Some time ago I completed a research study which asked two questions, "What experience(s) have you had with a bad manager" and "What would you do differently if you were the manager?"
Many of the bad manager behaviors that were reported would not surprise anyone. However, one of the behaviors that was more commonly reported did surprise me. It surprised me a great deal. I always thought that common courtesy was as basic to managerial practice as assigning work. I was wrong. Too many experiences shared in the research suggest that there are too many managers out there who need to learn the value of common courtesy. So here let's make a case for why managers should display basic common courtesy while working with team members.
Who would you rather work for, someone you like and respect, or someone you don't know, or don't respect?
The answer to this should be obvious. People are people. We all have our natural inclinations. It is easier to feel helpful towards those who are are pleasant and agreeable, is it not? Of course it is. Now think about yourself as a manager concerning those you supervise. Who do you think your team members would work harder for, a manager who they don't like or respect, or one they like or respect? Again, the latter, of course. As a manager, you have a right to be ugly or rude, You're in charge. You can do or be whatever you want, right? But just because you can be mean, ugly, or inconsiderate, does this mean you should be?
If you're the type of manager who likes to throw the managerial weight around because you can, try an experiment. Try kindness. Try consideration. Try humane behavior. Say 'please' even though you don't have to. Say 'thank you' whenever the opportunity presents itself. Do all these things and see if there's a difference in individual behavior and an increase in team cohesion. There will be. Count on it.
Which manager is more likely to be a better decision maker, the one who knows more, or a manager who knows less?
Treating people in less polite ways naturally causes them to want to close up; not share, not help. When this happens in the workplace, employees will share only what information they have to. They will avoid sharing anything else. This is true even if that information might help you, the manager, do a better job for the team. In more extreme cases, team members may not only withhold information, but sometimes even misinform to cause problems. Is this helpful? Again, of course not.
Politeness breeds openness. Employees will share more when you care more. They will share more about themselves, about the work, about things you might want to know, about things you should know. Though you may not want to hear some of the information you get, you need to be glad to receive it. Because in the end, you would rather know, than not know. You might not think so, but you would. Why is this? Refer to the question opening this section: Which manager is more likely to be a better decision maker, the one who knows more, or a manager who knows less? If you figure, as most managers would, that the one with more information would be a better decision maker, then do what you can to foster information sharing among your team members. Be polite. Be courteous. Expect team members to be the same way towards one another as well and you will be fostering an environment where information is more openly shared. This will give you the edge when it comes to decision making and, as a result, lead to higher team productivity.
What matters most to employees?
What is important to many employees is that they have a sense that the work they are doing is being done for a person and an organization that cares about them. For team members, team leaders represent the organization. For this reason it's the team leaders who need to project this personal touch. That is, if they don't want to lose team member after team member. In an article entitled, Top 10 Reasons why People Leave Their Jobs, found on business knowhow.com, author Gregory Smith reports a portion of the results of his research as follows,
My retention survey confirmed the truth of the saying, "Employees don't quit their companies, they quit their bosses." Thirty-five percent of the respondents answered yes to the question, Was the attitude of your direct supervisor/manager the primary factor in your quitting a previous job?
People need to know that the service they give is being given to someone who appreciates their effort. This is as much the case in a home setting as it is at work. If employees believe the work they do doesn't matter to those they work for, they are likely to move on to a place where they feel their efforts do matter. Make sure team members know their work matters by telling them so. It's as simple as that.
It would seem like common sense, but as so many good managers know, common sense is all too often not common practice. If you want to be a better manager, take the time to show common courtesy towards those you oversee. If you are already by nature a courteous manager, that's great. Work to increase your interactions a bit more and help your team members do the same. If you know you could do better in this area, than decide now to begin making the change. As you work to ensure your team members know that you know you care about them as individuals, you'll find team members will be more satisfied, gratified, and more productive employees.
Many of the bad manager behaviors that were reported would not surprise anyone. However, one of the behaviors that was more commonly reported did surprise me. It surprised me a great deal. I always thought that common courtesy was as basic to managerial practice as assigning work. I was wrong. Too many experiences shared in the research suggest that there are too many managers out there who need to learn the value of common courtesy. So here let's make a case for why managers should display basic common courtesy while working with team members.
Who would you rather work for, someone you like and respect, or someone you don't know, or don't respect?
The answer to this should be obvious. People are people. We all have our natural inclinations. It is easier to feel helpful towards those who are are pleasant and agreeable, is it not? Of course it is. Now think about yourself as a manager concerning those you supervise. Who do you think your team members would work harder for, a manager who they don't like or respect, or one they like or respect? Again, the latter, of course. As a manager, you have a right to be ugly or rude, You're in charge. You can do or be whatever you want, right? But just because you can be mean, ugly, or inconsiderate, does this mean you should be?
If you're the type of manager who likes to throw the managerial weight around because you can, try an experiment. Try kindness. Try consideration. Try humane behavior. Say 'please' even though you don't have to. Say 'thank you' whenever the opportunity presents itself. Do all these things and see if there's a difference in individual behavior and an increase in team cohesion. There will be. Count on it.
Which manager is more likely to be a better decision maker, the one who knows more, or a manager who knows less?
Treating people in less polite ways naturally causes them to want to close up; not share, not help. When this happens in the workplace, employees will share only what information they have to. They will avoid sharing anything else. This is true even if that information might help you, the manager, do a better job for the team. In more extreme cases, team members may not only withhold information, but sometimes even misinform to cause problems. Is this helpful? Again, of course not.
Politeness breeds openness. Employees will share more when you care more. They will share more about themselves, about the work, about things you might want to know, about things you should know. Though you may not want to hear some of the information you get, you need to be glad to receive it. Because in the end, you would rather know, than not know. You might not think so, but you would. Why is this? Refer to the question opening this section: Which manager is more likely to be a better decision maker, the one who knows more, or a manager who knows less? If you figure, as most managers would, that the one with more information would be a better decision maker, then do what you can to foster information sharing among your team members. Be polite. Be courteous. Expect team members to be the same way towards one another as well and you will be fostering an environment where information is more openly shared. This will give you the edge when it comes to decision making and, as a result, lead to higher team productivity.
What matters most to employees?
What is important to many employees is that they have a sense that the work they are doing is being done for a person and an organization that cares about them. For team members, team leaders represent the organization. For this reason it's the team leaders who need to project this personal touch. That is, if they don't want to lose team member after team member. In an article entitled, Top 10 Reasons why People Leave Their Jobs, found on business knowhow.com, author Gregory Smith reports a portion of the results of his research as follows,
My retention survey confirmed the truth of the saying, "Employees don't quit their companies, they quit their bosses." Thirty-five percent of the respondents answered yes to the question, Was the attitude of your direct supervisor/manager the primary factor in your quitting a previous job?
People need to know that the service they give is being given to someone who appreciates their effort. This is as much the case in a home setting as it is at work. If employees believe the work they do doesn't matter to those they work for, they are likely to move on to a place where they feel their efforts do matter. Make sure team members know their work matters by telling them so. It's as simple as that.
It would seem like common sense, but as so many good managers know, common sense is all too often not common practice. If you want to be a better manager, take the time to show common courtesy towards those you oversee. If you are already by nature a courteous manager, that's great. Work to increase your interactions a bit more and help your team members do the same. If you know you could do better in this area, than decide now to begin making the change. As you work to ensure your team members know that you know you care about them as individuals, you'll find team members will be more satisfied, gratified, and more productive employees.
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