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So you have achieved raise and now lead a team, no matter how big or small. On the one hand, the role is very prestigious and amuses pride, and on the other hand, it requires responsibility and the ability to communicate with people.
Choose tactics behavior not easy, because if you are too soft and compliant, your trust and kindness will be used, and you will lose some influence, and if you are too authoritarian, you will be feared, maybe even despised, but not respected.
Of course, you can't at all conceive over such things, but simply to lead - to demand, manage, punish and encourage. But few people are able to be indifferent to how their subordinates perceive them. After all, the psychological climate in the team is very important. You will not be able to work calmly, knowing that most of your colleagues are constantly dissatisfied with you and are ready to set you up, and you will not be able to periodically fire objectionable people - after all, the point is not in subordinates, but in you. In addition to your personal comfort, we are talking about your reputation, which is important for your further promotion. Therefore, you need to work a little on your image as a leader.
Think over the lookTo start think over your image. You probably already know the people you have to manage - analyze each one: what approach is needed to them in order to motivate them to work effectively, but not appear to them as a cruel boss, how they can be helped and meet halfway without being too soft and condescending. Now try connect all the results (you can even do it all in writing for convenience). Before you get the average type of leader. Try it on yourself: what qualities and abilities you already have, and what needs to be supplemented. You can also refer to your idea of an ideal leader: how do you imagine him? How would you like to be treated? Add these considerations as well. It remains only to bring the resulting image to life.
Candor and trustIn many educational establishments teachers, meeting with their students for the first time, arrange. They tell them a little about themselves, and talk about their demands and indulgences. Use their method. On the first working day after taking office, gather your subordinates for a small planning meeting and tell them about how you intend to build relationships with them: what are your requirements and prospects, what can you "close your eyes" to and what is unacceptable, how will you encourage and punish. Show that you are not going to play a hidden game, but you want everyone to immediately understand everything about your behavior with them. This technique will allow subordinates to understand that you want to be fair and are not going to mislead them.  EqualityEven if among the subordinates there are those who are more than you like, do not single out these people only because of your sympathy. If they deserve a prize with their work - fine, but you don’t need to show that you have favorites - this will ruin relations within the team, and you will be treated worse. If you see that someone falls short of the bar of requirements, talk to this employee in private. Perhaps he needs the help of more professional colleagues or needs to take refresher courses. If you realized from the conversation that he just sits out his working hours - offer him other duties that would be interesting to him or leave everything as it is - even if he does not break records, but does the main job well. Show that you treat everyone equally and can meet halfway to each. In no case do not collect information about employees from them. You can encourage gossip and dirty tricks. In addition, this information is unlikely to be reliable. Better be based on your own observations and be objective.
Location and humor
Give subordinates understand that you are their protector and friend, like an older brother. Sometimes allow yourself to joke with colleagues and drink a cup of coffee with them so that they feel that you are there, you are with them, you are not locked into your position as their boss. However, observe the measure so that familiarity does not arise. |
Long gone are the days when subordinates were ready to endure all the nitpicking of their boss for fear of losing their jobs. Increasingly, managers are dealing with ambitious and ambitious employees who know their own worth. In terms of intelligence, education, or professional experience, subordinates can in no way be inferior to the boss, and sometimes even surpass him in all these qualities. They are not at all afraid of threats and claims from their superiors, because highly qualified specialists are so confident in their abilities that they can easily “slam the door” and leave to work for another company. Therefore, experienced managers are primarily interested in soft and conflict-free management methods. A non-aggressive and non-offensive atmosphere creates a favorable psychological climate of mutual trust and cooperation.
According to psychologists, the reason for the failure of many leaders is not always due to low professional qualifications and lack of knowledge. Most often, bosses can not properly build relationships with subordinates. Very important in this matter is the ability to order. Therefore, every leader needs to master this art.
Reasons for non-execution of orders
The success of any organization mainly depends on the clear and coordinated execution of the orders of the leadership. And the higher the managerial level, the more expensive the incorrect execution or non-execution of decrees. The average manager gives more than a dozen orders per day. It may seem that most of these orders are so obvious that they do not require much effort to understand and carry out. Therefore, managers often forget about the importance of the correct formulation of requirements. So what are the mistakes they make?
There are several reasons for non-execution or poor execution of orders. First of all, this is a banal misunderstanding of your order. It seems to you that you speak the same language, but in fact, different people can perceive the same words in different ways. There are several conditions that affect the understanding of the essence of your order by subordinates. This is the unity of the professional language, the logic of presentation, the level of education and the level of intelligence, the concentration of attention (after all, it often happens that a person listens, but does not hear, but “hovers in the clouds”).
Another common cause of misunderstanding is vague orders. Often managers are likened to characters from a children's fairy tale, demanding from their subordinates something like: "Go there - I don't know where, bring that - I don't know what." But this is not the most important thing, subordinates can simply pretend that they do not understand. There can be many reasons for this, but most often the problem lies at the level of interpersonal likes and dislikes. One more reason for non-fulfillment of orders should be singled out - the non-acceptance by the subordinate of the requirements of the leader (and the leader himself as a person). As a rule, in this case, the matter is not in the lack of understanding, but in reaching the consent of the subordinate with the position of the boss. There are several forms of non-acceptance: from publicly challenging the received order to covert sabotage. Rejection, first of all, occurs because the employee does not see benefits for himself personally. It should be understood that the personnel have completely different goals and objectives: they did not come to do a job, but somehow work out their salary. Be sure to find out why the subordinate does not accept your point of view. What is behind the rejection, disagreement with your views on doing business or purely "selfish" interest and ambitions of a particular employee?
To get the job done effectively, top-down communication is not enough. In addition to instructions, criticism or praise from the boss, it is necessary that there is feedback in the form of advice, opinions and even criticism from subordinates. This is beneficial, first of all, to the leader himself so that he understands which of the measures he takes are effective and which are not. In addition, subordinates “on the ground” often see what their boss does not notice, and a timely signal from below can protect them from a wrong decision from above.
If subordinates do not want to be frank, most likely the reason lies in the management style of the boss. If the department has a democratic atmosphere, the question of feedback is not a problem: the boss only needs to ask, and the subordinate - to express his point of view.
So if you want to have feedback, you have to drop authoritarian habits. If, nevertheless, you think that you cannot do without a strong hand, try organizing an anonymous survey. But it is better, of course, to strive for an open expression of opinions.
Get rid of a bad legacy
If you inherited the department, it is worth asking your colleagues in as much detail as possible about the personality of your predecessor. If he was a follower of an authoritarian leadership style, it is not surprising that employees are used to meekly obeying orders, and, of course, it will be difficult for them to learn how to give feedback to their boss. In this case, you will have to revise the workflow in order to talk to your shy subordinates.
It may be worth organizing additional events. For example, it's worth holding a department meeting once a week, during which your mentees can discuss current issues and decisions and share ideas.
“On the very first working day, I announced to my subordinates that I am an ardent supporter of democracy and my doors are always open,” Anatoly, commercial director, shares his experience. - However, during the next week, no one contacted me with questions or suggestions. At the meeting, everyone silently listened to my wishes, and then dispersed. Finally, I managed to get my deputy into a frank conversation, from which I learned that my predecessor hated the initiative, although at first he also spoke out about freedom of speech in the department. I had to break stereotypes. I persuaded the deputy to speak at the upcoming meeting. His example turned out to be contagious: after a couple of weeks, no one was afraid to share their opinion.”
It is better if such meetings are held in an informal setting. Over a cup of tea or coffee, employees are more likely to be able to relax and overcome the psychological barrier.
Enter into trust
It is clear that in order to provide feedback from subordinates, you need to work on emotional comfort in the team. It is unlikely that you will hear honest reviews about yourself if the atmosphere of distrust and alienation reigns in the department. But your leadership style will be actively discussed in smoking rooms.
If you want to get feedback from subordinates, you should reconsider the situation and think about global changes in the corporate culture in the department, which requires appropriate measures. Some companies have introduced the practice of motivational conversation, when the manager personally communicates with each subordinate, for example, exchanging views on the results of the year and future plans. But in order to really establish contact with an employee, it is necessary not only to discuss business issues with him, but also to ask about what is happening in his life, that is, to be interested in him as a person.
Personal informal conversations do not always develop into strong friendships, but they will help to strengthen the connection and relieve tension.
If the relationship between the leader and the subordinate does not imply open contact, it is unlikely that it will be possible to forcibly organize it. Therefore, in this case, it is better to involve some additional forces. For example, you can seek the help of an HR manager who will point out the strengths and weaknesses of your management style and provide the necessary techniques for developing leadership skills. An informal team leader can also act as a trusted person.
Do not put pressure on the silent
When establishing complete freedom of speech in the department entrusted to you, try to take into account the individual characteristics of each employee.
“I am a team player, and it is very difficult for me to make a decision alone,” says Sergey, account manager. - In addition, this is my first managerial position, and I don't know if I'm doing everything right. I have only two employees subordinate to me, and even then one is freelance. The trouble is that my second employee has absolutely no opinion of his own. I tried to get some kind of reaction from him: I asked for advice, praised him, even dragged him to a restaurant, but all in vain. In the end, I realized that my employee is an excellent performer, but does not look beyond his site, and I demand too much from him. It is unlikely that he will ever be able to become a boss.
Maybe one of your subordinates is reserved and shy by nature. There are people for whom taking the initiative is a very painful process. You should not force such employees to share ideas and comments in an orderly manner - this will make them even more withdrawn into themselves. In the end, the skill of a manager is not to treat everyone with the same brush, but to ensure effective interaction of the department as a whole and comfort for each employee in particular, distributing work among them according to their characteristics.
Inspire that criticism is not punishable
If earlier freethinkers were threatened with dismissals and fines, then you must wean employees to be afraid. It is necessary not only to explain that criticism or advice will not be punished, but also to encourage them.
Alexandra Ilyina, Natalia Chudova
According to "Trud"
The ability to communicate with subordinates and give feedback is traditionally referred to as the main skills of a professional manager. Any leader should be able to talk to an employee at the right time. And it seems to be, what is easier - called and talked. Specifically and to the point. Praised. Criticized. Set tasks. No problem!
However, in practice, things are not so rosy. Surveys that I conducted in several dozen companies showed that feedback is most often felt by employees as a problem area in relations with the manager.
“He called me and said that I had a bonus. And handed over a letter, which said that the award for the excellent implementation of the project. The money was very helpful, but I wanted to hear words of gratitude from my boss.”
“We start every morning with a scream. The door swings open, and the chief from his office begins to arrange a "dressing" for everyone in turn. They used to worry, but now they are used to it. It does not affect the work in any way. He will take the soul, and we continue to work.
“She is not at all interested in how my work is going. Gives assignments, mostly by email. I am doing. It feels like I’m working in another city, although her office is ten meters from my desk.”
The value of feedback
The need for feedback is natural for any person, be it a top manager or an ordinary employee. Am I doing what the company needs? Right or wrong? Are my efforts recognized? The lack of feedback, as well as a gross violation of the rules for its submission, deprives a person of guidelines in the organization and reduces his desire to work. For a manager, feedback is a tool that allows you to:
- Express recognition to the employee and support his high motivation.
- Understand the causes of undesirable employee behavior.
- Correct employee behavior that deviates from standards.
- Target the employee for development in a specific direction.
Seven Rules for Quality Feedback
Are you going to talk to an employee? Do you want it to work? Then start with goals! Understand what result you want to get from a conversation with an employee. Then it will be much easier to properly build a conversation. Regardless of the purpose of the conversation, it is useful to observe the following rules:
Talk about a specific event. “You showed up at work at 10:45 today. This is the second time in a week, let's talk." There is an event, and there is a topic for discussion. And if so: “You always sleep until eleven and are constantly late”? Generalization, generalization - a favorite technique of manipulators and the eternal theme of conflicts. Not good for quality feedback.
Give feedback shortly after the event you are discussing with the employee. Road spoon to dinner. “You worked with this VIP client today. Let's see what happened this time." Compare: “Remember, about two months ago, you served one VIP client? Let's figure out what mistake you made there. How does it say? Who will remember the old ...
Use confirmed concrete facts."I noticed that you didn't use the new questionnaire with this client." What does the employee hear? The manager carefully observed the work, noticed and remembered - this is important for him! And if so: “They say you completely stopped using questionnaires?” There will be no constructive conversation. There will be a game of attack and defense. And that's not what a leader needs.
Involve the employee in the discussion - let them speak.“What do you think a customer would do if they wanted to place an urgent order but couldn't get through to us at 9:30? What can be done to prevent the recurrence of such situations? Let him say. Firstly, this is a good way to stimulate the employee's independent thinking on the topic under discussion and his responsibility for the decisions that you agree on during the discussion. Secondly, without giving the word to the employee, you can deprive yourself of important information and even get into an awkward position. I witnessed a situation where the boss scolded an employee for violating the deadlines for submitting a regular report - it turned out that he missed that two days earlier a new procedure was sent to the organization, which changed not only the deadlines, but also the reporting format: the data was now entered into a centralized system. The employee began to act according to the new instructions. So there is no scolding, but it was necessary to praise.
Discuss events and activities. Not a personality. Sticking a label on a person is a matter of minutes. "You are selfish! You only think about yourself!" Say this to an employee a couple of times - and you can no longer expect help, mutual assistance and the desire for teamwork from him. After all, he is an egoist, and you elevated him to this rank by the power given to you. Some people get offended and withdraw into themselves. Someone will turn into your opponent. And someone will start to turn other members of the team against you. Personality is a delicate matter, don't mess with it! Find other words. “I appreciate your willingness to take every opportunity to work with a client. However, there must be reasonable limits. Think about the image your actions can create for our company among customers.”
Talk about what can be changed. This applies to those situations when you target an employee to correct behavior and develop skills. Won't work: "Yes, I see that we have a problem, with such a quiet voice it is difficult to win the favor of customers." What were we thinking when we hired this employee? Uh, brother… Now we have to help her! “If you sit on this side, customers will hear you better, let's try. By the way, can we think about a microphone?
You can praise in public, but it is better to criticize face to face.
There are several reasons. Public criticism is very demotivating. Once. We have strong traditions to support the offended. So do not be surprised if, after a public reprimand, your allies will decrease in the team. Two. If you are wrong (it may be, see above in paragraph 4), you will be wrong for everyone. Do you need it? Three. Praise is another matter. And this is a whole art! “Of course, it’s good that you reassured the client so quickly, but why didn’t you tell about the new product?” Is this praise or criticism? Not very clear. “You managed to calm the client so quickly - share the secret of how you do it?”. And this is so much better! They praised, made a compliment, raised self-esteem and motivation. Which is what was required. - Why is emotional intelligence important in communication between a leader and subordinates.
- How should a leader deal with subordinates?
- When we allow an informal tone in communication between a leader and subordinates.
Compliance with the rules of etiquette communication between leader and subordinates builds loyalty to the CEO and to the company as a whole. When the CEO is respected, not feared, his instructions are heard - the benefits of such communication are obvious to both parties.
The CEO and the subordinate are, to a certain extent, clients in relation to each other (the head in this case is positioned as a VIP client). Ethics of business relations is important when communicating with a leader with subordinates of any level - from a top manager to a courier. Incorrectly instructing the courier may cause the document to fail to arrive on time, putting the success of the organization at risk.
Many companies now have codes of ethics that contain both the rules of business relations and corporate etiquette. Such codes exist, for example, in Ingosstrakh, Rostelecom and others.
In practice, in some cases there is a contradiction between corporate standards and traditional rules of etiquette. For example, our office walls have adopted a style that categorically contradicts formal American business etiquette: a gallant attitude and compliments to ladies.
The leader can develop a personal code of business ethics in relation to subordinates. The main thing is to remember that the rules of business relations are based on common sense, ethnic and confessional consciousness, national traditions and ethics of business relations, as well as emotional intelligence. You will learn more about the intricacies of communication between a leader and subordinates at.
Why is emotional intelligence important in communication between a leader and subordinates?
Today, great importance is attached to the emotional intelligence inherent in leaders. The concept of "emotional intelligence" was introduced by D. Goleman.
Experts define emotional intelligence as the ability of leaders to manage themselves and relationships with other people, as well as direct the emotions of others in the right direction. A person with emotional intelligence:
- endowed with good self-consciousness;
- gives himself an accurate self-assessment;
- self-assured;
- knows how to control his emotions;
- open, adaptive, responsive;
- able to manage relationships and resolve conflicts.
The psychological climate in the team depends on the emotional leader. Such a leader perceives the thoughts and aspirations of the group better and more accurately than others.
9 mistakes leaders make when communicating with subordinates
Directors regularly sacrifice subordination in their relations with the staff for the sake of dubious achievements. The editors of the magazine "General Director" identified nine mistakes in the actions of managers that violate the invisible boundaries between them and their subordinates.
How should a leader deal with subordinates?: says CEO
Alexey Sukhenko, General Director of the Russian representative office of Trout & Partners, Moscow
Communication between a leader and subordinates is like a relationship between two clients. The subordinate depends on the leader - this is not necessary to discuss. Does the CEO depend on the employee? I usually give a positive answer. And a lot can sometimes depend on the cleaning lady Marya Ivanovna. And she sometimes acts as a client in relation to the director. Therefore, communication in this format is today called client-oriented, and relationships are called partnerships.
My rules for dealing with subordinates are never to point or order. I always ask for something, using the word "please", and after the performance, be sure to thank. I try not to criticize in a form offensive to employees. As for the distinction between communication “office - outside the office”, the only difference is that in the office we talk about business with employees, but not at the holiday.
I agree with the popularizers of the concept of emotional intelligence: today the business world is ruled by tolerance, the desire to understand another person, and this is expressed in correct, adequate speech forms. This approach is more effective than the authoritarian approach and produces better business results.
Corporate Communication: Business Ethics
Unfortunately, in some companies there is still an idea that the director is the center of the universe. This leaves an imprint on his behavior and affects the observance of etiquette. The most common mistake is the so-called nobility and familiarity. However, this is an unacceptable tone in any situation, even at a corporate holiday. The basic rules of etiquette of a leader in relation to subordinates are as follows:
In crisis, emergency situations, business etiquette "does not work." In such cases, there is an informal leader (if there is no formal leader) who coordinates the work. At the same time, it is in such situations that it becomes clear who really knows the norms of human communication well, and who learned them only yesterday.
corporate communication: whether to require workload exceedance
Demanding has never been considered ethical. Self-respecting managers ask employees to complete a task. It all depends on the form of the request, on the situation and the frequency of the requests. If we talk about Russian reality, then we have to admit that now in most companies people recycle. An irregular working day ultimately affects the efficiency, motivation and turnover of staff, contributes to the so-called professional burnout.
In my practice, there was a case when the manager literally “zombified” the subordinate with constant manipulations: he was invariably polite, wrote out bonuses and gave good gifts, encouraged the employee in every possible way, but his workload was simply unbearable. There is an observance of the rules of business communication and non-compliance with ethics.
