence BU I L D I N G C O N F I D E N C E is a gradual process. One of your main goals is to develop the trust and confidence o...

Development of Management Skills (MGMT 411) – Part 1-2 Dr. Fawaz Alharbi 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 1 Building Trust and Confidence BU I L D I N G C O N F I D E N C E is a gradual process. One of your main goals is to develop the trust and confidence of your employees, not only in their own abilities but in their opinion of you. They must have confidence that you are both competent and fair. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 2  The Success Habit Building confidence in employees is not an easy task. Your goal is to help them establish a pattern of success. Confidence is built on success, so your job as a leader is to give them tasks at which they can succeed. Especially with new employees, assign them tasks they can master. Build in them the habit of being successful, starting small if needed, with smaller successes. Occasionally a team member will perform a task incorrectly or just plain blow it. How you handle these situations has a great impact on the confidence of your employees. Never correct them in front of others. According to the old credo, ‘‘Praise in public, criticize in private.’’ The adage still has a lot of management truth in it. Even when you talk to a team member in private about an error, your function is to train that person to recognize the nature of the problem so the mistake is not repeated. Your attitude about errors will speak louder than the words you use. Your statements must be directed toward correcting the misunderstanding that led to the error—not toward any sort of personal judgment. Never say or do anything that will make the employee feel inadequate. You want to build confidence, not destroy it. If you get pleasure from making team members feel foolish, then you’d better start examining your 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 3  The Success Habit If you get pleasure from making team members feel foolish, then you’d better start examining your own motives, because you can’t build yourself up by tearing someone else down. Examine the error based on what went wrong, where the misunderstanding occurred, and go on from there. Treat the small error routinely; don’t make it bigger than it really is. Let’s briefly discuss the ‘‘praise in public’’ part of the old credo. This concept used to be taken as gospel until managers found that it could also create problems. The individual on the receiving end of the praise feels warm and fuzzy about the compliment, but others who were not equally commended react negatively. Their disappointment is then directed at the employee who is praised. In addition, praising a team member in front of her colleagues can make her uncomfortable. This is why it is important to be cautious about praising in public. Why make life tougher for employees by creating jealousy or resentment among their coworkers? If you really want to praise someone expansively for outstanding performance, do it in the privacy of your office. You’ll get the pluses without the negatives of resentment and jealousy from coworkers. On the other hand, if you have a group that works well together, respects the efforts of each member of the team, and is accomplishing its goals, praising in public will be a morale booster for the entire team. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 4  The Success Habit For now, let’s amend the old credo to read: ‘‘Praise in public or private (depending on the preference of the individual and the dynamics of your team), criticize in private.’’ You can also build confidence by involving your people in some of the decision-making processes. Without delegating any of your supervisory responsibilities, allow employees to have some major input into matters that affect them. A new task about to be performed in your area presents the opportunity to give your subordinates some input. Solicit ideas on how the new task might best be worked into the daily routine. When you request input, you send the important message that you value your employees’ thoughts and ideas. You are also serving yourself well when you invite discussion. Your team members are likely closer to the situation than you are and may have insights that escaped you. It is vital that you make it clear that you are genuinely interested in the input you are requesting. If your people sense you are going through an insincere exercise, you will be wasting time and risking a loss of trust. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 5  The Success Habit Your challenge is that some of the input you get will not be useful. As a leader, you need to make it clear that you see value in the ideas being offered and appreciate them. When you get input you cannot implement, you will be wise to briefly explain why you will not be going in that direction. When you do, make sure you do not allow yourself to be critical of the advice or the person offering it. Given this kind of participation, the new method is much more likely to succeed because it is everyone’s method and not just yours. This doesn’t mean your staff is making decisions for you; what we’re suggesting is that by involving your people in the process that leads up to your decision, you’ll have them working with you rather than passively accepting new systems imposed on them. The result is likely to be a higher level of buy-in and less push back. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 6  The Evils of Perfectionism Some managers expect perfection from their employees. They know they won’t get it but they feel they’ll get closer to it by demanding it. By insisting on perfection, you may in fact defeat your own purposes. Some employees will become so self-conscious about making a mistake that they slow their performance down to a crawl to make absolutely certain they don’t screw up. As a result, productivity goes way down and employees lose confidence. Another drawback to being a perfectionist is that everyone resents you for it. Your direct reports believe that you are impossible to please and you prove it to them daily. This also shatters employee confidence. You know what the acceptable standards for work performance are in your company— no one can blame you for wanting to be better than the average—but you’ll have far more success if you get the employees involved in helping decide how to improve performance. If they have ownership in the plan, you have a significantly better chance of achieving your goal. You can also build confidence by developing esprit de corps within your own area. Make sure, however, that the feeling you build is supportive of the prevailing company spirit and not in competition with it. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 7  The Importance of Building Trust In addition to allowing mistakes and helping individuals see their errors, giving praise and recognition, involving others in the decision-making process, and avoiding perfectionism, you, the manager, can build trust in many other ways. You can share the vision of the organization and the department with your team members. Doing this gives them a clearer picture of what the goals are and how they are helping to meet them. You can give individuals clear directions. This shows that you know what you are doing and are keeping things on track. You can share examples of how you have succeeded and what mistakes you have made. Doing that builds rapport and makes you real to your team. You can talk to each of your team members to learn what each one wants from the job. By doing this, you are demonstrating that you really care. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 8  Show Your Appreciation the importance of giving positive feedback or praise was emphasized. It is one of the best methods for motivating individuals and building a positive work environment. Many managers do not give their direct reports praise, which is a big mistake. Praise lets employees know that you care about what they are doing. It also lets employees know that their work is important. If you think about it, it probably takes only seconds to give someone praise and it costs nothing. It does have a big impact on most employees, though. You can praise people face-to-face, over the telephone, with an e-mail, or in a text message. Face-to-face is always the best method for giving feedback, but if you have employees in other locations or cannot get to them in a timely manner, use the telephone, e-mail, or a text. The nice thing about doing it with a text message is that the team member is likely to receive it almost immediately. Most of us can’t resist checking a new text message nearly as soon as it is received. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 9  Show Your Appreciation Many managers might not show their appreciation because they never had appreciation shown to them by others, but you can stop that cycle. Show appreciation. Some managers feel that employees are supposed to perform well because they are getting paid to do well, so there is no reason to praise them for doing so. This is not good reasoning. Those managers should bear in mind that if they praised their employees, they might perform even better. Considering it costs nothing and takes very little time, why not do it? Your goal as a leader is to inspire your team members to perform at the top of their ability. Praising them in an appropriate way when it is deserved is part of providing this inspiration. There are many managers, especially newer ones, who are uncomfortable giving praise. This is to be expected because it is a new skill for them. In order to become more comfortable expressing appreciation, you have to do it. The more you practice it the easier it will become. Consider some of the following points when giving praise or showing appreciation: 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 10  Show Your Appreciation In order to become more comfortable expressing appreciation, you have to do it. The more you practice it the easier it will become. Consider some of the following points when giving praise or showing appreciation: Be specific. If managers want certain behaviors repeated, they need to be specific in the type of positive feedback they give. The more detailed the manager is, the more likely the behavior or action will be repeated. Don’t just say, ‘‘Great job last week.’’ Say, ‘‘You really handled that difficult situation well last week with diplomacy and good judgment.’’ Describe the impact. Most team members like to know how their work ties into the bigger picture or the larger scheme of things such as meeting the objectives of the unit, department, or organization. If it did, let them know how their contribution had a positive effect beyond your team. Don’t overdo it. Some managers go to extremes and give their team members too much positive feedback. When this occurs, the impact of the important feedback is diminished and the praise may seem insincere. Make sure the praise is on target and deserved or it will lose its value. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 11  The Actual Skill Giving praise or appreciation involves two steps. First, you specifically describe the behavior, action, or performance that deserves the appreciation. For example, ‘‘You did a good job with the new design for the cover of our products catalog.’’ Then you describe why it deserves your appreciation and the business impact of the contribution. For example, ‘‘The new design will very likely increase sales.’’ To underscore this point, at a group of thirty attendees in a management seminar, the following two questions were asked: 1. What is the best example of enlightened management you’ve ever seen? 2. What is the worst example of management you’ve experienced? It was no surprise that nearly all the responses had to do with some form of appreciation either received or denied when the staff member felt it was deserved. What was surprising was the depth of emotion displayed about the subject. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 12  The Actual Skill One answer was a classic: A young man recounted that he was asked to drive a pickup truck fifty miles to an outlying facility to make an important repair. At 10:30 pm, when he had just returned home, the phone rang. It was his manager. ‘‘I just called to make sure that you got home okay. It’s kind of a bad night out there.’’ The manager did not even ask about how the repair went, which indicated his complete confidence in the young man’s ability. The manager inquired only about his safe return. The incident had taken place more than five years earlier, but to the young worker, it was as fresh as though it had just happened. In a poll conducted by a major company in the United States, employees were asked to rank work attributes they considered important. Salary came in sixth. What came in first, by a wide margin, was ‘‘a need to be appreciated for what I do.’’ If appreciation is important to you in your relationship with your manager, realize that it is equally important to the people you manage. When people deserve appreciation, do not withhold it. It does not cost you or your organization and is in many ways more valuable than money. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 13  Being Active Listener O N E O F T H E B E S T - K E P T S E C R E T S of successful management is the ability to listen actively. Active listening means letting the other person know that he or she has been heard. You do this by involving yourself in the conversation, making clarifying statements, asking questions, summarizing what you have heard, and using appropriate visual and vocal cues. The best listeners are active ones. New managers should be concerned about their ability to communicate and listen actively. Many new managers have the mistaken idea that the minute they are promoted everyone is going to hang on every word they say. That is the wrong approach. The more they listen, the more successful they will be. How much listening is enough? As a starting point, make sure that you are doing at least twice as much listening as talking. Active listening is one of the most valuable traits a new manager can demonstrate for two important reasons: First, if you do a great deal of active listening, you will not be thought of as a know-it-all, which is how most people perceive someone who talks too much. Second, by doing a lot of active listening and less talking, you’ll learn what is going on and gain insights and information you would miss if you were doing all the talking. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 14  The Poor Listener Many people believe that the most beautiful sound in the world is their own voice. It’s music to their ears. They cannot get enough of it, and they require others to listen to it. Typically, these people are more interested in what they themselves are going to say than in what others are saying. Indeed, most people can remember nearly everything they have said and hardly any of what the other person has said. People listen partially—they are not being active listeners. They are too busy thinking of the clever things they are about to utter. Many managers, both new and experienced, do too much talking and not enough listening. You learn very little while you are talking, but you can learn a great deal while listening. New managers often think that now they’re in charge, everyone is hanging on their every word. But the more you talk, the more you run the risk of boring and even alienating others. The more you listen, the more you learn and show respect for other peoples’ ideas, experience, and opinions. It seems like an obvious choice, especially for a manager of people. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 15  The Poor Listener Another reason people are not good listeners is the comprehension gap. Most people communicate at between 80 and 120 words per minute. Let’s assume one hundred words per minute as the average speaking speed. People can comprehend at a much higher rate. Those who have taken a rapid reading course, and who maintain the skill, can comprehend well over one thousand words per minute. If someone is speaking at a hundred words per minute to a listener who can comprehend at a thousand words per minute, there is a nine hundred-words-per-minute comprehension gap. A speaking speed of one hundred words per minute doesn’t demand our full attention, so we tune out the speaker. We think of other things, and periodically we check back in with the speaker to see if anything interesting is going on. How many times have you seen people checking their e-mails while in a meeting or a presentation? While they are not fully engaged, many people are fully capable of being reasonably attentive while performing another task. But if we become more interested in what we’re thinking about than in the speaker’s words, it may be quite a while before we tune back in to what the person is saying. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 16  The Active Listener Active listeners possess several traits and skills, all of which can be developed over time. For one thing, they encourage the other person to talk. When listeners finally talk, they don’t turn the conversation back to themselves They continue the other person’s line of communication. They use certain phrases or gestures to signal that they are truly interested in what is being said. Looking at someone who is talking to you indicates that you’re interested in what the person has to say. Occasionally nodding your head affirmatively indicates that you understand what the talker is saying. Smiling at the same time indicates that you are enjoying the conversation. When discussing a problem with an employee, other thoughts are likely to enter your mind. You need to take control of those thoughts. While the person is discussing the problem, try to anticipate where the thought is going. What questions are likely to be asked? If someone is suggesting solutions to a problem, try to think of other solutions. Ideally, you should focus one hundred percent on what the person is saying, but the comprehension gap is a reality. By controlling your stray thoughts, you can stay focused on the subject at hand, rather than on some extraneous idea. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 17  The Active Listener If you are vexed by a particularly persistent thought while you’re listening, you may want to stop the conversation briefly by saying, ‘‘Give me a moment to get this thought out of my mind so I can fully focus on what you’re saying.’’ Then write down the idea and get back to active listening. This will allow you to be fully present in the conversation and avoid sending the nonverbal message that your thoughts are elsewhere. The same method works well if you find your ability to listen is being hampered by a reply you’re formulating in your mind. If you find yourself breathlessly waiting for an opportunity to break into the conversation so you can reply to something that has been said, you’re not actively listening. Again, you want to take a moment to respectfully interrupt the conversation, make a note of your thought, then refocus. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 18  The Active Listener A well-placed comment indicates to the talker that you have a genuine interest in what she has to say. ‘‘That’s interesting.’’ ‘‘Tell me more.’’ ‘‘Why do you suppose she said that?’’ ‘‘Why did you feel that way?’’ In fact, just saying, ‘‘That’s interesting. Tell me more,’’ will make you a brilliant conversationalist in the minds of everyone with whom you come in contact. The height of active listening is restating what you believe you’ve heard. Restating is powerful for two reasons. It sends a clear message that you are engaged in the conversation and it significantly reduces the chance that you are mistaken in your understanding of what is being said. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 19  The Active Listener To utilize restating, you simply inject yourself after an important point has just been made by saying something like, ‘‘Let me see if I understand what you are saying,’’ then provide your version of what you think you just heard. Once stated, you then ask the person you’re listening to if you got it right. By doing this, you are sending a clear message that you are placing value on what the person is saying. Being an active listener also means that all three forms of communication are in accord. That means that the words you use, your facial expressions, and your tone of voice all give the same meaning. The speaker will receive a confusing message if you say, ‘‘That’s interesting. Tell me more,’’ but have a frown on your face or are speaking in a sarcastic tone. Another mixed message is to respond well verbally but look away from the speaker or become distracted by a stray thought, intended reply, or document. Would you have confidence that this listener was really interested in what you were saying? 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 20  Conversation Terminators Once a manager achieves a reputation for being an outstanding listener, the staff lines up to discuss many matters. Some people will overstay their welcome. They may even think talking to you beats working. You need to have some tools in your managerial toolbox to wind up these conversations. The verbal conversational terminators are known to just about anyone who has held a job: ‘‘I appreciate your coming in.’’ ‘‘It was nice talking to you.’’ ‘‘You have given me a lot to think about.’’ ‘‘Let me think about that a while and get back to you.’’ There are also some more subtle conversation terminators that you may have heard. You should be aware of them for two reasons: First, so that you can immediately recognize them when a more experienced executive uses them on you, and second, so you can use them when they seem appropriate. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 21  Conversation Terminators If you’ve ever had a conversation in someone’s office and, while you’re talking, watched your host reach over and rest a hand on the telephone receiver even though the telephone hasn’t rung, that’s a conversation terminator. It says, ‘‘I hope you leave soon, because I want to make a phone call.’’ Another technique is for the person to pick up a piece of paper from the desk and glance at it periodically during your conversation. By holding the paper in his hand, your host is saying, ‘‘I have something to take care of as soon as you depart.’’ Another conversation terminator is the one where the host turns in his chair behind the desk to a side position as though about to get up. If that doesn’t work, he stands up. That always gets the message across. This approach may seem too direct, but sometimes it becomes necessary. Occasionally, you’ll have an employee who is having such a good time visiting with you that all the signals are ignored. In that case, a verbal terminator that always works is, ‘‘I have really enjoyed the conversation, but I am sure we both have a lot we need to get done.’’ That is not rude when someone has ignored all other invitations to depart. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 22  Conversation Terminators When an employee or colleague comes into your office who you know in advance is not going to pick up any of your signals, you can announce at the beginning that you have only a limited amount of time and if that is not enough, then the two of you will need schedule a time to meet later. You will find this strategy works quite well. Your visitors will say what they need to within the allotted time frame. It is important that you recognize these conversation terminators. Of course, you should try to keep your conversations meaningful enough to preclude their use on you and your use of them on others. There are many more, but you’ll compile your own list and find that different people have their own favorite conversation terminators. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 23  The New Manager’s Job and Pitfalls to Avoid S O W H A T R E A L L Y I S T H E MA N A G E R ’ S J O B ? There are many ways to answer that question, but the most helpful is to look at management much the same as an actor would look at a role. As a manager you need to play many roles—coach, standard setter, performance appraiser, teacher, motivator, and so forth. You select the appropriate role based on the situation you’re in and the objectives that you want to accomplish. Often, new managers are given the advice to ‘‘just be yourself.’’ This is actually bad advice. It will prevent you from using the different roles that will make you a successful and effective manager. Another mistake many new managers make is believing that their role is to be directive, that is, to tell others what to do, how to do it, and make sure it gets done. This may be part of the job or necessary to do sometimes. What enables you and your employees to succeed in the long run, however, is helping your employees to become self-directed. This means that you must get their support and commitment, share power with them, and remove as many obstacles to their success as possible. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 24  The Manager’s Major Responsibilities Most management experts would agree that managers have certain main responsibilities no matter where they work or who works for them. These chief responsibilities include hiring, communicating, planning, organizing, training, monitoring, evaluating, and firing. The better and more comfortable you become with these responsibilities the easier the job of managing becomes. These eight responsibilities are addressed throughout the book, but let’s define them here: 1. Hiring is finding individuals with the skills or potential skills and commitment and confidence to succeed on the job. 2. Communicating is sharing the vision and goals and objectives of the organization with your employees. It also means sharing information about what is happening in your department, unit, group, or business community. 3. Planning is deciding what work needs to be done to meet the goals of your department that, in turn, meets the goals of the organization. 4. Organizing is determining the resources that are needed to perform each job or project and deciding which staff members do what. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 25 The Manager’s Major Responsibilities 5. Training is assessing the skill level of each of your employees to determine skill gaps, and then providing instructional opportunities to close these gaps. 6. Monitoring is making sure that the work is being done and that each of your employees is succeeding with projects and assignments. 7. Evaluating is assessing the performance of individual team members and comparing it to the levels needed for that individual contributor and the team to be successful. 8. Firing is removing people from the team who are not able to make the contribution necessary for themselves or the team to be successful. 11 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 26 Genuine Concern One way to perform your job well is to give full attention to the needs of the people in your area of responsibility. Some leaders make the mistake of thinking that the concern they show for their employees will be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Genuine concern, however, is a sign of strength. Showing interest in the welfare of your people doesn’t mean you’ll ‘‘cave in’’ to unreasonable demands. Unfortunately, many new managers fail to recognize this fact. They are unable to differentiate between concern and weakness. Your concern must be genuine. You cannot fake it. Genuine concern means seeing that your people are properly challenged, and that they’re appropriately recognized and rewarded when they perform well. You can’t start off by complacently telling yourself, ‘‘I’m going to be Mr. Nice Guy.’’ You must seriously take on the burden of responsibility for these people. In fact, you and your team are mutually responsible for one another. You must see to it that the objectives of the company and the objectives of your team members are not at cross-purposes. Your people should realize that they can achieve their own objectives only by doing their part in helping the company achieve its overall goals. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 27 Genuine Concern Your team members look to you for leadership. You serve as interpreter for the employees, as you are a primary source of information on the organization’s broader strategies and goals. A vital part of your role is keeping your people informed. Trying to keep your people in the dark or being stingy with information will work against you. Your team members will just look elsewhere in the organization to fill the information void you have created. They will not only receive the message that you don’t respect them by your unwillingness to provide information they need to be successful, they also may have incorrect information since they came by it indirectly or second-hand. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 28 Pitfalls to Avoid Most first-time managers do not supervise a large group of people. Therefore, there may be a temptation to become overly involved in the work of your six or seven employees. As you move up the corporate ladder, you will be responsible for more and more workers. It is impossible to be involved in every facet of the work of thirty-five people, so begin now to distance yourself from the details of each task and concentrate on the overall project. One of the dangers for a first-time manager is that you now may be managing someone who does your old job, and you may consider it more important than other tasks. It is human nature to think that what we do is more important than what others do, but that doesn’t work when you’re the manager. It is not a balanced approach to management. You must resist the temptation to make your old job your occupational hobby, simply because it is familiar and comfortable. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 29 Pitfalls to Avoid Often, your first managerial job is a project leader or lead position. You manage others, but you still have tasks of your own to perform; you wear two hats. If this is your situation, you must stay interested and involved in the details for a while. When you move into a full-time management position, however, don’t take an occupational hobby with you, lest it distract you from the bigger picture. Of course, don’t carry this advice to the extreme. When some people move into management, they refuse to help their staff at a ‘‘crunch and crisis’’ time. They read management journals while their staff is frantically meeting deadlines; they are now ‘‘in management.’’ This is just plain stupid. You can build great rapport with your staff if, at crunch time, you roll up your sleeves and help resolve the crisis. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 30 A balanced Viewpoint In all management matters, maintain a sense of balance. You have undoubtedly encountered managers who say, ‘‘I’m a big-picture guy; don’t bother me with the details.’’ Unfortunately, this trait is true of many managers. They become so big picture–oriented that they are oblivious to the details that bring the picture together. They also may be insensitive to how much effort is required to complete the detailed work. Other managers, including many first-time managers who have been promoted from a line position, are so enthralled with detail that the overall objective is lost. Balance is required. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 31 Dealing with Your Superiors It is also important for managers to pay attention to their attitude toward superiors. Their future success depends on both their subordinates and superiors. If you’ve just had a big promotion, you’re feeling grateful to your boss. You are also pleased that senior executives were perceptive enough to recognize your talent. But your new responsibilities demand a new level of loyalty from you. After all, you are now a part of the management team. You can’t be an effective team member unless you identify with the team. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 32 Loyalty to Them Loyalty to employers has become less common. Blind loyalty has never been a good idea, but being loyal doesn’t mean selling your soul. Presumably, your company and your boss are not out to rip off society. If they are, they’re not worth your loyalty. More important, you shouldn’t be working for them. So let’s assume you’re convinced that your company’s purpose is honorable and you’re pleased to be associated with its goals. The kind of loyalty we’re talking about has to do with carrying out policies or decisions that are morally valid. Let’s assume your position with the company allows for some input into decisions having to do with your area of responsibility. You must make every effort to see that such input is as thoughtful and broadly based as possible. Don’t be the kind of narrow-sighted manager whose recommendations are designed to benefit only your own area of responsibility. When this happens, your advice will be discredited and eventually will no longer be sought because it does not reflect a broad perspective. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 33 Loyalty to Them If you make recommendations that are broadly based and consistent with the greater good of the company, your advice will be seen as more valuable and be sought more often. The important thing here is that your contribution to the decision-making process can go beyond your own managerial level. On occasion, a decision or policy will be made that is directly contrary to the opinions you’ve expressed; you’ll be expected to support that decision or policy, and you may even have to implement it. If you don’t already know, ask your boss why the decision was made. Explain to him or her that you would like to understand the reasoning behind the decision so you can better implement it. Find out what important considerations went into formulating the policy and the processes that led to the decision. The old philosophy of following the leader blindly no longer holds in today’s world. Nonetheless, many managers and senior executives may wish blind loyalty still existed. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 34 Loyalty to Them If you are going to do an outstanding job of managing, you have a right to understand the reasons behind major company decisions and company policies. Perhaps your managers follow higher authority blindly and guard information about top management as if all of it were top secret—and you’re the enemy. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 35 You Have a Responsibility When working and communicating with your manager, you have many responsibilities in building a good relationship with this person. You need to do the following: Keep your manager informed of your plans, actions, and projects. Be considerate of your manager’s time and try to schedule appointments or meetings at your manager’s convenience. Be well-prepared. Present your arguments and concerns logically and objectively and have examples and facts to back up what you’re saying. Be willing to listen to your manager’s point of view. Your manager may have experience or information you are lacking that led you to a different conclusion. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 36 You Have a Responsibility Dealing with an Unreasonable Manager: We do not live in a perfect world. As a result, at some time in your career, you may be in the uncomfortable position of reporting to a difficult manager—someone who is not doing a good job of managing and/or may be unpleasant to be around. Unfortunately, you cannot fire an incompetent or unreasonable boss, as much as you might like to. Let’s be candid. If a long-term manager is difficult, you have to wonder why the situation is allowed to exist. If everyone in the organization knows this person is miserable to work for, why does senior management allow the situation to continue? On the other hand, if everyone else in the department thinks the manager is doing a great job and you’re the only one having a problem, that’s a far different situation. If you are new to the department, you might give it some time by not reacting too quickly. The problem may resolve itself if you do excellent work and are not highly sensitive. You may find it is style and not substance. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 37 You Have a Responsibility If your manager is really causing problems for you or your direct reports, however, you definitely need to do something about it, and you do have some viable choices. Depending on the political environment and culture of your organization, different strategies may work better than others. Right off the bat, you should try to communicate directly with your boss. Tell her what’s up. Explain in a professional and diplomatic manner how her behaviors, policies, or actions are having a bottom-line business impact. Make it about the organization, not the person. Start the discussion with a constructive, nonjudgmental statement such as, ‘‘There may be some opportunities we are missing to be more effective.’’ For example, suppose your manager is giving different instructions to your staff than you are. This is causing shipping delays and customer complaints— bottom-line concerns. Even if she doesn’t like hearing it, your boss should appreciate your directness in pointing out this problem. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 38  You Have a Responsibility Supervisors often don’t realize that they may be doing something unhelpful. They need feedback. You should always try to meet with your boss on a regular basis to discuss any issues that need addressing. If your manager doesn’t think these meetings are necessary, you should insist. Try to explain how regular communication can prevent problems from springing up and help make you both more effective. On another note, if you have not been assigned a mentor, you owe it to yourself to find one. You need someone within the organization who is well respected and aware of the organization’s political dynamic. You need someone who can guide you and share insights gained over time. Let’s say you have the type of boss who does not like to get feedback from employees. What do you do now? Here is where understanding the politics and culture of your organization comes in and where your mentor can be of great assistance. You may need to get someone else to speak to your boss. It could be someone on the same level, a mutual friend you have in the organization, human resources— if their reputation is good and they play fair—or you may have to take the biggest risk of all and jump levels to have that person’s boss handle the situation. Keep in mind that when you do this, you will probably sever your relationship with your boss forever, but you may have no other choice. You are undertaking this action for your team or the overall benefit to the organization. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 39  You Have a Responsibility You do have one final option. You may have to say to yourself, ‘‘The boss is difficult. She has been difficult for many years; no one seems to care or is willing to change her behavior. This may not be the best place for me since my boss has a great influence on my success. Perhaps I need to find a position in another department or in another organization.’’ Driving Good People Away It is true that many companies take advantage of a downturn in the economy to drive their people harder, recognizing that it’s more difficult for people to leave. There are reasons why such an attitude is shortsighted. First, top-flight people can always find other jobs, no matter how tough the economy. The lesser-talented people are the ones who cannot. So, this maladjusted company attitude drives away the more talented and retains the less talented. That is a recipe for mediocrity. Second, in a tough economy, appreciating all of your staff, including the very talented managers, places the organization in a stronger position to compete effectively. A company with a capable and valued staff will prevail every time over a company that treats its employees merely as units of production. The long-range prospects for the latter style are not good. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 40  You Have a Responsibility One of the surest ways to eventually drive good people from your company is to perpetuate bad management. This may sound obvious, but many new managers can’t wait to start treating their people the way they’ve been treated. They may be taught the more humane management approach, but they go with what they know. They are anxious to take their turn ‘‘dishing it out’’ after all these years of ‘‘taking it.’’ The lesson of the unreasonable boss is to be the kind of leader you wish you had, not to carry on the tradition. Do not adopt the management style you hate and get even with people who had nothing to do with the unprofessional management under which you have suffered. If you’re working for an unreasonable boss, do society a favor and say, ‘‘Let it end with me.’’ 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 41  You Have a Responsibility Knowing Your Manager’s Personality Style There have been countless books and articles written on the topic of managing your boss. The main premise of all these writings is the same: If you know the personality style of your manager, you will be able to manage this person by knowing what your manager needs and wants and how he likes to work and communicate. If you can manage this person, you will have fewer problems at work. There are four basic manager personality types. Some have a distinct personality style while others are combinations of two or three styles. Read the descriptions that follow and see if you can figure out your manager’s style. If you can, you will be more successful working with your manager. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 42  You Have a Responsibility The Monopolizers These managers like to be in charge of everything and are fast decision makers who stick to their decisions, are very organized, and are bottom line–oriented. They are ‘‘my way or the highway’’ types. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘ready, fire, aim’’ (as opposed to the usual saying of ‘‘ready, aim, fire’’). If you work for monopolizers, make sure you are clear and direct with your communication, have all your facts ready, and are prepared to do what they say. Sometimes monopolizers project an image of being inclusive and empowering managers who want to incorporate all the team members’ opinions into their decisions. With managers who project this style, watch the outcome more than the process—they may indeed be committed monopolizers once you get past the participative outer layer. The Methodicals These managers are analytic types who like to take their time gathering information and data before making a decision. They are very steady and predictable and overly concerned with accuracy. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘aim, aim, aim.’’ They hate to make decisions and are always looking for more or different information. If you work for methodicals, be patient! Realize that they are trying to make the best decision based on all data. When you give your opinion or your suggestion, make sure that you have analyzed it carefully and can explain your reasoning and logic to them. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 43  You Have a Responsibility The Motivators These are the bosses who are fun to be around. They are charismatic and seem to have good relationships with everyone in the organization. They have high energy, creativity, and a competitive spirit. However, they often talk more than necessary. They like to get things started, but completing them is another story. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘talk, talk, talk.’’ They just love to talk and have fun and sometimes work gets the backseat. When communicating with motivators, make sure to do a lot of chitchatting. Ask them how their weekend was, how the kids are, and so forth. Before they can get down to business, they need to socialize. The Mixers You probably have a relaxed and laid-back work environment if your supervisor is a mixer. Mixers have a strong sense of dedication, are loyal team members, patient, sympathetic, understanding, dependable, and great at keeping the peace. Their Achilles’ heel is that they shy away from conflict and do not like change. They favor the status quo. They may also be more concerned with how people are doing than with getting the work out. If they were doing target practice, their saying would be ‘‘ready, ready, ready.’’ They are always there for you. The needs of others come before their own. When working with Mixers, put on your feelings and teamwork hat. You will need it! 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 44  Choosing a Managerial Style of Your Own The Autocrat vs. the Diplomat It is difficult to believe that we still see the old-fashioned autocrat in management today. You have to wonder why this is so. Partly it has to do with the fact that so many managers are given no training. They are left to find their own way, so they begin acting as they think they should. They think in terms of being a ‘‘boss.’’ Autocrats also believe that if they take a softer approach, employees will take advantage of them, thinking that a softer approach will be seen as a sign of weakness. Another possibility is that it takes more time to be a diplomatic manager. These managers spend time with people explaining not only what is to be done but also why it’s done. The boss type doesn’t want to be bothered. This person’s attitude is ‘‘Do it because I said so.’’ The diplomat realizes that the more people understand what and why, the better they perform. Autocrats want to make every decision and view the staff as providing robotic responses to their commands. The autocrat pushes the buttons, the staff snaps to, and it happens. The diplomat knows that the time spent up front, getting everybody involved, pays off with huge dividends down the road. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 45  Choosing a Managerial Style of Your Own The autocrat engenders fear while the diplomat builds respect and even a degree of affection. The autocrat causes people to mutter under their breath, ‘‘Someday, I’ll get even with this SOB.’’ The diplomat causes people to say, ‘‘He respects us and cares for us. I’d walk the last mile for him. All he needs to do is ask.’’ The autocrat believes the diplomat is a wimp. The diplomat believes the autocrat is a dictator. The difference is that the autocrat uses authority constantly, while the diplomat is judicious in its display. People working for the autocrat believe they are working for someone, while those reporting to the diplomat believe they are working with someone. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 46  The need for Your Awareness As a new manager, you should use the ‘‘awareness approach’’ when selecting an appropriate managerial style. In order to be aware, you must use the right amount of control and encouragement for each of your employees. Control is: Telling employees what to do Showing them how to do it Making sure that the work is done Encouragement is: Motivating Listening Running interference so employees can do what is expected of them 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 47  The need for Your Awareness As a new manager, you should use the ‘‘awareness approach’’ when selecting an appropriate managerial style. In order to be aware, you must use the right amount of control and encouragement for each of your employees. Control is: Telling employees what to do Showing them how to do it Making sure that the work is done Encouragement is: Motivating Listening Running interference so employees can do what is expected of them 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 48  The need for Your Awareness Some employees need high amounts of control and encouragement, and others need little. Then there are those who fall somewhere in between. In order to use the awareness approach in selecting a managerial style, you have to determine what each of your employees needs from you. That is, how much control and/or encouragement do they need from you? The amount of control or encouragement each employee requires will depend on what she is working on or what is occurring in the department. For example, if an employee needs to learn how to operate a new piece of equipment, she will need a lot of control. If there are talks of downsizing and cutting back throughout the company, your team members will need much encouragement. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 49  The need for Your Awareness The following descriptions will help you see the connection between what your staff needs from you and how much control and/or encouragement you give them; in other words, are you being aware of their needs? Type A. This is someone who is very motivated to do well but lacks the skill or knowledge to succeed. Being aware, you know this person needs mostly control from you. Type B. This is someone who has lost his or her motivation but has the skills to do the job. Being aware, you know this person needs lots of encouragement. Type C. This is someone who performs very well and is also motivated. Being aware, you know this person needs little control and encouragement. Type D. This is someone who lacks both ability and willingness to perform. Being aware, you know this person needs lots of control and encouragement. Type E. This is someone who has medium amounts of skill and motivation. Being aware, you know this person needs medium amounts of control and encouragement. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 50  The need for Your Awareness Let’s look at a workplace scenario and see how aware you can be. Suppose you’re heading a large independent project at a telecommunications company. One of the employees assigned to you, Andy, is used to working independently on his assignments. Andy likes calling all the shots and really enjoys his work. He always gets excellent results and his internal clients are thrilled with his performance. Working on your project, however, you notice that he finds it difficult to plan and communicate and make decisions with the other team members. In addition, Andy has put down the whole concept of working as a team and says it is a waste of time. He has expressed his unhappiness with being on this new project. Being aware, what type (A to E) is Andy and what does he need from you as his manager? The answer: Even though Andy is an experienced employee in his regular work, this is not true on your project. Andy needs control and encouragement. He needs guidance in how to work with others in a team environment and support for the difficult transition he is making. Andy’s type is D for this project, although he is probably an A type on his own assignments. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 51  The need for Your Awareness Here is a suggestion that will make managing much easier for you. Call it ‘‘drive time.’’ On the way to work, think about all your direct reports every few days. Think about what their type is on all the different assignments and projects that you have them doing. Then be aware. Think about what they need from you. If you are already giving it to them, you have the perfect scenario. If you are not, decide what you need to do differently. You’ll find this one suggestion will make a huge difference for you as a manager. Try it. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 52  Management is Situational No single management style is always appropriate. The situation you are facing may dictate a different style than you would commonly use. When you are confronted with a short deadline emergency for which absolutely no defects are acceptable, you may need to be more directive than usual. By contrast, the start of a major project where you need all team members to agree to the methods that will be used may require you to be more hands off than normal as you allow a consensus to come about. While you will develop a baseline management style with time, you will need to adapt it in some situations based on the nature of the challenges you are facing. 13 July 2023 DR. FAWAZ ALHARBI 53