Published on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A tongue-in-cheek forward that is doing the e-mail rounds, ‘A team of managers was given an assignment to measure the height of a flagpole.
So the managers go out to the flagpole with ladders and tape. They are falling off the ladders, dropping the tape measures - the whole thing is just a mess. An engineer comes along and sees what they are trying to do, walks over, pulls the flagpole ou t of the ground, lays it flat, measures it from end to end, gives the measurement to one of the managers and walks away.
After the engineer has gone, one manager turns to another and laughs – “See this idiot. We are looking for height and he gives the length!”
Moral: No matter what good you do, Managers can always find fault in you!’
It ends with a postscript cautioning you to never forward this to managers!
So the managers go out to the flagpole with ladders and tape. They are falling off the ladders, dropping the tape measures - the whole thing is just a mess. An engineer comes along and sees what they are trying to do, walks over, pulls the flagpole ou t of the ground, lays it flat, measures it from end to end, gives the measurement to one of the managers and walks away.
After the engineer has gone, one manager turns to another and laughs – “See this idiot. We are looking for height and he gives the length!”
Moral: No matter what good you do, Managers can always find fault in you!’
It ends with a postscript cautioning you to never forward this to managers!
Drawing the fault lines
Sounds funny, but the sad truth is that most managers come from the ‘fault-finding’ stable. They are always looking for one excuse or another to find fault with their employees – it can be poor performance, divergent work patterns or even just a failure to conform to their own thought patterns.
Managers may seek glory in finding faults, at times just to show off their technical or managerial superiority. But what they fail to realise is that the blind attitude is quite self-defeating. Vociferous criticism will not do anyone any favours; it actually alienates the staff who will avoid seeking assistance or another way to solve the problem. The fear of constant reproach is also a huge demotivating factor that not only kills initiative but also increases turnover.
Sounds funny, but the sad truth is that most managers come from the ‘fault-finding’ stable. They are always looking for one excuse or another to find fault with their employees – it can be poor performance, divergent work patterns or even just a failure to conform to their own thought patterns.
Managers may seek glory in finding faults, at times just to show off their technical or managerial superiority. But what they fail to realise is that the blind attitude is quite self-defeating. Vociferous criticism will not do anyone any favours; it actually alienates the staff who will avoid seeking assistance or another way to solve the problem. The fear of constant reproach is also a huge demotivating factor that not only kills initiative but also increases turnover.
Rise above the blame game
No one is infallible everybody makes mistakes. Moreover, it’s easy, in fact far too easy, to find fault. If you look hard enough, you can make employees look bad over anything and everything.
Instead of expending all your energy in finding faults and assessing blame, as a manager you should re-evaluate your management style and shift the focus to fixing the problem.
Move from ‘fault-finding’ mode to a ‘fact-finding’ one where the spotlight is on finding the root cause of the problem and looking for a solution.
Maintaining a degree of accountability is important and you should identify who was involved in the problem. Ask open questions about the error without jumping to judgements and attacking employees. For instance you can switch from “and you did….” to “let’s look at the facts.”
While determining the cause for a performance gap, dig deeper as it could be that the employee did not have access to the necessary information/resources or even the work system could be to blame. If so, make according changes in the work environment that will enable the workforce to be more productive and succeed.
If the poor performance is attributed primarily to an employee error, steps should be taken to hold the individual employee accountable, but without resorting to petty ridicule, sarcasm or malice. Steer clear of public humiliation by discussing the issue behind closed doors.
Here too, the accent should not be on fixing blame and pointing out failures, but on offering constructive feedback laced with thoughtful suggestions, alternatives and counselling.
Also, keep the communication lines open so that the employees can approach you for directions and coaching whenever needed.
Portraying a supportive tolerance that gives an employee the opportunity to succeed again inspite of the failures goes a long way in building effective work relationships.
No one is infallible everybody makes mistakes. Moreover, it’s easy, in fact far too easy, to find fault. If you look hard enough, you can make employees look bad over anything and everything.
Instead of expending all your energy in finding faults and assessing blame, as a manager you should re-evaluate your management style and shift the focus to fixing the problem.
Move from ‘fault-finding’ mode to a ‘fact-finding’ one where the spotlight is on finding the root cause of the problem and looking for a solution.
Maintaining a degree of accountability is important and you should identify who was involved in the problem. Ask open questions about the error without jumping to judgements and attacking employees. For instance you can switch from “and you did….” to “let’s look at the facts.”
While determining the cause for a performance gap, dig deeper as it could be that the employee did not have access to the necessary information/resources or even the work system could be to blame. If so, make according changes in the work environment that will enable the workforce to be more productive and succeed.
If the poor performance is attributed primarily to an employee error, steps should be taken to hold the individual employee accountable, but without resorting to petty ridicule, sarcasm or malice. Steer clear of public humiliation by discussing the issue behind closed doors.
Here too, the accent should not be on fixing blame and pointing out failures, but on offering constructive feedback laced with thoughtful suggestions, alternatives and counselling.
Also, keep the communication lines open so that the employees can approach you for directions and coaching whenever needed.
Portraying a supportive tolerance that gives an employee the opportunity to succeed again inspite of the failures goes a long way in building effective work relationships.
Find what they are doing right too
To enhance alignment with employees and improve managerial control, it is imperative to acknowledge employee ideas, contributions and achievements with both compliments and rewards. For instance, while critiquing a fault, you should also comprehend the big picture by accepting the amount of thought, preparation and hard work that has gone into the assignment. Developing an encouraging attitude sans any confrontational overtones will not only earn you staff respect and admiration, but also pave the way for employee growth by harnessing their best abilities and skills.
So, remember that you may be an expert in finding faults, correcting and criticising, but such behaviour will never build a positive and motivating work environment. Handling performance problems by finding solutions is the real key to great management.
To quote an ancient Chinese philosopher, ‘A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worst when they despise him!’
To enhance alignment with employees and improve managerial control, it is imperative to acknowledge employee ideas, contributions and achievements with both compliments and rewards. For instance, while critiquing a fault, you should also comprehend the big picture by accepting the amount of thought, preparation and hard work that has gone into the assignment. Developing an encouraging attitude sans any confrontational overtones will not only earn you staff respect and admiration, but also pave the way for employee growth by harnessing their best abilities and skills.
So, remember that you may be an expert in finding faults, correcting and criticising, but such behaviour will never build a positive and motivating work environment. Handling performance problems by finding solutions is the real key to great management.
To quote an ancient Chinese philosopher, ‘A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worst when they despise him!’
PAYAL CHANANIA
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