some behaviors by managers trying to be likeable, that defy any description of appropriate. When I asked one female manager why she talked about her love life with her staff, she replied that she was being friendly and attempting to open up conversation with her team!
In these circumstances, it is the manager’s responsibility as the leader to check his or her own behavior and examine the motives. Do you want to be liked for who you are or respected for confronting problems directly? It is an unfortunate reality that some workplaces are not accustomed to women in management (or African-Americans, Jews, Sikhs, etc.). In this regard, the 21st century hasn’t taken hold everywhere. Managers may need to do extra leadership work to discuss with and counsel employees (male and female) about the realities of equal opportunity, respect and the law. The support and assistance of human resources are mandatory in these circumstances. You may need to examine your own reactions to employee pushback to make sure your response is solely professional and not personal. Again, human resources must be used to help you deal with any of your own attendant personal issues, if they arise. Have you considered the work climate, the company’s policies and your own sense of propriety before you include personal issues in any business discussion?
As managers our duty is to accept the human reality in ourselves and those who depend upon our leadership. With our colleagues we build teams and systems, provide support, and monitor performance to isolate and minimize the possibilities for error, catch mistakes at the beginning, and acknowledge and resolve them before they grow and spread. Just as importantly, we must be the leaders and the human examples of a work environment where we cooperate openly, listen and communicate constantly, and assist each other continually so that individual performances are the essential parts of a productive structure based on authenticity, honesty and fairness. The leaders in this structure recognize, reward, support and discipline in a transparent and seamless management style that develops each person’s potential and nourishes his or her spirit.
I met Jeff at a seminar on Accountability. Jeff is a regional manager for one of the biggest retail chains in the world. He is responsible for the managers of several large stores in important markets in the Northeast, accounting for tens of millions of dollars in annual sales. Listen to what he told me about what guides his management thinking,
“My father taught me that it is far better and much more productive to want to work for someone, than to have to work for someone.”
“Why Am I Here?”
A company for which I worked undertook yet another re-organization, this time in the computer operations division. After the high watermark period of Y2K, when computer technicians, programmers and managers were in demand at the best prices and terms, computer operations have contracted with layoffs, downsizing and job exporting. It has been a very swift and sometimes brutal process. It has been particularly tough on the computer folks whose general approach to work life is sometimes more insular and self-focused than professionals in other areas. Quirky, often followed by the words “but brilliant,” might best describe many of the computer folks with whom I’ve worked.
This re-organization was happening rapidly, its details finalized only two days before being announced. My human resource team and I fought with the company’s Swiss management and its German corporate head of HR for the approval to bring in executive coaches to help ease the spiritual and practical impact on those whose jobs were in jeopardy and those who worked along side them. We argued that the computer operations managers were most in need of professional coaching during this time because their colleagues would turn to them first for advice and assurance.
Can you imagine a 10:00 PM long distance telephone conversation between the corporate HR leader in Switzerland and me in which one of the hotly debated topics was whether the re-organization team had the right to ask American workers what were their ages, were they married and how many children did they have, so that European salaries could be calculated? The answer from my side for each inappropriate request was a firm and final “No.”
Just a day before the announcement meeting with computer operations was to occur, I secured approval for executive coaches to be in place. It took a face-to-face impassioned plea by me over dinner with the corporate HR leader, in front of the management team of the executive coaching firm. Maybe it was my adamant position or the logic of my plan or he just wanted me to shut up but out of the blue he said “If you think this is that important to have, then we have it.” When he left the table, the president of the coaching firm told me, “I don’t know what you hit him with but he looks beaten to me. Congratulations.” Our human resources are all we have to offer at the end of the day.
On the day of the announcement meeting, the faces in the crowd were clouded with despair and resignation. Many looked downright hostile. However, I gave a lot of credit to the corporate computer operations managers who flew to America to present their re-organization plan at the meeting. They followed a script the executive coaches and I wrote for them.
They were straightforward and honest – no holding back details, no sugarcoating, and no hiding from the audience or from the truth. The only off-note was when the corporate human resources guy stood up and said, “Why am I here?” and he didn’t seem to have a credible answer to his own question.
I could see the looks on the faces in the crowd. At the end of the presentation, I stood up and said these are the plans; we have given the details to you as soon as was possible because we know these are your lives we’re talking about. “I promise that I will be involved and available for you. I personally guarantee that every right to which you are due by law, company policy, and morally because you are employees of this company, you will receive and I will fight for them.” I then asked Joe Tomaselli, one of the senior executive coaches we provided for them that day, to say a few words.
Joe hadn’t expected to be called on to speak at that time but he was (and is) a consummate professional. He came forward, stood in front of the audience and said
“I’m here to help you get through this time of major change. We all know this is not easy. I will help you by listening to your concerns and giving you advice. Why am I here? Because I’ve made every mistake in the book.” The audience’s eyes widened in collective surprise. “I’ve made mistakes that you might make and then some! And I’ve learned from those mistakes so that you don’t have to make them to learn too.”
He gained their trust in seven sentences because fairness trumps everything.
You Bring It With You
A leader’s credibility is the core of his or her ability to manage successfully. It is truly said that all you take with you from one job to another is your reputation. Without your credibility, your other management tools are useless. Managers like Joe live authentic lives that confirm their credibility and speak their reputations instantly. Leaders are both humble and bold. By speaking and living from the essence of their lives (“I’ve made every mistake in the book”), they relate to their colleagues immediately and their colleagues relate to and trust them.
“The lessons about a leader being both humble and bold cause me some thought. I’ve had too many examples of self-centered leadership.” Dr. Terry Ebert, Managing Director, The Ayers Group
My friend Peter, my first teacher in the freight business, told me, “A true leader is willing to go out on a limb in pursuit of the truth.” Leadership and successful management are not timid pursuits. Managers face problems and conflicting situations constantly. Although performing as a team is the most spiritually rewarding work environment, the daily tasks required of managers include uncooperative people, unrealistic schedules and disagreements among and sometimes with colleagues that defy easy resolution. The leader must be prepared (“Carry the right-sized stick”) to first understand
