Turn weak points into strengths

DC Sharma

A research in organisational psychology has proved that success of an organisation depends on how a manager deals with his team and gets the work done. If the manager has negative behaviour, he might turn the company’s assets into liabilities. While trying to extract maximum work from the employees by dominating them might deliver results for some time, in the long run, it will only prove detrimental for the growth of an organisation.

Avoid bias

Managers must learn to be unbiased towards their subordinates. Their personal experiences shouldn’t define what’s right and wrong at work. Biased managers are generally judgmental. They label employees. Someone who performs at a slow pace is tagged lazy.  The one who makes an arithmetical error is deemed as careless. The one who wears flashy clothes is termed not serious about work.  

Such managers fail to understand that such judgements harm the organisation’s interests. Here is how a manager  should work on getting his behaviour right: 

1. As a manager you must realise that every employee working under you has her own set of strengths and weaknesses. There might be some qualities unique to a particular employee. Make use of these qualities, rather than criticise the junior for the skills she isn’t equipped with. Also, the working style and temperament of employees might be different. Hence, you should measure the performance of employees not as you perceive it, but how their individual performances are benefiting the organisation. 

2.An employee’s views can be in stark contrast to those of the employer’s. It is all fine till an employee works according to the company’s norms. It does not matter even if the employee’s personal values are different from yours. What matters is the employee’s output. It should be constructive and in accordance with the rules and policies of the company. 

3. As a manager, you can be a disciplinarian and a sucker for deadlines, but having the patience to listen to employees who approach you for guidance about work or to share some personal ordeal is very important. It will be counted as a shortcoming on your part if you ignore issues of the employees.  

4. While communicating with employees, a manager must not forget to double check if the orders have been conveyed appropriately. Taking things for granted can be a huge mistake. So,  always cross check and ensure that your junior has understood the designated task completely.   

5. When something goes wrong, rather than owning it up for the entire team, many managers put the blame on a junior. This is the biggest mistake a manager can commit. Some  take it a step futher and start finding faults in the personality of the junior. By doing this, a manager loses respect and trust of his team. It also discourages the employees from taking risks and performing better.

6. Managers fail to rationally evaluate the circumstances that lead to a mistake. While in such situations, as a manager you must support the team, and also analyse the circumstances that led to it, so that the team doesn’t falter in the future.

Though no manager is born perfect, yet learning from one’s own mistakes help one excel as a boss. The manager who consoles, compensates, supports and encourages his subordinates gets the work done in the right manner. And with such constructive acts, a boss will not just be able to earn profits for the company, also employees’ hearts. 

     —The writer is a Kangra based career psychologist